Pike Fishing In NW Alaska

[northwestalaska]

Hi Guys:

I just returned from a few days fishing up in the Noatak Flats which is located a few miles down river from Noatak Village in NW Alaska. My kids and I hit the “Pike Hot Spot” landing over 25 fish and 10 were over 24 inches. I am going to try to attach some photos of some of the bigger ones. My 9 year old landed a 36 incher that about ate him and he was all shook up for the rest of the day, my 11 year old took a fat 40 incher and I landed a pig at 42 inches. Thank goodness for a large net!

When you come up for your Caribou hunt don't forget that we also have huge fish!

Walt
Northwest Alaska Back Country Rentals
Your best bet in rafts, canoes and camp rentals in all of NW Alaska
www.northwestalaska.com

 

[cornfed]

From the looks of that first picture I would say that the mosquitos were bitting pretty good also.

 

[northwestalaska]

Bugs?? No way!

hump You have to keep in mind that I live 33 miles north of the Arctic Circle and this was another 40 miles north of that, so do you think we have some bugs?? Grows big fish!

We are also the home to the Western Arctic Caribou Herd which is almost 600,000 strong. Check us out is you have always dreamed of taking a trophy caribou of moose.


Walt
Northwest Alaska Back Country Rentals
Your best bet in rafts, canoes and camp rentals in all of NW Alaska
www.northwestalaska.com

 

[Ovis]

Northwest

Nice fish and good looking kids, but I have a bone to pick with you.

Why do you come on this forum peddling your outfitting services for caribou and moose hunts, clearly aimed at the non-residents, knowing the majority of them will never take the entire animal, if any, back home with them? Yet on another board you gave some dude named Jimmy Urban a rash of shit because he was so inclined to help some folks out in Delta? Makes you look like a shit talking hypocrite. Would like an honest answer.

PS...You should resize your photos to 640x480 or 480x640 depending on if it is a portrait or landscape.

 

[sreekers]

Looks like a great trip.

 

[northwestalaska]

Orvis and all other alaska bound hunters

Thanks for the kudos on the fish. As far as your bone, you have the right to pick anything you want but you need to keep in mind that I live up here year round and because I push a outfitting business and I put hunters in the field I must advocate the importance of taking your meat home with you when you come you to this part of the world. NW Alaska and Kotzebue sees a huge influx of hunters for 3 ½ weeks each year and we also see a lot of “Donated” meat rot on the tarmac. This makes my business look real bad to the local native population who sees out or region hunters come for the horns and dump the meat.

If it cost you too much money to fly the meat back home I think you’re fooling yourself.

Break down a hunt (do it yourself drop or float)

Tag $300-800 depending on what you hunt
Flight from the lower 48 to Kotz $500-1,000
Bush flight out of Kotz $1,500-3,800 round trip
Equipment rental from Walt $ 350-900
Hotel in Kotz for 2 nights $300
Meals in Kotz $150 (no kidding)
Horns back to Denver $500-600
Total $ about 7,500 bucks

Meat at 58 cents a pound- 1 Caribou about $135- 225

You can't afford to spend the extra $225 to take home your meat. That’s Bull#$% Orvis.

As hunters we can not advocate dumping meat to the local "needy" people. Yes if it were only 10 hunters a year doing this a place like Kotzebue would not blink, but when 500 or 800 hunters do it it makes a real impact on a population of 3,200 people who also hunt and we can do it year round.

Jimmy Urban wanted to kill a moose with the intention of dumping the entire animal! Kill just to Kill??

I am not a hypocrite at all. Don’t squeeze that trigger if you don’t intend on taking it home period! I live in a region that is 86% native and you think I am being hypocritical? Guess again Big boy!

I hope that I have helped you clear this up and I hope that I can help you put together a great hunt some time down the road, but don’t forget to take your meat home with you and may be donate it to some "poor natives" in Idaho, or Montana or even Ohio!

Walt
Northwest Alaska Back Country Rentals
Your best bet in rafts, canoes and camp rentals in all of NW Alaska
www.northwestalaska.com

 

[Ovis]

I see a guy bent on making a few bucks off a non-res that personally doesn't give a shit what happens to the meat so long as he has a few dollars lining his pocket.

I think you do a good enough job making your own business look bad. You don't need any help from the lower 48 visitors.

Maybe you should do something about curving the amount of hunters you promote coming to Kotz. That should cut down on the 500 - 800 hunters you have donating their meat to the "poor natives". I wonder what percentage of those guys you recruit to come up to Kotz to hunt.

 

[northwestalaska]

Orvis

Orvis:

You are one upset guy!

My business is about 50% hunting and 50% fishing/rafters. Part of the packet of information that I send out to all of my hunting groups has a paragraph that talks about hunting ethics and that I do not accept meat period. Last year a group of guys from Denver came up, had a great hunt and wanted me to deal with their meat. The way I handled that was to assist them in finding meat boxes, lining up the freight and delivering the meat to the cargo hauler for them. I have never had an upset customer and a most of my business is through word of mouth. I have lost some clients because of my strong stance on the need to deal with you meat but that’s ok. I am not trying to win a popularity contest with the hunting community. What I am trying to do is educate the hunting public about how they are perceived when they come up here and how we can promote the fall hunt without doing damage to the resource.

We have a wonderful wilderness up here and almost all of my business begins with lots of communication with guys like you that know very little about the region. You need to keep in mind that unit 23 is larger than the state of Indiana and we have so many drainages to choose from that the average guy dose not know where to start. I help the outdoorsman choose the best drainage based upon his time, experiences and desire to spend money, line him up with a good-safe pilot and then rent him his equipment.

So to answer you, none of my guys donate meat through me period. Hunters are going to come up here in increasing numbers until the state or feds or even the local native corporation places restrictions on the number of transporters or hunters. This is on the horizon and some how limitations will take place. It’s my job to do the best job that I can assisting you in understand this unique region and use its resources wisely. It’s no different that hunting wisely in any other lower 48 state, we are just bigger and we have a lot of caribou.

Take a breath and realize that there are lots of choices up here and if I can work with you that’s great but if you find my approach to hunting and fishing irritating that’s ok to as I booked 100% full on all my 07 float hunts last March. I am in the process of booking 08 hunts and fishing trips now and I am willing to point you in the direction of the other guys if you are interested in that. I work hard at doing a good job for my customers’, no complaints yet! Life is too short to be angry! Let’s go fishing. I know a great spot, want to see some pics?


Walt
Northwest Alaska Back Country Rentals
Your best bet in rafts, canoes and camp rentals in all of NW Alaska
www.northwestalaska.com
hump

 

[MarvB]

Yeah c'mon Or-vis....

my business begins with lots of communication with guys like you that know very little about the region

Jim ya ought try to spend a little time up there before you make such claims

...sounds like you might have to sick Nightwolf's imaginary bear on ol Walt