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North to Alaska (Elfin Cove) July 2 - 23, 2010

6K views 14 replies 1 participant last post by  TanakuSchoolman 
#1 ·
North to Alaska Elfin Cove) July 2 - 23, 2010

:tu:8)8)8)8)8):tu: I returned last month from another TERRIFIC visit to the world-class fishing paradise known as Tanaku Lodge in Elfin Cove, Alaska. Because so many New York Metro / Long Island anglers (way over 50) had signed up for a week of FISHIN? FUN during this season, my 11th visit to the 49th state lasted for an entire three weeks. Frankly, it is very difficult to evaluate each yearly visit, since all have been remarkable in their own unique ways. This year's stop at Elfin Cove was filled with the usual eye-popping captures, while the numbers of fish being caught were somewhat down from previous years. For me, personally, on a scale of 1 to 10, the wildlife sightings were right near the 10+ rating. As always, the Tanaku staff treated us like Angling Royalty. Dennis Meier & Jim Benton's staff are tops in my book and always do their best at attending to every client's wishes and needs. As mentioned, the wildlife was extremely cooperative, with lots of exhibitions put on by groups of orcas, humpbacks, sea otters, sea lions, and a variety of birds including the ever-present eagles and hummingbirds. We even spotted 2 grizzlies during a trip for fresh water species at the Idaho Inlet stream. I particularly enjoyed shooting (w/ my camera) almost nightly the many, many eagles that roamed the Tanaku air space. During one early morning period, I was shocked to find over 30 eagles within 20 feet of my cabin. With my wide-angle lens & camera in hand, I creaked the door open to be sadly disappointed with an instant departure of our magnificent feathered friends. The moment was much like Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds". Unbelievable! In addition, we witnessed countless breaching performances from the mostly humpback populations. Unfortunately, I was never close enough to get a Kodak Moment shot. However, Capt. Joe was lucky enough to capture the spectacular leaper shown below. "Someday!" is all I can say. The cuisine was, as usual, fantastic. Everyone raves over the Dungeoness Crab / Sushi appetizers, the Fish N Chips, Wasabi salmon, Prime Rib, and the Fried Chicken & Halibut Salad lunches. For the sake of my waistline, let's not even discuss the desserts. Much thanks to Tamarind (a.k.a. "T" and Chef Boyartee) and the hard-working kitchen team. Weather was not always terrific. Quite a few grey/drizzle days*. However, during my three week stay, each group experienced one nice sunny or partly sunny day. Fortunately, as a result, the Fairweather Mountain Range could be seen in it's magnificent awe and splendor. FYI, Mt. Fairweather and it's 15,000 ft. elevation (Tanaku in the native Tlingit Indian dialect) is certainly a major attraction to any traveler in the Cross Sound / Elfin Cove area. *Even in questionable weather, the Elfin Cove scenery has few rivals. And the FISHING/CATCHING ?. well, for the most part, everyone on my vessel caught average-to-large halibut starting at 50 lbs. I caught a barndoor on my 2nd day out which helped make my glorious stay. Kudos to Rob Bartow, who not only captured the fish of the week at 279 lbs., but as of today his behemoth still stands as the largest fish brought into Tanaku this year. Rob is a Patchogue resident and a former student at my previous employ at the Wading River School. Many CONGRATS, Rob! We taught you how to fish quite well. lol After the first week, I jumped around on various boats, acting mostly as the ship's photographer, which I relished and still managed to catch a few fish including salmon and rocks as well as some decent 60 lb.+ halis. During one photo op, I was lucky to shoot lots of photos of first-time anglers / early-teen girls capturing large kings that weighed in at 44 & 31 lbs. Later, we watched a sea lion devour a thirty pound king before we could get the fish to the Tanaku vessel, High Roller. Quite a brutal scene, I must say. (More details below) A large assortment of Rockfish, including the popular Yellow Eyes, were lifted aboard. We even caught a few Cod, Quillbacks, Irish Lords, and a lot of (protected) Ling Cod. Over 4 Octopus were also lifted from the depths. If you are into statistics, here are some Halibut numbers that were attained by some of our group members: :tu: Rich Riccardi, Jr. - 151 & 146 lbs. :tu: Ollie Edwards - 115 lbs. :tu: Rich Riccardi, Sr. - 101 lbs. :tu: Ralph Vigmostad (Outdoor Writer) - 107 lbs. :tu: Rob Bartow - 279 lbs. :tu: Don Knox - 179 & 228 lbs. :tu: Joe Canova - 120 lbs. :tu: Steve Casko - 133 lbs. :tu: Joe Renison - 120 lbs. :tu: Jerry McGrath - 142 lbs. :tu: Alan Brown - 164 lbs. :tu: Tom Bevilacque - 104 lbs. :tu: Dennis Cataldo - 152 lbs. :tu: Matt Oskev (Age - 11) - 114 lbs. :tu: Sonny Kessler - 100 & 169 lbs. :tu: Matt Kessler, Jr. - 155 lbs. :tu: Joe Gilner - 110 & 107 lbs. :tu: Mike Restivo - 105 lbs. :tu: Lou Esposito - 254 & 132 lbs. :tu: Steve Kazanecki - 128 & 130 lbs. :tu: Andy Esposito - 104 lbs. :tu: Lenny Nilson - 104, 137, 136 & 105 lbs. :tu: Mike Manuella, Sr. - 178 lbs. :tu: Mike Manuella, Jr. - 274 lbs. :tu: John Bunai - 100 lbs. :tu: Dr. Lou Pastore - 208 lbs. :tu: Chet Wilcox (B&B Tackle) - 111 & 134 lbs. :tu: Lou Truncali - 117 & 100 lbs. Special Note: Trophy Rockfish between 17 and 25 lbs. were captured by the following anglers: :tu: John Ribeiro -2 :tu: Mike Manuella, Sr. - 3 :tu: Mike Manuella, Jr. - 2 :tu: Chet Wilcox - 1 :tu: Joe Gilner - 1 :tu: Ed Grouppe - 1 :tu: Joe Canova - 1 :tu: Joe Janiel - 1 :tu: Anthony Marchese - 1 :tu: Tom Bevilacque - 1 :tu: Paul Sant'Ambogio - 1 :tu: Bob Zmuazinski - 2 Also, :tu: John Ribeiro caught a 15 lb. Coho Salmon which placed him on the Tanaku bragging board. It also must be noted that during my 2nd week, I witnessed and photographed two young teen girls capture the first fish of their lives. Young :tu: Erin Myles single-handedly captured a 44 lb. King Salmon, while her cousin, :tu: Carlie McCabe, quickly followed with a 31 lb. :tu: Grampa McCabe won his battle with a 23 lb. King, but :? Grampa Myles was not as lucky. His 30 lb. King Salmon became a victim of a very hungry sea lion. All of this action took place inside of an hour & a half. To say it was exciting would be an understatement. Also in our entourage of NY Metro anglers were Carl & Paul Jutting, Stu Fries, Ernie Castelluccio, Pat Murray, Mike McClean Sr. & Jr., Karen Casko, Tim Smith (Photographer / Videographer), and Uncle Les. MUCH THANKS must go to: :tu::tu::tu: Captains Roger, Mike, Johnny, Gary & Joe for consistently connecting us with the fish and for patiently instructing us on the finer points of fishing the local Elfin Cove waters. :tu::tu::tu: Deckhands Cash, Texas Joe, Matt a.k.a. Junior, Max and Sloan must be recognized for their yeoman efforts, work and fish handling skills. :tu::tu::tu: Peg, Haley & Jessica for their behind-the-scenes housekeeping and kitchen labors and for their hospitable & courteous approaches to their jobs. To sum it all up, I can?t wait for next season already. The experience never dulls.. Hopefully some of you will be able to join me and become one of ?Jerry?s Kids?. During the following months, I?ll be posting additional photos, like those below, which should paint a better picture than my words can describe. Tight lines to all, :) Capt. Jerry McGrath :) Enjoy the pics.

This post edited by TanakuSchoolman 08/19/2010
 

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#12 ·
A Message from TANAKU LODGE Co-Owner - Dennis Meier


TGIF ... Let's Schmooze!

:tu::tu:If you are in the New York area, you should be interested in this: ;);)


Friday, February 18th, 2011 is the opening day of the 28th Annual New York Sportfishing Federation Forum & Auction, which is held at the Freeport Recreation Center. As in the past, the Tanaku Fishing Lodge from Elfin Cove, Alaska will be represented during the entirety of this event. Further details for the Forum can be found at:

http://www.nysf.org/show.htm.

On that opening day (Friday), the NYSF Show runs until 6:00 P.M. Afterward, Capt. Jerry McGrath, Capt. Joe Calandra and I would like to invite you to a special gathering which will be held at E.B. Elliot's, a well-known watering hole located on the The Nautical Mile in Freeport . There will be drinks and food available for your enjoyment, compliments of Tanaku Lodge . For those of you who have been to the lodge, it is our way of saying thank you once again. For those of you who haven't yet been to Tanaku, it will be a ni way of getting to meet Jerry and me, some of the other Tanaku staff, and some of the veteran Elfin Cove visitors.
To sum it up, we hope to see you at:

E.B. Elliot's on The Freeport Nautical Mile

Friday, Feb. 18th

Any time after 6:00 P.M.


Bring an appetite and thirst for good food and drinks, compliments of the Tanaku Fishing Lodge.


In addition, during Sat. and Sun. of the show, Jerry and I will also be working the Tanaku booth. Please be sure to stop by and say hello. If you are interested, Capt. Jerry will be presenting a slide show about the fantastic fishing available at Elfin Cove, AK on Saturday, February 19th (the presentation will be held in Room 101 at 1:30 P.M.).

Wishing you many tight lines in 2011,

Dennis Meier

Any further questions, you may contact Jerry at (631) 929 - 8337.

Directions to E.B. Elliot's are below:
 

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#14 ·
NFL Hall of Famer Larry Csonka visits Tanaku Lodge :tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu::tu: This Friday, March 11, two different episodes of Larry Csonka's TV show "North To Alaska" will re-air. They are scheduled to be on the VERSUS (VS) Channel at 6:00 & 6:30 P.M. EST. Larry and his co-host, Audrey, visited Elfin Cove and fished with Tanaku Lodge staff during 3 days last June.

This post edited by TanakuSchoolman 03/10/2011
 

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