Traveling north in search of big black bass has been on my mind for several years now. Last winter I contacted Ryan McGaffick, Skyler Khachadoorian, and Jeff Khachadoorian to gauge their interest to invest in an adventure to Alaska in search of big black bass. They all dove at the opportunity.

The time in between reserving our trip with Deep Creek Fishing Club and when we all departed for Alaska seemed to fly by with busy work schedules, and life’s constant demands. I felt like I barely had time to pour enough baits for this trip, but thankfully I got it done. The morning of my departure to Alaska was met with text messages from my airline saying my first flight was delayed by 4 hours and 15 minutes. I was in pure panic mode, as this surely meant I would miss my coordinated flight with the rest of my friends up to Anchorage. Thankfully, the airlines pulled through and booked me with a different airline and I was on my way to Alaska.

Upon meeting up with the crew (Jeff, Ryan, and Skyler), we made the 3.5 hour drive from Anchorage to the lodge in Ninilchik, Alaska. It was scenic to say the least. We even spotted four adult moose, two of which had young calves. Arrival at the lodge was greeted with an exquisite preparation of sashimi, octopus salad, ceviche, and other fresh seafood. At this point I think we all felt a little out of place, and realized we were about to spend the next several days living like kings.

Day 1:

The following morning we all woke up ready to catch some Alaskan fish. We headed out on the 35′ boat named Megalodon with Captain Crusty and his deckhand Cheyenne. The seas were bumpy, and after riding for about an hour and a half the seas started to get angry. At one point Captain Crusty asked us “how nautical are you boys feeling today?”. I responded, “don’t-want-to-die nautical”. With winds over 30 knots, we realized we would not be able to make it to the location filled with giant rockfish. Instead, we fished in the shelter of small islands to avoid heavy winds.

We fished the rest of the day working our way back to the lodge catching many black bass, lingcod, and even a few exotics.

Day 2:

I woke up in the cabin and looked down at the shoreline to find more than 40 bald eagles sitting on the beach below enjoying the fresh ocean breeze. The sheer density of life I witnessed above and below the water’s surface was amazing.

Captain Crusty told us he wanted us to catch some halibut, so we headed to his halibut zone, and upon our baits hitting bottom we were almost immediately hooked up. The bite was wide open with fish in the 5-25 pound range. Skyler and I even rigged 8” Rodge Garage swimbaits on 16 oz. heads and dropped them to the bottom and caught solid halibut on our bass gear; it was such a blast.

The remainder of our second day was spent fishing black bass inshore, just as we wanted to.

Day 3:

When I woke up, I looked to the ocean to see what the wind was like; the water looked like glass. Skyler, Jeff, Ryan and I really wanted to make a long run into the big fish zone that Captain Crusty had been talking about, and thankfully on our final day the weather finally gave us a window of opportunity. About 100 miles was the length of our boat ride to “Jurassic Park”. It was apparent that Captain Crusty was more excited during this ride than the previous two days, and so we knew we were in for something special.

On the first drop all of us hooked up with big yelloweye rockfish, including a giant 27 pounder that Skyler landed. It tied the record for the biggest yelloweye ever caught at Deep Creek Fishing Club. What a way to start our final day! Once we caught our limit of yelloweye rockfish, we headed to another zone that Captain Crusty said would produce big bass, and it did. All four of us were wide open on black bass in the 5-8 pound range, and Jeff even pulled up the first and only double digit black bass of the trip. There was a lot of smiling happening on the boat.

We were all fishing Warbaits 3 oz. heads with Rodge Garage Skinny 4 swimbaits and the bass loved it. On one drop I got bit, set the hook, and immediately thought to myself “this is going to suck”. It became obvious that the fish was a halibut, and it was difficult to move on my bass setup. The fish seemed to rip drag every time I gained any line, but I stayed focused, fought gently, and ultimately won the battle with a shotgun shell straight to the dome. The fish was dead and I was stoked to have landed it on a rod I built, and on a swimbait I poured.

The fishing had come to an end for our trip, and I think we all were a bit sad to leave the lodge, but completely frothing in our decision to fish with Deep Creek Fishing Club, and to invest in an adventure that won’t be forgotten. We lived like kings for 5 days eating the very best gourmet food, receiving phenomenal service, experiencing great fishing, and making new friends that we will surely see again.

Thank you Vivian and Captain Crusty for making our dream of fishing in Alaska come true, for your unforgettable hospitality, and for your amazing crew that worked so hard to make our stay enjoyable and memorable. Also, thanks again Captain Crusty for breaking your norm by letting us fish the black bass we were so crazy about. I know you probably don’t have many clients specifically requesting to target that species, so we really appreciate it. We all hope to see you again very soon.

Thank you Afran from Warbaits for setting us up with 3 oz. swimbait heads to fish with on our trip. The heads were perfect for targeting fish in Alaska, and the hooks were more than strong enough to handle the big halibut we caught on bass gear.

Thank you Reynolds, Spizer, and Hugron for recommending Deep Creek Fishing Club, and for answering questions during our preparation for this trip.

Most of all, thank you Skyler, Ryan, and Jeff for making the journey to Alaska with me in search of some mean fish. I am so jacked to call all of you my friends and cannot wait for more adventures into the unknown with you.

I will end by saying that it is important to follow your heart and to do the things in life that make you happy. Find the people that will support you and will even ride along for the journey, however bumpy or smooth that ride may be. After all, it will not be material possessions in life that will provide you with the greatest satisfaction or happiness, but rather the pursuit of adventure, the relationships you build along the way, and your spiritual journey.

 

This is Jeff Rodgers,

OVER & OUT