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ZBL Improvements
Among the newest addition, the one not to be missed, was the white and red Bush Hawk float plane. Made by the Found Company in Canada, it is ideal for taking passengers to and fro as it has no wing struts and four nice sized doors. Its design allows up to four passengers and plenty of cargo space. Not only did this prove its worth, but it is faster than our last plane as well, making travel much quicker. Due to it being larger in size, a new plane trailer had to be constructed to haul it up onto the beach.
Back at the lodge were many more improvements. To the delight of the guests, their fish was vacuum-sealed due to the purchase of a commercial vacuum packer. The animal house continued with its renovation as yet another room was paneled making it more modern and allowing the guests another outlet for recharging their battery packs. The bay house received not only a new metal roof but a full length covered back porch as well; the wreck hall was also re-roofed.
Due to an unfortunate incident in which the bottoms of the garden boxes gave out in the greenhouse, the greenhouse got a makeover consisting of a scrub down, a new screen door, and all new boxes. This allowed for a change in the layout of the boxes, which exploded with greens.
To help improve communications, a Starband satellite dish was installed that allows us access to email without a phone line connection. Since we have no direct phone line here, but have a radio/phone, this addition caused much excitement for the staff. Now not only do we have better access to communicate with you, but we are now in touch with the world as it includes Internet services.
Work continues on Marty and Linda’s house on the hill. Windows and siding were put up and a wrap around deck has been built. The deck and trim have also been painted. After the construction of an artic entry, work began inside the house.
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This season brought two new faces to the lodge: Ian Jansma and John King. Traveling all the way from Connecticut, Ian was an intern here learning about Alaska as well as the business. He was a great help with the guests and his computer knowledge came in handy more than once. He returned to Bard College at the end of August to finish his last year there.
John King was a welcome addition to our staff. He has worked as a guide on the island for 8 years. His expertise on the fish, animals and the area as well as his easy-going manner made him loved by all. John spends his winters in Oregon and vacations in Mexico every year.
Guiding a 70-year-old man on a successful brown bear hunt in the spring, started out Jim Hahn’s season perfectly. Guide extraordinaire, Jim finished his 11th season at the lodge charming and beguiling the guests.
His wife, Dawn, continues to be the heartbeat of the lodge – at least as far as everyone’s stomach goes. It is a well known fact you cannot diet while visiting our lodge. The food is out of this world!
After the initial want-to-cry, this-can’t-be-happening-to-me disappointment of the greenhouse boxes collapsing after they were planted, Dawn’s greenhouse flourished and much to her amazement sported green tomatoes mid-July. That’s rare for here!
But the best news for both Jim and Dawn was the arrival of a grandson, Lane Ryan Quinn, November 9, 2000. They had a bawl getting to know him while they vacationed in Florida. ...continued Family page 2
“I enjoyed Frazer – the fish, beautiful scenery, fox, wildflowers and bear. It’s kind of like heaven, to get away from everything.” - Martin Johnson
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Family ...continued from page 1
Marty and Linda Eaton’s youngest, Kyle, spent many hours this Spring flying the Aeronca Sedan around the lower 48 while attending the University of Idaho. He built up many hours and went to get his commercial license in August. He spent many hours working on the updated web page and advertisements as well as guiding guest fishing this season.
Middle son, Glen, enjoyed flying the new Bush Hawk airplane. Not only does it perform better, but he turned more than one pilot’s head with this new plane. All eyes were on him wherever he went! He plans to continue his piloting career this winter.
Andy, the oldest, was married to Linda (Lin) Throop, March 31, 2001. Andy is guide and maintenance man at the lodge. Although he enjoys life at the lodge, by winter he is itching to get into town to snow machine. He continues to work winters for Emerson Boat Works welding aluminum boats similar to the ones he’s made for the lodge.
Lin’s winter was spent preparing for the wedding and planning for their Hawaiian honeymoon. It was a wonderful trip for both who enjoyed leaving the snow and basking in the sun. At the lodge, helping in the kitchen and with cleaning allows Lin to do some of what she likes best – write. She is currently freelancing for Christian Ed. Publisher. During their stay in town, Lin substitute teaches.
Marty and Linda, the true core of the lodge, have put their hearts and souls into the lodge’s growth and success. Taking a break for a few weeks last fall they did a bit of traveling. Spring brought wedding bustle and excitement, then it was back to the lodge. Marty continues to working diligently on their new house at the lodge and both hope to be in a room or two by next season. Plans for traveling to visit family are in the workings for this fall.
David Hahn returned for a longer stay this year to help at the end of the season and we appreciated his help.
As always the wildlife was here in abundance; many guest left saying the highlight of their trip was the animals they viewed. However, each year brings the animals out in different numbers and at different times. If last year was the summer of the whales, this year was the summer of the bears . . . and voles!
Those who wanted to see bear had little problems finding one. It was the rare occasion that left a viewer not gushing about the size of the bear, the distance they were away from the bear, or the antics of the bear. One group saw 30 bears in one day between those seen from the plane and those viewed from the land. Others raved about the “show” the bears put on for them. They ranged from the sow protecting its young by chasing off and fighting a young boar, to a mother nursing her three young and being able to see the milk on the cubs’ mouths through a magnifying lens, to two sows playing in the river while their cubs looked on, to the never seen before bear up a tree! Even the fishermen enjoyed the bear as they floated by them on the river and fished the same streams as them.
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“It’s untouched and untamed” - Jeff Sanford
“I don’t think there is another spot like it – where you can “coexist” with bears while fishing. You had no person telling you to stay on a platform, be quiet, don’t chew gum, don’t move. It was very nice,” said Jane Erkman, who had viewed bears in other areas of Alaska.
On the other hand, the explosion of voles due to a mild winter was a little harder to see. Occasionally you could see a vole race across the trail in front of you but most evident was the signs of their existence. Clumps of dirt became vole condominiums with several entrance and exit holes. Not far from those, were vole trails in the ground – similar to the deer trails you’d see in the grass.
And speaking of deer, the mild winter was good for them as well. Our Sitka black-tail deer were seen often whether from the boat or hiking up the river. Most often it was a doe with her young. One group of early risers enjoyed seeing a deer several days in a row just behind their cabin. Another got great photos of two deer sunbathing on the beach.
Rabbits were often seen early in the morning here in the yard. However, there was no resident fox this year; the dogs kept them far away, although at night on occasion you could here a fox yipping. But that does not mean fox couldn’t be seen. They were often on the beaches scavenging and could also be seen hiking to fishing locations.
“The highlight for me was the hike we made from Larsen Bay to the Karluk River,” reported Brian O’Donnell. “The wood scents and sights were glorious, and the other memorable thing was the wildlife. We saw nesting ptarmigan running ahead faking broken wings, lots of other birds and a fox.”
If you came to take photos of whales, this was not the year. The numbers were depressingly low compared to last year, yet a few did make their appearance and spout a hello for our guests.
Also barking a loud and boisterous greeting were the sea lions. Taking up residence once again on a rock in Spiridon Bay, the sea lion were always willing to poise for photos, as were the birds. Sea gulls, Oyster Catchers and Puffins adorned the nearby rocks like jewels, and the boat could ease in for wonderful photos. Depending on the time of your stay, baby birds could also be seen. Not to be missed was the eagle’s nest, home to one eaglet this year.
A couple of unafraid sea otters let the boat drift in closer than usual this year to the delight of the passengers. Large and presumably old, these otters were a sight to see. With the use of binoculars, mother’s swimming with their young could be seen earlier in the season.
Not nearly as brave were the seals on the rock here in Zachar Bay. Looking strangely odd curled like a crescent moon on the rocks, they were eager to scurry into the water at our approach. However, curiosity would over take them as they popped their head continually up to watch us pass. For at least one guest, the trip out to the rock in a kayak was most memorable as you could see the brown eyes and distinct heads watching. What a photo opportunity!
Whatever brought you to us, we were glad to share the wildlife in our backyard with you. You just never know what you’ll see!
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Fishing
Arriving earlier in June than usual, the red salmon were a big hit for those that were here at their prime. It was a large run and the river was full leaving our guests gushing.
“It was incredible – way incredible. The fish were so lively, jumping and rolling everywhere!” reported Steve Beer. “I’d do that again!”
With the abundance of fish in the river, it became a draw for the brown bear that had been waiting all winter for fresh salmon.
𠇏ishing and watching bears at the same time is unusual,” Guiseppe Mannina observed.
This spot is definitely a gem. It is a bit of heaven where a fisherman can wear himself out reeling in fish while enjoying the breathtaking landscape not to mention watching the bear.
Although the run of King Salmon was low and the season was shortened, it did not have an affect on successful fishing trips.
“The best part was getting two kings in 15 minutes,” said return guest Larry Reardon. “I left with nothing on my wish list.”
It was also a wonderful time for John Erkman who caught his king on a fly rod and Ruthanne Pitts who caught her king on the first cast! But I believe the biggest smile came from Martin Johnson who caught a 30 lb king salmon trolling in the ocean. He held that record until September, when Ronald Reisch caught a 40 lb king trolling – and he was filmed and shown on TV!
Halibut were here in abundance to start the season. We caught bigger ones than usual. Eighties and nineties were common for a while.
“(We were) catching fish until my arm hurt,” said John Henry, Jr. “That’s never happened before!”
However, those sore arms were only to last for a period. By the beginning of August it was a hunt for the elusive halibut. As I heard more than once this year that is why they call it fishing and not catching. They just quit biting; however, when they began to bite again a week or so later Juergen Thomas caught a whopping 140 pounder. Rough seas and deep water made fishing abit more difficult in September. Halibut were hard to find but worth the work to catch.
Not to be outdone, the silver salmon also made an early appearance. Jim Bailey caught the first silver trolling on July 20. That’s early!! The rest of the silvers started trickling in and by August our guests were catching some whoppers. It started out with 14 pounders of which Georg Schwarz, Pat Head & Kathy Dinapoli could brag. Then Kathy caught a 16 pounder only to be out done the next day by Charlie Gibson’s 17 pounder. Soon Hans Zinn and Christoph Kobler also had a 17 lb silver. These monsters were the biggest of the year. But even if you didn’t catch a monster – the average silver weighted 12 pounds - it was memorable nevertheless.
“Catching a silver salmon was my highlight,” reported David Hanson. “It’s the biggest fish I’ve ever caught.”
For Wendy Hall who’d never been fishing before just hooking into one was great fun. Jake Smith thought so too. Not only was it his first time fishing, but he caught the first fish of the day and several more after that.
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It only took a quick lesson on casting right on the riverbank for Jitka Kubrova to haul in her silver. Even amateurs proved to be great fisher people.
Guests had been hiking the Zachar River since July to catch pinks and dolly vardens. As September approached, the silvers swam up the Zachar making for some great fishing.
“I absolutely loved the river – the serenity and the beauty of the scenery,” said Bryan Hall, and then added laughing, “Plus a 15 lb silver didn’t hurt!”
Since every species of fish were early this year, it provided wonderful fishing for those who came . . . a little earlier than usual! But nevertheless, all had a wonderful time fishing and left with their box or more of fish. Next year will bring a new fish tale, of this I am sure! Hope to see you then.
Visitors
Returning Visitors:
Welcome back! We were glad to see you again: Larry Reardon (3rd time), Michael Reardon (2nd time), Martin Johnson (9th time), Rocky Parsons (3rd time), Reed Brooks (2nd time), Len, Alex & Hara Slonevsky (2nd time), Joe Granados (2nd time), Dave Niedzialek (2nd time), Helmut Meiler (4th time), Albert & Trudy Hornbach (2nd time), Pam & Alan Schmeiser (4th time), Martin Schmid (2nd time), Tom & Jane Buch (3rd time), Fred Wright (3rd time) & Kathy Dinapoli (2nd time), Frank Selbe (2nd time), Dan Hockersmith (2nd time), John Herrmann (2nd time), Bryan Hall (2nd time), Skip and Janet Werner (3rd time), Ronald Reisch (2nd time), Joe Ventline (4th time), Glenn Henningsen (2nd time), and Dick Henningsen (2nd time).
“I’ll come back just for the Reds” - Rocky Parsons
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Visitors
June Guests
Our first guests of the year, Larry and Michael Reardon, not only were the first to ride in our new plane, but they saw four bears on the flight to the lodge and left with many fish. Enjoying our lodge for the first time were Al and Peggy Padgett. Al hauled in a 100-pound halibut giving all the rest of the guests something to aim for.
The Slonevsky family, Len, Alex and Hara, floated the river for kings, which was a whole new experience for them.
Long time friend and serious fisherman, Martin Johnson, got a fit of laughter from the events leading up to and after his 53 pound halibut was landed. Here at the lodge we try to make fishing fun!
Joe Granados and Dave Niedzialek limited out on kings before noon and went on to catch a couple of reds. Also floating the Karluk, were Reed Brooks, Rocky Parsons and Corky Parsons who had the experience of a lifetime. In front of them swimming across the river was a mountain goat – no lie, they got it on tape. Imagine that!!
John Tucker spent his 81 birthday here with us and limited out on kings during a float trip. Also fishing the river were Helmut Meilner and Konrad Dobler.
Families Rich, Austin and Travis Wiley and Ed, Edgar and Colin McConnell visited us for the first time. The highlight of their trip was Travis’s 85-pound halibut that was longer than he was tall! All agreed that the food was excellent too!
Thinking they were getting away from it all, Brian O’Donnell and Steve Oliver were fishing in the pristine wilderness only to have a camera crew come and film.
Steve, Jared and Travis Beer and friend, Allen Alspektor, enjoyed watching the bears put on shows just as much as catching the fish. One big brute (bear) turned and watched the group watching the bear.
Patience proved to be the key with Nicholas and John Gaetz and John Henry and Johnny Henry Jr. Their last day here they caught hundred of halibut. They were glad they waited for the big one as Nick brought back a 110-pounder.
Wildlife viewers Angus and Christine Johnson were thrilled with getting that close to the bears. “It was better than they expected,” Christine reported. Also enthralled with the bears were Ian and Mandy Parker. They saw bear everywhere they went – they even saw one up a tree. The guide had never seen one up a tree in the 10 years he’s been here. What a treat!
July Guests
July brought another group of guests, our first from Russia: Vladimir and Svetlana Zaporojskia, Alexander Abramov, Alexander Katuniv, Alexander Zacharov, Alexei Sitnikov and Guiseppe Mannina. They enjoyed Alaska’s wild nature as well as fishing and rewarded themselves each evening with (salmon) sushi.
Halibut fishing for Bill & Ruthanne Pitts and Charles & Brenda Fraim proved productive. Bill went home with an 85-pound halibut, but was out done the last day by Brenda who caught a 95-pound halibut.
Hans Pfeiffer and Bruno Largo caught halibut, reds, and dollies. For a special treat, the dollies were cooked on a fire next to the river for lunch.
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It was nice to see wildlife viewer Trudy and Albert Hornbach back for another visit. They never tire of viewing the Kodiak brown bear.
John and Jane Erkmann were waiting for the monster halibut but although it didn’t happen on this trip they enjoyed the action they did get while fishing . . . and the fact that they didn’t have to ride hours to the fishing holes!
Having fished often around the city of Kodiak, Jeff Sanford visited us to see what fishing other parts of the island was all about. He commented about Frazer that he didn’t know why anyone would want to fish anywhere else. Lots of reds and bear!
Vern and Janet Larsen looked forward to each day’s adventure. Each day of a vacation here is never the same!
Charles and Cheryl Kutcher delighted us with their good nature. Always smiling and enjoying the events of the day, Charles left with a 73 pound halibut and Cheryl having fulfilled a dream of seeing Kodiak brown bear.
Getting many great photos, Loic Poidevin and Frederique Arthuis had much to tell after their trip to Frazer. They got to watch a mother bear nurse her three young!
The bear show at Frazer continued as Alan and Pam Schmeiser and nephew, Corey Porters, saw two sows each with their own cubs approach each other on the stream . . . and begin to play. Not often do you see two sows wrestling just for the sport of it.
Our first guests ever from Washington state, Rod Russell and Jim Bailey, were also the first guests of the year to catch silver salmon trolling on July 20th and left with those bragging rights. Jim limited out his day halibut fishing with two 50# halibut. Way to go guys!
Bill and Jeff Grainger started our (unplanned) week of father and son visitors. They had a great day catching salmon and dollies on their fly-rods.
Father and son, Paul and Stefan Kuster, were the first to raft the Spiridon this year. They came back with many stories as well as the experience of feeling an earthquake while sleeping in a tent!
Bill George and son, Jon, saw their first brown bears ever and was it spectacular. With a flight seeing trip to their destination, they saw 30 bears in all: 19 from the air and 11 on the ground, the closest coming within 70 yards.
Traveling quite a distance to get here, our next guests arrived from Japan: Atsuko & Kosakn Fujiwara, Fukuzo & Sayoko Yabuno, Shoji Haruyama, and Shin Suzuki. They spent their visit wildlife viewing and commented on the fact that they never expected to see eagles so close. Seeing an eaglet is a rare treat!
Jochen Ruchniewitz and Karin Goldhofer enjoyed the stress free and peaceful surroundings here at the lodge. Fishing was not only relaxing but successful as they both caught silvers, and Karin pulled in a 60 pound halibut.
Ending the month of July was guest, Dan Emanuel. He saw a huge (HUGE) bear track on the Zachar River, but couldn’t talk the guides into flushing it out of the alders so that he could see it!! We aim to please, but . . .
August Guests
With August’s better weather came Martin Schmid, Heinz Holzner, Georg Schwarz and Hans Wittmann.
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They filled the dining hall with laughter while playing pool as well as having success in fishing. Georg caught a 14 pound silver trolling.
Lewis Burdette was out-fished by nephews Nick and John Bert but took it all in stride. In fact, Lewis said the best part of the trip was watching John catch his silvers.
Hoping to photograph puffins, Bob and Colleen Bevacqua got their chance in Spiridon Bay. Colleen shot 10 rolls of puffins before the days end.
Tom and Jane Buch not only rafted the river which they said was indescribable, they caught halibut on Jim’s pixie jigging system and saw a bear close up – a little too close. The guide had to rack a shell into the chamber, but the bear finally ambled off in the other direction.
For the guest, Juergen Thomas, just spending a week in the wilderness was wonderful. After hiking up the river he announced he’d never seen so many salmon before, and then he topped off his trip by catching the biggest halibut of the year, 140lbs.
Hiking up a trail made behind the lodge, Luigi Noli and Maria Mellano had a wonderful view of Zachar Bay lodge. They enjoyed all the wildlife they saw while here and even got to see a bear already sporting his winter coat.
Pat Head brought his nephew, David Greisen, to enjoy a bit of the great outdoors. While Pat fished for the largest silver salmon up to this point, David spent his time hiking and kayaking.
With friendly competition between the two boats, this next group had a fun trip. Bruzzy Cooke, Frank Selbe, Jack Thomas, Jim Felling, John Herrmann, Dominic Bertolino, and Dan Hockersmith caught fish! Jim proudly left with an 88 lb halibut. It was good to see friends Fred Wright and his wife Kathy Dinapoli. Flying out to a favorite fishing hole and cooking their fish on the beach made for a wonderful day. Once again Kathy was elated to hold the lodge’s summer record on her 16 lb silver only to be outdone the day before she left.
Now holding the title with his 17 lb silver, Charlie Gibson was the new person to beat. He also was the person to catch the first silver in Zachar River. Charlie, how do you do it?
Although David Hanson’s first full day was spent inside due to our first nasty storm of the season, he got out the following days catch those fish. He also enjoyed a fire on the beach one evening here at the lodge.
Bryan and Wendy Hall spent an evening on the beach with Bryan teaching Wendy how to use a casting rod. Since this was her very first time fishing, she was delighted the day she hauled in her first salmon.
For the next two fishermen, Tony Willis and Robert Widdon, fishing the river was a real treat and their best friend banter kept everyone in laughter.
Before the Zinn’s, Carl, Ali, Gus, Angie, Max and Hans, even got to their room they were asking, “So where are the bear?” They literally ran into one on the trail to the river early one morning. It was a wonderful day of bear, beaver and fish. Hans tied Charlie’s 17 lb silver with one he caught trolling.
But fish wasn’t coming so easy for one in the next group. Ruthann Baesman seemed to be resigned to watching husband, Rich and friends, Jerry & Nancy Schmittauer catch fish. They fished both the river and the ocean with some caught each day. Jerry touted a 48 lb halibut and Nancy said she’d never forget pulling up a huge skate. Then on the last day Ruthann not only caught a 35 lb halibut but was greeted on the beach by a TV film crew. Now everyone in California will see her catch. Way to go Ruthann!!
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Camera man, Greg Theroux, and producer Bill Smith with family Karen and Jake from KTLA in California chose our place to film some footage in their clip on Kodiak Island. Not only did they get some footage of bear, fish and the lodge, but they put in a little fishing too. Jake who’d never been fishing before proved you only have to have desire to catch a fish. He pulled in the first of the day and continued to catch and release after his limit.
Traveling all the way from Australia, Peter and Paula Boer came just to see the Kodiak Bear and do a little fishing. Little did they know they would be the stars of an American TV clip! They enjoyed fishing on the river, but the real treat for them was going on a flyout to see the Kodiak brown bear. Of the three they watched, one really put on a show, scratching itself on a stump and lounging around sunbathing.
Bringing with them new faces of Randy Borh, Ann Willet, Gene Reich, and Tiny Rinehart, return guests Skip & Janet Werner and Ronald Reisch visited once again. Showing off the beauty of the land to their friends, it was a special delight when a bear came to fish on the Zachar River with them. Just yards away, the bear sat and ate carcasses. And the fishing was great too. Skip caught a 40 lb halibut, which Ann topped with her 45 lb halibut, but the real treat was Ron’s 40 lb king salmon – yes, king! WOW!
September Guests
Glenn Johnson, Don Ersenhart and Bob Myers spent their days fishing on the river. While Bob fought his fish on a spinning rod, Don enjoyed catching his on his fly rod. In contrast, what impressed Glenn most was the circle of life present on the river. But the last day on the water topped off the trip. Don caught a 68lb halibut – of which he needed to return home! He had orders from the wife!!
Roy & Olfa Plaut with daughter Vicky and husband Bobby Bartlett came to sightsee. The bears on the river were sure to please. It was a true Alaska experience for them.
Henry Bitschin & Jitka Kubrova also enjoyed sight seeing. Much to their delight, they saw bear at the river. Jitka tried her luck fishing for silvers and had success.
Bringing his grandson to experience the thrills at Zachar Bay, Dick Henningen was glad to share this spot with family. Son, Glenn and grandson, Chris, all enjoyed fishing on the river. Each day they were there a bear would visit. Sometimes they would watch the bear as it strolled by and other times they were watched by the bear who’d stop to check them out.
The Henningsen’s spent a little longer stay with us than anticipated due to the terrorist attacks out east that caused all air travel to stop. For the remainder of the season, when not fishing, everyone was glued to the TV. Although work stopped for many, the guides continued to take our guests to the fish and life here continued as usual with much thought going to those whose lives had been changed forever.
Spending quite some time with us, Joe Ventline did it all. His fishing video has more footage of bear than fish!! But the biggest smile came after his return from the Spiridon raft trip. Camping overnight in the wilderness, catching huge fish in an untouched area and rafting the white water was awesome Joe said. After sharing his video of the experience, all here would agree!
Preferring the boat over the river, Christoph Kobler spent a cool windy week with us. Wherever he went he caught fish and saw the sights – he was even fortunate to be one of the few that have seen humpback whales from the boat. What a day that was!
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