Daylight is fleeting. Chilly air demands layer upon layer of insulation. Salt-water spray on a bare face can feel like death by a thousand cuts.
Is this the right time to go fishing? For a handful of anglers with easy access to Kachemak or Resurrection bay, the answer is clear: You bet.
"We were out yesterday and got three nice kings," said Daniel Donich, the owner of Daniel's Guide Service in Homer (www.homerfishing.com), one of a handful of Southcentral Alaska charters that fish 12 months a year, typically on the south side of Kachemak Bay. "These aren't big, monster kings like Kenai River kings. On average, they're 10-20 pounds. But if you caught a fish that size trout fishing on the Kenai River, it would be a trophy. It's all a matter of perspective."
Oily, buttery fish
Winter feeder king salmon fishing may be the domain of the hardiest anglers, but the dinner-table reward can be hard to beat. "They make up for their size on the table," Donich said. "It's a real, oily, buttery fish."
Another bonus for anglers beyond the prospect of a tasty meal: The daily bag and possession limit of two kings doesn't count against an angler's seasonal limit from Oct. 1 to April 1.
A state management plan adopted in 2002 set a guideline harvest of 3,000 winter kings -- a level never attained. The biggest haul was 2,600 fish in 2010, according to the results of harvest surveys mailed to anglers. That represented an 86 percent jump in eight years, but the catch has fallen off slightly since. Bad winter weather can keep anglers in port for long stretches.
Still, "it's a really popular fishery," said the Homer-based Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist Carol Kerkvliet. "It keeps fresh fishing on the table during the winter. But not every single day is fishable."
State biologists say the Kachemak Bay feeder kings were largely born in places like Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Southeast Alaska. A tagging program aims to gather more data.
"Feeder kings are here year-round," Kerkvliet said. "In the summertime, though, it's a different pool of anglers. It's a nice alternative for something to do in the winter."
Staying warm
And it's never crowded, as are many Alaska fishing spots come summer. "Being out on the water in wintertime, on a real busy day there might be a half-dozen boats out there in a big area," said Donich, 48. "It's like getting back to what a lot of us came up to Alaska for."
Donich tries to ease the bite of chilly winter weather with 2,700 BTU heater aboard his boat and by encouraging clients to get into the cabin and out of the wind when possible.
Still, it doesn't hurt to be a diehard angler like Rudy Tsukada, who fishes Cook Inlet from his kayak throughout the year. Earlier this winter, he had some hot days on the cold water.
"The fishing has been odd but good," Tsukada said. "We started in September and October with literally a bazillion pollock and lots of shaker kings around 20 inches. I bet I had a day where I hooked 25 kings off my kayak. Too bad they were all 16 to 24 inches long. By the end of October the pollock were gone and the better-sized fish moved in.
"Lately, since my freezer is getting full, I have been trying to troll with a 4-weight flyrod. It makes the little shakers fun. But I can't wait to hit a real fish. The fish seem small, but they are solid fish at around 18 to 24 inches and a couple of pounds."
Fun enough that Tsukada set a goal for himself.
"I have this sort of informal goal to catch a king in as many months out of the year as possible," said Tsukada, who labels himself "a fishing addict."
"Consecutive months would be even better," he added. "January through March then July and August would be the hard months, I think."
Contact Mike Campbell at mcampbell(at)adn.com
Alaska Dispatch Publishing