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 Catch of the Summer
Mark Vuckovich landed an 18.2-pound silver salmon on the Zachar River – the largest caught on the Zachar River this year.
Family & Crew News
For the third year in a row, our entire crew returned for another summer at Zachar Bay! Ian Jansma returned after traveling to Indonesia and Australia over the winter season. John King came back to ZB after working on a merchant marine ship for Oregon State University. The 185-foot vessel was named the Wecoma, and traveled throughout the Pacific doing research, even going to Hawaii.
Kyle graduated from University of Idaho in May with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing. Andy and Linda had their first baby, Tayla Rose.  She was born July 24, 2003 and weighed 9 pounds. Jim and Dawn are building a home on their property in Washington State.
Glen traveled to Columbia and continues to build his flying service business in Kodiak. Marty and Linda took trips to Nevada and New York to visit relatives and then to Idaho for Kyle’s graduation. The new house at Zachar Bay is almost completed, and we finally moved into the house in May.
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Improvements
Topping the list of improvements was a new vacuum sealer. This new sealer will process four small bags at a time, or an entire salmon. It improves the product quality of fish leaving Zachar Bay.
The fall storm brought about several improvement projects around Zachar Bay. A new boot & raingear room was built in the cannery as the storm ruined the one in the store. Andy removed the old walk-in freezers at the back of the dining hall and built a nice room for the pool table. He built shelves in the dining hall where the pool table had been to put the items from the store. The Superintendent’s House was torn down to make room for a new building.
Fall Storm: November 2, 2002
A fall storm struck Kodiak unexpectedly, during an extremely high tide. The 70-80 mph easterly winds and high tide worked together to cause a lot of damage to some of the buildings. High waters floated the banya (sauna) off of the pilings and the waves crashed it against the rocks until the building was demolished. The water also lapped at the store/office building, taking off the boardwalks and railings. Paint was stripped off the siding as if it was pressure washed. Two to three feet of water ended up coming inside the store, and Ian, Marty and Arnie tried to rescue whatever they could out of the store. The entire floor was rolling just as if it was a wave, causing severe damage to the structural integrity of the building.
Chaos is the best way to describe the storm.  All of the boats were pulled up on the beach for winter, and the high waters started floating the boats on the beach. Andy had to jump into one of the boats and wait out the storm to keep them from crashing into each other, although the two other boats that remained ended up floating into the dining hall railings and knocking them off. Overall, the storm caused a lot of damage, but none of it very serious.
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Unguided Salmon Fishing
We have decided to offer unguided salmon fishing for King Salmon and Red Salmon for 2004. Kingfisher Aviation will be able to provide you daily transportation to places on the Refuge where access is limited to certain guide services, including the Karluk, Uganik, Ayakulik river systems. We will set you up with the knowledge and equipment to be successful on your unguided adventure.
This summer, Reed and Paulette Brooks were the first group to tackle the Ayakulik River unguided. They had a wonderful day and Paulette brought in a nice king salmon. Joe Granados and Dave Niedzialek also fished the Ayakulik and limited out with 4 big king salmon. They both said that fishing the Ayakulik was the highlight of their trip.
Norm Rowe, Peter Slattery and his son Scott traveled from Australia and caught ½ dozen king salmon at the Ayakulik River and brought back two. Our anglers were extremely successful and can now access new areas that can provide better fishing. We are planning on providing packs, fillet knives, pepper spray and the other items necessary to be safe and successful.
Karluk River has new rules
The Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge is purchasing the Karluk River from the Koniag native corporation. The Refuge allows a limited number of unguided fishermen to fish the Karluk with a free permit that is available online. Currently, only Koniag Natives that live in Larsen Bay and Karluk Village can guide on the Karluk.
We can arrange unguided fishing trips to the Karluk and Ayakulik River systems for king salmon through Glen Eaton’s air charter service, Kingfisher Aviation. We can set you up with all the equipment and knowledge to be successful while fishing for king salmon. The Refuge Permit for fishing the Karluk is available at:
http://alaska.fws.gov/karlukriverapp/
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Big Troll Caught Kings
 June 13
Martin Johnson
46-pound king
July 9
David Clem
35-pound king
August 3
Gary Kay
45-pound king
River Raft Adventure
Several groups made the adventuresome trip down the Spiridon River, spending two nights out in the Kodiak wild! Guide Ian Jansma made his first solo raft trip with Rocky Parsons to end the season. What did Rocky think of the trip? He said, “Great trip! First day, I caught twenty silvers and on the second day I slept in to recuperate. We saw 7 bears, deer and bear tracks everywhere. The water is crystal green (turquoise) and on every throw we got a fish (at last hole). Just amazing! It’s great. I completely wore out two flies, and I caught every fish in the mouth! We saw so many eagles almost 1 every 100 yards. The Rapids are great! The river takes a little physical effort to get into for the trip—but worth it.”
Returning Visitors
Welcome back! We were glad to see you again: Martin Johnson (11th visit), Larry Reardon (6th), Mike Reardon (5th), Steve Reardon (4th), Don Hunter (7th), Helmut Meilner (5th), Joe Granados (5th), Rocky Parsons (6th), Denise Parsons (3rd), Gene Reich (2nd), Tom and Jane Buch (4th), Mark Vuckovich (3rd), Gene Vuckovich (2nd), Skip & Janet Werner (5th), Dave Niedzialek (4th), Mr.Hatekeyama (2nd), Albert & Trudy Hornbach (4th), Peter Slattery (2nd), Reed Brooks (3rd), Paulette Brooks (2nd), Charles Gibson (3rd), Joe Ventline (6th), Brian Sweeney (3rd), Tiny Rinehart (2nd), Ann Willet & Randy Born (2nd).
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June Guests
The month of June came in with fog, rain and winds, making it feel more like spring than summer. Martin Johnson was delayed two days because of Kodiak fog, but he ended up catching a 125-pound halibut and then a 46-pound king salmon trolling before the end of his trip.
Rocky & Denise Parsons and Reed & Paulette Brooks brought Ed Stool and Janet Whitman from Texas. During their stay they flew out and caught red salmon and dollies on a day in June that finally felt like summer. The bears were out and active, and Paulette got to enjoy watching the bears! Reed caught and released 200 plus pound halibut and for lunch they had a picnic on the beach. Reed and Paulette wanted to try king salmon fishing on the Ayakulik, so Kingfisher Aviation dropped them off at Bare Creek where Paulette caught a king! Ian guided Rocky, Denise, Ed and Janet at O’Malley Lake where they fly-fished for red salmon and trout.
Larry Reardon brought his wife Lynne from California to Zachar Bay this year and they got to see 5 bears up close. While fishing they brought back a 38-pound halibut and a 37-pound halibut.
Ellen Armstrong and Ken Pickett traveled from Illinois. They got to see a beaver on Zachar River that kept swimming back and forth, looking at them. They also saw 2 tundra swans flying overhead. While fishing halibut, Helmut Meilner called Ellen “the Fishing Queen!” since they brought back their limit of halibut with a 19-pound and 30-pound halibut.
 Helmut Meilner returned from Germany after missing his trip last year due to back surgery. During his stay he flew to Frazer where he said he enjoyed fishing, and saw a bear come very close and stand up in the water. The bear then ran into the water to catch fish. Jim Hahn took Helmut and Don Hunter (PA) to O’Malley Lake, where they had excellent Dolly Varden and red salmon fishing, but the fog almost prevented Glen from being able to pick them up in the evening. Finally, the weather improved enough for Glen to bring them back for a late dinner.
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Norb & Milton Borcherding (IA) caught a 35-pound halibut while fishing. They also had an excellent day on the Frazer River with Ian, where they caught and released a 5-pound twenty-five inch rainbow trout, 5 king salmon, and 3 red salmon. They also saw 7 bears. The Brocherding brothers were delayed leaving Zachar Bay due to a severe storm, which brought 90 mph, easterly winds with waves.
Joe Granados and Dave Niedzialek return from California once again wanting to fish King Salmon. They had applied for Karluk permits, but we decided to fly to Ayakulik River instead, because the low king salmon escapement in the Karluk River. They ended up catching 4 big king salmon at the Ayakulik!
Bob Ferguson and Fred Glass traveled from Colorado and Bob caught a 55-pound halibut on the first day. He said that was the biggest fish he ever caught… at least until the third day when he caught a 90-pound halibut! Bob and Fred flew to Frazer and saw the bears, took lots of photos and caught some reds.
July Guests
July weather was very interesting – there was both sun and fog throughout the month. Some days were gorgeous blue skies, while other days you couldn’t see across the bay. Overall, July is usually the nicest month weather wise, but this summer was very unpredictable.
Norm Rowe, Peter and Scott Slattery visited from Australia and brought gorgeous weather. They caught their limit of reds and saw bears at the Frazer on a day when 3200 red salmon passed through Frazer Weir. This group then decided to try the unguided fishing for king salmon at the Ayakulik River and ended up catching ½ dozen fish! Scott and Norm hiked up the Zachar River with John King and caught several dollies, cooking some of them for lunch over an open fire.
Trudy and Albert Hornbach returned from Germany and were booked by All Alaska Tours (800-770-8687). Jim guided them to Frazer where they saw twelve different bears. The next day they saw a large boar briefly. Linda went with Trudy and Albert exploring the beach under the dock where they found several starfish. While walking on the beach, they see a river otter run from a rock into the sea very near.
Independence Day (July 4) was raining, but it wasn’t going to spoil Jim’s holiday. He built a bonfire on the beach and sat in his raingear watching it until the rain stopped. Once the rain stopped, the crew joined him to cook hot dogs and marshmallows over the open fire on the skewers that Ian carved
David and Barbara Clem visited from Illinois. David caught a 35-pound king salmon and Barbara caught 3 halibut that were 64-pounds, 80-pounds and even released a bigger one that got away. They also kayaked in morning and then went to Frazer in the afternoon to see bears. The berries were ripe around the lodge and Barb walked nature trail picking salmonberries.
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Truls & Sverre Langhelle & Magnar Kintel visited from Norway (All Alaska Tours) and had a fantastic stay. They caught 6 halibut and a pink salmon on the first day, and the next day caught 15 reds at Frazer while seeing the bears. One day it reached 81 degrees, so warm that the group and Jim went swimming in ocean. Ian took them up the Zachar River where they caught a cornucopia of fish, ranging from Dolly Varden to 7 furious chums and 8 pinks.
Mike Ford came from California and caught several halibut ranging from 35, 80 and 90-pounds. Mike caught several pinks fly-fishing the Zachar River and saw a sow and 3 cubs.
Jim Irvin visited from Pennsylvania. He went fishing for reds at Frazer and ended up seeing about 10 bears, one that measured an estimated 9 feet. Two days were very windy, with wind speeds reaching up to 88 mph. Jim saw several whales and caught a 45-pound halibut.
Hans & Evi Notz visited from Switzerland and booked through Fishermen Travel (41 1 4820030). Their trip was delayed by gusty winds and fog in both Zachar Bay and Kodiak. Their first fly-out to Frazer was beautiful weather and they caught 5 reds, saw bears everywhere, one of them an 8-1/2’ bear. They got a tour of the fish pass and watched Fish and Game count fish. On the boat with Mark and Matthew Eaton, they saw sea lions & birds on rocks, sea otters, porpoises and a whale which came up beside the boat about 50 feet away. Wildlife viewing was excellent.
Mark Eaton brought his son Matthew from Washington. They caught lots of salmon at the Zachar River and watched the beaver. They also saw a sow with 3 cubs. Matthew had the challenge of hiking up the Zachar River with a cast on his leg, and he did really well.
Anita and Kurt Schaefer arrived from California and experienced exceptional wildlife viewing. They saw sea lions, whales, sea otters, puffins and dolphins. Their hike with Ian into the Zachar River allowed them to catch 6 pinks and a chum, and the following day they watched a sow with 2 cubs and 3 juvenile bears about the same size at Frazer. Altogether, they saw 10-12 bears. Anita & Kurt caught the first 3 silver salmon of the season by trolling!
Harvey Flying Service brings Zoller (Woyan, Jutta, Nena,Volker) family from Brooks Lodge. They booked through MAKS Touristic & Marketing 49(0)7192-995692 in Germany. Ian took the family kayaking toward head of bay where they watched seals pop up out of water with big brown eyes. On their trip to Frazer, they got to see 6 bears at once; 2 big ones & 4 smaller bears. The Zoller family went with Jim in the boat to Uyak Bay where they watched eagles, puffins and birds and also enjoyed lunch on the beach. Nena and Volker tried fishing for the first time and caught a 34-pound & 25-pound halibut.
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August & September Guests
Paul Weikert and Gary Kay visited from Michigan. They found the Zachar River so full of pinks, chums and dollies that they couldn’t even fish the lower hole without snagging them! Ocean fishing brought surprise, when they hooked a salmon shark. They also released a dog shark, caught several silvers and a 45-pound king salmon.
Yoshiyuki Hatakeyama visited from Japan. He was booked through Global Unisom Inc, AK (907-235-7356) for bear viewing. He and Ian watched 8 bears at once at Frazer, 7 juvenile bears that had a tenuously playful relationship. Ian took Mr. Hatakeyama kayaking around Zachar Bay in the morning. They saw eagles, deer, fox & seals.
Glen brought Lorena Acuna to visit Zachar Bay from Columbia. Raspberries are ripe early and they enjoyed picking them. The crew at Zachar Bay got a short break, and Linda caught and released a 100-pound halibut!
The weather changed quickly from sunny to pouring rain when Paolo & Valeria Tarallos and Ires Borghi (All Alaska Tours) from Italy arrive. Linda greeted them by bringing raincoats and even in the rain they see 2 bears, sea otter, eagle and seals. The weather the following days prohibited getting to Frazer Lake, although they did enjoy the Zachar River. Ires at age 75 had no problem with the walk. They got wet crossing the river but returned to the lodge laughing about the swiftness of the river. Valeria got wonderful digital photos that she showed us after dinner every night.
Guenther & Gabriole Oehler, Germany (MAKS Tours) arrived in the rain and went to Uyak Bay with Jim where they see a bear, deer and puffins. It rained heavy all day and then was extremely windy late in the afternoon, not good weather for wildlife viewing.
 John and Margarite Kirk from Houston, Texas arrive at Zachar Bay after having to fly down east side of island due to fog covering the west side. They started out by catching 2 silver salmon with Jim in the boats, and then John King took them up the Zachar River where they caught the first river silvers of the summer. They ended their trip by catching a 75-pound halibut.
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Charlie Gibson was booked by A Fun Vacation (972-313-9999) and traveled from Texas for a 10-day stay at Zachar Bay. Fishing the Zachar River, Charlie caught 4 silvers, released 2; caught 25 pinks and had a wonderful photo opportunity with a bear, 2 deer and an eagle all in view, but no camera! One day there was a big storm, with high winds and heavy rain all night and day that kept everyone inside. After the storm passed, Charlie ended up catching a 56-pound and 75-pound halibut with Andy.
The storm ended for the next arrival. Skip & Janet Werner brought Jim Darcourt, Jim Ulrich, Tiny Rinehart (all from PA) and Gene Reich (FL). Jim Darcourt watched Glen’s floatplane leave, flying on the bay toward the mountains and said he saw that (floatplane & scene) in movies but never thought he would see it for real. The Werner group spent most of their time in the boats, targeting silvers and halibut and the first day they caught 12 silvers trolling & 2 halibut.
Randy Born & Ann Willet arrived the day after the Werner party. They caught silvers in afternoon and the group in John King’s boat saw 10 rolling fin back whales, while Jim Hahn’s group saw a humpback whale. Ann caught a 56-pound halibut and Gene caught an 85-pound halibut on light tackle. John King took Jim Ulrich, Tiny & Gene fishing, and they caught and released a 75-pound halibut and kept a few smaller halibut & silvers.
Geoff & Yvonne Evans booked with Wildlife Worldwide (44(0)268256-5992) and visited from the UK. Jim took Charlie, Geoff and Yvonne on a wildlife-viewing trip to Uyak Bay where they saw a Perigrenne falcon, 6 deer, a sow with 2 cubs and the sow stood up in the water! Ian took them kayaking for the first time and Yvonne said that it was better than in her wildest dreams—they really liked it—they watched a sea otter, seals on rocks, deer and then hiked on little Zachar River.
Don Hunter returned for a 2nd time this summer for silver season. He spent a few days trolling for silvers and halibut fishing, and the rest of his time fly-fishing the Zachar River. One day he landed at least 30 silvers on the Zachar River, and another day he went exploring the Brown’s Lagoon where they found reds, pinks and silvers.
Dennis and Roger Finch arrive from Michigan and spent everyday fishing with John King for halibut and silvers. They ended up landing an 85-pound halibut and lots of silver salmon during their trip.
Tom Marsh & Chuck Frownfelter visited from Virginia and went hiking with Ian on the Zachar River the first day. They also spent another day with Ian, kayaking to the little Zachar where they watched the fish jump at the waterfall.
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Gene, Mark and Colleen Vuchovich arrive from Montana. Gene caught two 60-pound halibut. Mark landed an 18.2-pound silver on his fly rod – a lodge record for the Zachar River! Colleen said she has been a different place everyday. She caught silvers and saw a bear in the boat on her way to the river.
Bill Wilks came from Washington and Kirk Hoessle & Gabrielle Markel (Alaska Wildland Adventure 1-800-334-8730) spent their trip wildlife viewing. They saw lots of eagles and a family of river otters right in front of the lodge. Colleen joins the group for their Spiridon boat trip to see marine mammals and they all rated it a perfect 10!
Tom & Jane Buch returned from Ohio to venture down the Spiridon River once again. They were the first group to raft the river this season, and Jim took them on their 3-day adventure. After the raft trip they landed a 60-pound halibut and 25+pound halibut along with several silvers. One day up the Zachar River they watched a sow with 3 cubs for over an hour. Jane said you could hear the sow crunching the fish heads as she ate them.
Joe Ventline arrives from Ohio for his 6th trip to Zachar Bay. He rafted the Spiridon with John and Ian, hiked the Zachar, explored Brown’s Lagoon and even found time to do a little bit of halibut fishing, catching a 40-pounder. On the raft trip they passed lots of bears—about 16—and 1 false charged. Around midnight, Ian saw the outline of the fox on the beach catching fish. It was world-class fishing and also an extravaganza wildlife-viewing trip.
 Larry, Mike & Steve Reardon visited from California. This was Larry’s 2nd trip this summer and he brought his sons to go rafting with him. On the trip, Larry saw 8 bears the first morning, including a sow with 2 cubs that crossed the river. When the mother bear saw the raft coming she tried to get the second cub to cross the river to her, which he finally did. While fishing the Zachar River they caught several silvers and watched a sow and 2 cubs.
Brian Sweeney arrived from Anchorage in the morning and Rocky Parsons in the afternoon for his 2nd trip this summer. Ian hiked with Rocky and Brian to the Zachar River where they saw a BIG bear. Amazingly enough, this was Rocky’s first trip to Zachar River in 6 visits! Brian fly-fished the Zachar River everyday for silvers. Rocky went on the Spiridon raft trip with Ian. That was our summer season!
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Contact us to get our new publications – including a full color booklet about Zachar Bay Lodge!
Visit us at our booth at the Los Angeles Sportsman Show January 8-11 at the Fairplex in Pomona
and
in Sacramento January 14-18 at the California Exposition and State Fair
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Look for our New Brochure and Rack Cards!
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