Gone Fishing with Jan & Eric Aboard the M/V SeaDuction

We have been blessed to meet many wonderful people during our travels in Alaska.  Jan & Eric Cosmutto are the owners of G'Day Charters out of Valdez.  I met Jan many years ago through social media and my love of dog mushing in Fairbanks.  Through that connection a deep and lasting friendship has been forged.  Luckily, our spouses fit right in!

We met with them for breakfast on Tuesday before heading out for our three days/two night fishing trip.  Because we are friends, rather than charter clients, the Alaska regulations for fishing were a little different than what those going out as paying customers.  Please keep this in mind, especially as I write about fishing for halibut.  This is an important factor as the charter fishing licenses for halibut are no longer available unless purchased from an existing charter company looking to sell their license.  Other than that, however, the fishing experience for those going out for rock fish, salmon and perhaps even shrimp . . . will be exceptional!

A typical halibut - roughly 10#

Our fishing priority for this trip was in fact halibut and we luckily limited out at two fish per person per day.  We brought in a total of 16 keepers which produced more than 75 lbs of fillets.  We also caught a hand full of rockfish (quillbacks) that are equally good eating and a couple of salmon (one 13 lb silver and a smaller pink that was really only good for bait on a future fishing trip).  On Wednesday afternoon, David got into a decent group of cod, reeling in three good sized fish in about 10 minutes!  In total, we caught eight cod which was a bonus since there are no limits on how many you may catch and keep.

I caught the first quillback

We saw several groups of otters while out in Prince William Sound.  They are curious critters, but sometimes will dive underwater when boats approach them.

Perhaps the most enjoyable time out on the boat was the time spent with our friends!  I can't really put it into words, other than to say that sometimes people come into your life and simply fit it like family.  Eric & Jan are two such people who we consider family.

After a full day of fishing on Tuesday and Wednesday, we enjoyed time spent anchored in beautiful protective coves where the water was flat like glass.  Once secured for the night, they prepared dinner.  The first night it was an old fashioned fish fry that was delightful.  The second had grilled steaks with baked potatoes on the menu.  It was a first class experience.

Before retiring for the evening, we enjoyed watching a couple of episodes of the Jim Gaffigan Show.  It was a fun way to end the day before retiring for the night.  Morning comes early and with it, coffee and hot tea was the first order of business.  On Thursday morning we got a late start on breakfast prep because we wanted to be sure to get ahead of what was predicted to be incoming rough weather. Jan did an exceptional job of preparing French toast and bacon with fresh sliced strawberries, while we trolled for silver salmon on the way back into Valdez.

As we approached Valdez, we were approached by the US Coast Guard.  Out doing routine stops on the water, they boarded the Sea Duction to assure everything was in proper order.  Two service members went through a series of checklists to be sure that Eric was operating in accordance with the marine laws including things like life jackets, insurance certifications and fishing licenses for all on-board.  They were pleasant and polite as they went about their business.  

As great as the fishing was, I'll say it again, I love this couple!  They have had wonderful life experiences which they freely share through storytelling.  Eric is a particularly knowledgeable guide and historian.  I could sit and listen to him share about the areas that we traveled through, all day long.  Old mining communities, Native villages and the logging industry are just a few of the topics we learned about while out with them.

Check out the photo to the right.  That is the native village of Tatitlek.  That is a Russian Orthodox Church on the left.  They told us about their time visiting the Chief on a recent visit.  

Having visited many areas of Alaska and having many sightseeing experiences and fishing excursions, I call say that the value of the taking a trip out with G'Day Charters will be vacation money well spent.  They offer single day trips as well as a variety of overnighters.  Check out their website for more information, including pricing.

David with his 13# silver salmon

Eric filleting the silver salmon

The inside of the pink salmon filled with roe