Fishing Update / Doc Warners - Alaska Fishing Adventures

Fishing Update
End of 2011 Season

It is hard to believe that the lodge has been shut down now for just over a month. It seems like one can barely catch their breath before the preparation for next year begins, But before I share with you some of the changes we have planned for next year, I wish to reflect a little on this last season.

The 2011 season was a huge success. The beautiful waters and areas surrounding Excursion Inlet showed the best of what Alaska has to offer to our guests. The weather was absolutely beautiful in June, July, and part of August. The rest of August and first half of September brought quite a bit of rain, but that is what makes the area so beautiful and why they call Southeast Alaska a temperate rain forest.

The fishing this year was simply amazing! The salmon runs were extremely strong, and the numbers were so great that we were able to employ better methods to target specific species. These changes were necessary because the fish were so thick it was sometimes hard to keep them off the line before catching what we were looking for. It was a fun problem to have and tired out more than one person reeling in fish nonstop.

The halibut were also abundant this year. The recent reductions in commercial and charter halibut fisheries greatly improved the number of fish available for our sport fishermen. We expect that those changes will continue to be enforced for a few more years, so our fishing should continue to improve each year. We have heard rumors that they may mostly likely impose the bag and size limit on all charter fishing in Alaska and not just in Southeast Alaska. This will mean that Doc Warner's will be one of the only places people will be able to go to catch big fish and keep 2-halibut-per-day.

Before we left the lodge this summer, we began preparations for adding bathrooms to the Porpoise, Pleasant, and Excursion cabins. The wall has been torn down between the first and second bedrooms, and we are adding private bathrooms to all of the rooms. Our plan is to have the construction completed next year so that each of the small cabin rooms will now have their own private bathrooms.

Also on the list for work this winter and next spring is to remove some of the "tiredness" of the boats. After a number of years serving our guests, some of our fleet is in need of refurbishment. The plan for this coming year is to replace much of the equipment in the boats and breathe new life into them. I know that you will appreciate this effort on your next trip to Doc Warner's.

After the lodge was winterized and closed down, my wife, Kristina, and I took a few minutes to go hunting with some of our really good friends in Hoonah, which just so happens to be an incredible place to go Brown Bear watching. As a gift to Kristina, I arranged for her to go brown bear hunting there, so she spent some quality time at the shooting range, got herself a brown bear permit and locking tag, and off she went. She ended up shooting a 7' 11" brown bear with one shot before it dropped dead, which was her first kill ever! We are having it done up as a rug so you should see it at the lodge next year. She has an amazing story to tell you when she sees you next, too!

I am grateful for those that have expressed an interest in helping us out at the lodge as the economy continues to be sluggish. The slow recovery has continued to challenge our industry, and it has also created some unique opportunities for you. Our new registration process is allowing guests to choose their own Alaska adventure while using Doc Warner's as a home base. We also have many openings in our schedule that would allow you to bring additional friends and family members with you the next time you come. If you have ever thought about hosting a group or expanding your group, now is the time to book your next trip at Doc Warner's Alaska Adventures using our new incentives.

Thank you for allowing Doc Warner's to be part of making lifelong memories for you. It has been a privilege to serve you!

Happy fishing,
Mark Warner

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