When most people think of king salmon fishing, images swirl of back-bouncing on the Kenai River in June or July.
And while this method served Anchorage's Rudy Tsukada for years, the avid angler recently switched up his piscatorial pursuits in an effort to show how effective fishing Cook Inlet from his kayak could be.
What he calls "the streak" began in September 2014, although Tsukada admits he didn't know then that his endeavor of pursuing kings in the offseason would evolve into a goal of catching at least one a month for 12 consecutive months, which he capped off this month.
"Catching kings from September to December is pretty normal, but by January the opportunities get limited due to the winter weather," he said. "The fish are there. It's just getting to them."
Tsukada doesn't fish from a big aluminum-hulled powerboat, where he can chase fish across miles of open water and duck into a warm cabin when the wind comes up. Instead, he opts for a 12 1/2-foot, sit-on-top, pedal-driven Hobie Outback kayak.
'Kayak is amazing'
"I propel myself with my feet, since I don't have a paddle in my hand. The gear is pretty much the same as a powerboat, a short rod with braided line, and even using downriggers at times, trolling herring in summer and hoochies and spoons in winter," he said.
Fishing by kayak has allowed Tsukada to get on the water more often in the winter, a time of year when trekking from Anchorage to Homer can be dicey due to darkness, slick roads and moose on the highways.
"The kayak is amazing in so many ways," he said. "Not only does it let me access waters that hold fish. I can launch practically anywhere -- in a cove or a stretch of beach out of the wind. It is much easier on the wallet and nerves to throw the kayak on the top of my two-door Civic and drive down, rather than towing the 28-foot, dual 150-horsepower powerboat through the mountain passes and over black-ice on a 450-mile roundtrip."
Kayaking Cook Inlet in January is not for the faint of heart, though. Even wearing a personal flotation device and dry-suit with layered fleece underneath, Tsukada has been chilled to the bone.
"Winter weather can get pretty unbearable, especially when it gets below 10 degrees," he said. "It's a pretty exposed environment, sitting on the water on basically a piece of Tupperware. Ice builds up and you can't stay warm."
Mild winter a boon
But last winter's mild weather and lack of snow helped.
"I got extra days on the water. From September to March, almost all my fishing was right off the (Homer) Spit, within 50 yards of shore," Tsukada said. "The quality of the fish at this time of year is excellent since they're still out feeding and not putting any calories toward roe or milt," he said.
"Tides were the worst possible but still got three strikes in 4.5 hours of fishing. Most action was 20 feet down to 60 feet. On the positive side, this is a king every month from September to Jan. I wonder how long I can run this streak?" – Rudy Tsukada, blog entry, Jan. 21
Tsukada's January king was a defining moment. Until then, he believed his quest was possible but not probable. After that, the proof – in all its black-gummed, chrome-bright glory – stared back at him.
"When I caught that January king, I was like, 'This could happen.' I immediately began thinking about February and March," he said.
Despite being a huge Seattle Seahawks fan, Tsukada skipped the Feb. 1 Super Bowl and got back on the water.
"I'm not sure why I was out there instead watching football, but there was a weather window opening, so I had to go," he said.
Balmy weather greeted him, and while the day got off to a slow start, he eventually landed another king.
"The weather in Homer was around 30 degrees, so it wasn't too bad until the winds started picking up. Probably maxed out at 15 mph, but it was chilly! Still, how can you complain? 29.5 inches and as fat as any winter salmon I have ever caught. So I missed the Super Bowl but managed a nice king!" – Rudy Tsukada, blog entry, Feb. 2
The February catch boosted his confidence, but he knew the next month would be toughest. He had tried to pick up a king in March since 2011 without success. He figured it would be the make-or-break month.
But he caught a respectable fish at the start of the month. Then, the day before the Homer Winter King Derby on March 21, Tsukada took to the water for a warm-up. Within five minutes, he had a king. It bolstered his confidence, but he was unsure he could do it again the next day.
"On derby day, I had a solid strike early but when I reeled up, (my line) had been cleanly cut off just above the spoon. I switched to herring and nothing. Switched back to a black-and-white coho-killer spoon and within two minutes had my fish on!" – Rudy Tsukada, blog entry, March 28
Tsukada said the late-March king was the most satisfying salmon he landed during the 12-month stretch.
"It was the best one for sure," he said. "It was the largest at 16 pounds and it won the kayak division of the derby. January through March is always tough and I had gone a half-dozen times and never got one. It was great to get one during the derby with more pressure and so many other boats out."
For his eighth straight monthly king, Tsukada fished farther north, wetting a hook at Whiskey Gulch. Oddly enough, April brought worse conditions than he faced during in the heart of winter.
"Leave the house at 9a.m. I drive through a blizzard at Hope and then once again after Ninilchik. Surf looks big! But you can see the water right behind it is almost flat. OK, gotta try it. On the water at 1 p.m. It's snowing and sleeting to the point where it hurts. I'm trolling a flasher and herring. One hour into the session, over 25 feet of water, my rod doubles over. SUH-WEEEEEET!!!!!!" – Rudy Tsukada, blog entry, April 19
For his ninth consecutive king, Tuskada entered another tournament, picking up a salmon during the Anchor Point Calcutta Derby.
June, July trouble
As the traditional months for king salmon fishing arrived, Tsukada began to struggle.
"(June and July) were the toughest months and the fish I caught were very small," he said. "I finally had to launch from the Port of Anchorage and paddle to the mouth of Fish Creek, but I hooked up. The July king was a jack, but it wasn't about huge kings, it was about using the kayak as a flexible platform to catch kings year-round."
Come August, Tsukada went to his tried-and-true location at Whiskey Gulch and struck out the first day. But on Aug. 2 he hooked up, oddly enough on halibut gear while fishing for flatfish.
"That king whacked my bait five or six times before getting hooked," he said.
While happy to have succeeded, Tsukada remained humble about his 12 months of kings.
"I had my doubts, but perseverance paid off," he said. "I'm not a great fisherman. I'm just on the water more often than most people."
Between Oct. 1-March 31, there is no limit in the waters Tsukada fished, and from April 1-Sept. 30, he was only allowed five fish larger than 20 inches. His July fish was a jack under 20 inches. He also proxy fished for a family member.
Tsukada said he's not worried that his solitary fishery might turn to combat fishing now that he's proven it's possible to land kings year-round from a kayak.
"Until this year I've been the only guy out, but this year I saw a half-dozen other guys in kayaks, so it's picking up and that's cool," he said. "I have secret spots, but 80 percent of the fishing I do is in the ocean, so there's plenty of room and always safety in numbers. I'd welcome another 50 kayakers out there. It would be a good thing."
Joseph Robertia is a freelance writer living in Kasilof with his wife, Colleen, and daughter, Lynx, where they operate Rogues Gallery Kennel and have run several mid-distance mushing races, including Colleen running the Iditarod and Yukon Quest.
FISHING REPORT: How's fishing across Southcentral Alaska? http://1.usa.gov/1h9sQec