Article On Our Trip To Sportsman's Cove Alaska
The rumble of the twin Volvo diesels slowed to a sweet whisper as the “Show Girl” came off plane and made a slight move to the left. Captain “Mac” was intently studying the colored Raytheon graph as he searched the depths for the spot he knew would hold Halibut. I stood on the broad aft deck that would serve as my fishing platform for the next two days, waiting for his command. Just that quickly it came, “That’s it, get ‘em down gentlemen”, were his confident words when he was sure that we had found where the “Butts” lived. Larry “Capt. Mac” McQuarry is a veteran of this business and an expert in his field. He has earned his reputation for excellence by running charter boats from West Port, Washington to Alaska for over 30 years. Today, Larry and his family operate Sportsman’s Cove Lodge, which is located on the eastern shore of Prince of Whales Island, Alaska. This is truly a family business, but one that is run like a fine Swiss Watch. His bride of many years, Gaile (Mrs. McQ) is sweet, soft spoken and carries herself with sophisticated style not easily found in Alaska. In addition to keeping a caring eye on all 28 staff members, Gaile runs the most beautiful gift shop in South East Alaska. She smiles each time a guest enters her shop and marvels in what she has created. Jeff is the President and is in charge of marketing for Sportsman’s Cove from their Olympia, Washington base. Jeff grew up in the business and earned his title through years of hard work scrubbing boats, preparing bait and helping customers set the hook on the fish of their dreams. Another son, Brad, is currently running a ski resort in eastern Washington but when you come to Sportsman’s Cove, you will see his hand in all that is around you. Brad built much of what is the lodge today. He is a skilled craftsman and extremely creative which is so important when the nearest hardware store is a 6hour boat ride away. Kim is an Air Force Officer today but she was also an important part of the business and what the guests experience today. As my floatplane idled up to the dock at the Cove, I peered out the small window of the plane and could see the bustle of activity. Boats were being cleaned after a successful day of fishing, fish were being processed, rain gear was being cleaned and deck hands were scrambling to accept the floatplane. In the middle of all this activity stood a distinguished gentleman. Without having ever met Capt. Mac, I knew immediately that this was the man in charge. He stood tall and proud as his team accepted the Beaver at the dock. My door opened and a broad smile came across his face as he welcomed our crew to his cove. I was barely out the door as our gear was being gently unloaded by a steady stream of smiling employees, each with their own “Welcome to the Cove” and “Glad you’re here”. Larry made me feel very welcome from the first second we shook hands but kept a close eye on the activity even while we talked. This careful scrutiny of the quality of service would be replayed many times over in the next three days. Sportsman’s Cove Lodge is built in the exact spot where a large fish processing facility called “Straits Packing Company” was built in the late 1800’s. In those days, the only way to preserve salmon was to “salt” the fish and because there was no refrigeration, the work had to be done close to where the fish were caught. In 1915 the saltery was converted to a cannery and the cove was now a thriving village with many ships and “tenders” at anchor just in front of where I stood today. As refrigeration became available, the processing moved to Ketchikan where it was easier and less expensive to house the workers and the cove began to struggle by the late 1930’s. As you walk around the lodge and it’s grounds, you will see some of the artifacts left over from those wonderful days in the cove almost one hundred years ago. This is a very different place today, an oasis in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness with all the comforts of home. Spacious rooms kept impeccably clean by caring staff members, common areas for the thirty or so guests to socialize and tell fish stories and the dining area! I quickly learned that other than the boats and dock area, the dining room is where the main activity is at Sportsman’s Cove. Guests get very hungry while fishing so Larry and Gaile have made sure that this part of their stay is at least as good as the fishing itself. My first experience was at dinner that night. The guests were drawn from all parts of the lodge grounds exactly at 6:00 pm with the sounds of the dinner bell which is actually an old fashion triangular shaped chime as you would find on a chuck wagon in the old west. There was no need to sound the bell twice, everyone was eagerly anticipating what the chef had created for tonight’s meal. When everyone was seated, our Chef appeared through the kitchen door in traditional Chef’s clothing, except for the brightly colored pants covered with fish of all colors. After a few comments from the crowd about his choice of pants, he began to explain the evening’s meal. I soon realized that this was going to be a very different experience from what I had seen in an Alaskan fish camp up until now. He started, “we will begin tonight with my own special clam chowder, followed by sweet baby carrots, rice pilaf, and for the main course, stuffed salmon with shrimp, scallops and clams in a white cream sauce. For desert, there is New York Cheese Cake with fresh strawberry glaze.” The anticipation from the guests came across in wonderful sounds as they imagined each dish through his description. If this was not enough, there was fresh, warm, home baked bread and smoked salmon spread. But I didn’t come here to eat, I came to fish and produce another episode for our television show, America’s Outdoor Journal! Our young but competent deck hand Ryan had already prepared the bait, which consisted of Salmon bellies, sweetened with large, fresh herring carefully secured to a 12/0 Daiichi Circle Hook. With his direction I lifted my rod from it’s holder and swung the bait and the 12-ounce weight that would take it 235 feet down to the fish, into the water. As the bait touched, I slid the free spool lever back on the Fin-Nor AHAB 20 reel, and I was fishing. It took about a minute for the weight to find the bottom; I set the drag to the “strike” position and lifted the rod tip to ensure I was there. Larry was already at my side, I think he wanted to be sure I was doing everything correctly but was also drawn to this spot by his excitement of catching fish and creating an exciting television show for the fishing enthusiast. Neither one of us had to wait long! Less than a minute had passed, my hands were still tight on the rod when I felt the first hit. It started as a soft yet firm bump, then nothing, just a taste to be sure of the offering I imagined. Seconds later my rod tipped was pulled violently towards the water’s surface. Years of fishing and a strong grip kept the rod from going in and I set the hook, hard! The first few minutes felt wonderful, bringing back memories of all my fishing experiences. But as good as it was, I knew it wasn’t the fish we were hunting for. We were looking for a hundred pound plus Halibut and this was clearly not that fish. There were no violent headshakes or rod thumping runs as he peeled off line. Because of the fast retrieve capable with the AHAB, it was only a few minutes before I was able to bring the fish from the depths. A solid 20 pound Halibut, great eating in most cases but today was his lucky day. Ryan was quick with the release and all we saw was a quick flash as he headed home. This action was repeated over and over as we searched for the big one. We had lots of action and great video for the show but we know that our viewers want to see BIG fish, so we kept fishing. Along with many more small Halibut, we caught a number of very large Yellow Eye Rock fish, some destined for the oven. Experience has taught him when it’s time to move, so when Capt. Mac says “Reel ‘em up boys”, we did just that. We were off to Cape Chacun, about a two-hour run from our current location. I sat next to Larry in the Pilot House during part of the trip listening to stories of past fishing adventures. I heard about the West Port days in the mid to late 70’s when his family ran enough boats to handle over 300 guests each day. I listened intently as he described a 34-year career as an Untied Airlines Cargo Pilot and about his philosophy of taking care of his guests and his employees. The longer I listened, the more impressed I became. Not with the business he ran but with the man that ran the business. Capt. Mac is a special person with enough passion for what he does to share it all with everyone he touches. I was sitting next to a legend at the wheel of the “Show Girl”, his personal boat, and was very glad I was there. Before I even knew that we were close to our destination, I saw the intensity on his face building. Would this be the place that we would find the hundred pounder? The chart showed a shelf about 210 feet down, “Ryan, prepare to anchor” is all he said and Ryan was off. There was work to be done and he knew what to do. In minutes we were solid on the bottom and it was time to fish. The drill was the same as before, fresh bait, heavy weight, and “get ‘em down”, to the bottom. The fishing was the same also, lots of fish but none with the girth that we needed for the show. I could see that Larry was getting a little frustrated. He knows what to do and where the fish are, they just weren’t cooperating. “Time to go boys” and we were off again. Back north this time to a favorite spot that would surely hold bigger fish. But before we got there, an incredible scene distracted us. A Hump Back Whale was working baitfish just off shore. He would float on his back and smack the water with his huge pectoral fins in an attempt to scare the baitfish into large groups or “balls”. After doing this he would come to the surface for a big breath and head down for a deep dive. After about 30 seconds, we would be treated to an astonishing display of acrobatics as this huge mammal would come strait up from the depths with his mouth wide open as he passed through his dinner, clearing the surface of the water by ten feet in the process and ending in a belly flop that would have won any contest. We followed him for about 30 minutes, and to our delight, captured it all on tape for this episode. In the process of watching the whale feeding, I noticed that Larry had something else on his mind. Soon he said, “Where there’s this much bait, there’s salmon”. We quickly switched from the Halibut gear to our Salmon rods and within a few minutes, each rod was pulsing wildly as we had three Silvers on at the same time. For the next hour, we baited rods as quickly as possible, each helping with netting, setting hooks and keeping the deck cleared. It was an incredible sight, a story to tell my grand kids someday. By now it was too late to start the 4-hour run back to the Cove so Larry called Gaile on the Global Star satellite phone to let her know that we were fine but would be staying out on the boat that night. Gardner Bay was a place Larry had stayed many times on trips to the Cape. My first experience was one that won’t soon be forgotten. It was almost dark when we arrived. Piloting the Show Girl through the narrow entrance was best left to the Captain and is full compliment of electronics including GPS, Depth Finders and Radar. The water was glass smooth as we sliced through the channel; the low rumble of the engines was hypnotic as I strained to see the rocks on the beach through the darkness. Then there was nothing, not a sound as Captain Mac cut the engines and we coasted to stop. We had found our home for the night, and I would not have traded it for the finest hotel in the world. Larry was the first one up in the morning and ready to go. We had not planned to be gone this long so there was no fancy breakfast as the rest of the lodge guests would be enjoying. But then again, we were waking up in Gardner Bay, on the deck of the Show Girl and the trade off seemed very fair to me. Larry fired up the engines and the anchor slowly found it’s home. We headed back out, the same we entered, but this time we were able to see the beauty of where we were, a very special place that only God could create. We stopped three times in places that had produced in the past but the steady rain did as much to dampen our spirits as not finding the fish. Traveling again, I was watching the electronic chart above the wheel as I noticed a pre-assigned position with the name “Morgan” attached. I looked at Larry and asked what that meant. He explained that this would be our final destination, our last chance for the big one. He went on to explain that he often names fishing locations after his guests that have had particularly good luck in that spot. This place had produced big halibut in the past for a guest named Morgan and he hoped that it would again. It was time for fresh bait, extra weight to keep us on the bottom because the tide was running hard and for everyone to think positive thoughts, our last chance! Unlike all the other places we had fished, there were no quick bites. Our rods sat motionless for what seemed like an hour. Larry was clearly getting impatient and concerned because time was running out. I wasn’t as concerned. As much as I wanted a big Halibut for the show, we already had lots of content and a big fish would only be the icing on the cake. Larry came out of the cabin and said, “One hour left, boys”. The words barely cleared his lips and my rod started to bounce. Something was different, very different! I brought the rod out from the holder and set the hook. Line was peeling off the reel so I tightened the drag, no effect! Larry heard the action and was quickly by my side. He said softly, “ I think this is the one we have been looking for”. At that instant, Larry’s rod, which had been in the holder next to mine, started to shake violently and we could hear the line screaming through the guides. “BIG FISH” he said, and grabbed the rod, barely able to pull it from the holder because of the pressure. Larry got a solid, two handed hold on the rod and set the hook hard. It was like setting a hook on a small car anchored to the bottom except this one was driving away with his line. Meanwhile I was still working on my fish, which was clearly the best fish of the trip so far, except for the fish Larry had just hooked. So, here we were, two days of waiting for the big fish and now we have two on at the same time. By now I was able to bring in line by tightening the large lever drag and slowing pumping the rod tip up then reeling fast as I dropped the rod tip back to the water. It wasn’t long before my battle was over with a very nice 40 pound Halibut on the deck. Larry’s fight was just beginning! We stood side by side talking about what was happening, Ryan was close also. Our cameraman, Tad, was moving quickly from side to side to catch all the action. Tight shots on Larry, wider shots on us both and then back to the line coming off the reel. This was exciting and we would soon be able to share it with millions across the country. 20 minute passed and Captain Mac was starting to gain ground. When he felt confident that we would soon have to take the next step in landing the fish he explained the process. “Al, when I get this fish close I’m going to hand you the rod and get the .410. Ryan will be on your right with the gaff and I want you to lift the fish to the surface. When you do, I will place one shot in it’s head and as the shot is made, Ryan will set the gaff very quickly. You drop the rod and grab the second gaff and together, you and Ryan will lift the fish into the boat.” I said, “OK”, hoping that I would remember the exact order everything would happen. Tad climbed to the top of the cabin to capture that action from above and we were ready. “Here he comes”, said Larry, and just like that the rod was in my hands. We could see the fish now in the clear salt water. Still about 15 feet down but coming up quickly. I reeled down as I dropped the rod tip and gave it one final lift and he hit the surface. It all happened so fast at that point, I won’t really remember it all until I see the tape. I heard the shot, saw Ryan set the gaff and dropped the rod to grab the other one. But before I could get it, Ryan gave it a mighty pull and we were done. Everything worked perfectly, just as the captain had described. We knew that we had just accomplished what we had set out to do. There was lots of high fives, screams of excitement and of course, pictures! I have been home now for less than 24-hours. I went to Sportsman’s Cove to film an adventure for America’s Outdoor Journal and we accomplished that. But I came away from this adventure with much more than a television show. I was left with a lasting memory of a family that has dedicated their lives to helping their guests experience the fishing adventure of a lifetime. I made new friends that I will never forget and I hope to some day go back to the Cove and maybe be lucky enough to have an exceptionally productive place named after me. Thank you Mr. Morgan for sharing your special place with our viewers. Thank you Captain Mac and Mrs. McQ, you are special people!
