8 Things I Miss about Guiding – OR – Annual Solstice Delirium

Fishing • Living the Alaska Dream • Winter

176lb halibut and Captain Chance on the bow of the Thomasea Winter is a time to reflect For me this means thinking about being on the water.  “The sun came up upon the…

What to expect for 2020 – Halibut Fishing Regulations in area 3A South Central Alaska

The fishing regulations are changing… Again. The bigger problem is, we don’t know exactly what to yet. Further, we won’t officially until February of 2020, but they’re going to get more strict and that is…

Tonsina Year Round

Group Travel • Kayaking • Winter

Tonsina has always been a special place for me. As a young child Tonsina was a place my whole family would go.  We were always going for berries or fish, but it was still largely seen as a day off. It…

The Heartbeat of the Harbor OR Reflections in the Future

Fishing • Living the Alaska Dream

 Jon Tippit always said the Seward Small Boat Harbor was the Heart of Seward.

Wintertime Peace

Taking Your Kids Fishing at Miller’s Landing

Fishing • Group Travel • Living the Alaska Dream

While most of the anglers who visit Miller’s Landing are adults, you are welcome to bring your children along and introduce them to fishing during your stay. Fishing is a fantastic and healthy hobby that helps people connect with the natural world, and it gives you a great way to bond with your youngsters while enjoying some of the best scenery on earth.

But you can’t just hand your child a rod, point them at the water and expect them to be successful. In fact, you’ll want to help introduce them to the sport so that they can catch a few fish and enjoy themselves – otherwise, they’re likely to find fishing boring and dread future trips.

This isn’t exceptionally difficult to do, just follow the tips and tricks listed below:

“Alaska is too expensive” OR “Lies you can stop telling yourself”

Fishing • Group Travel • Hiking • Kayaking • Living the Alaska Dream • Packages

“Alaska is too expensive”
“Someday, when we can afford it, well go to Alaska”
“I’ve always wanted to go to Alaska, but I hear its really pricey”

These are a few of the things I hear when talking to people about what I do for a living.

It irks me, because it’s not true. It’s really not!   Many people assume that traveling to Alaska and going fishing, or kayaking by a glacier, or watching whales involves mortgaging the farm, or selling that dented but loved ’97 Dodge Neon in the driveway. The truth is it can cost about the same as going anywhere in the lower 48 – sometimes even way less.

How to make food using tiny bits of Alaska – Smoked Salmon Dip

Fishing • Group Travel • Living the Alaska Dream

After a successful Fishing Charter – Smoked Salmon Dip

A lot of people hoard their smoked salmon, it is precious stuff after all! But unless you’ve got a ton of it, it’s hard to justify putting out at a party or gathering. It gets gobbled up super fast (usually by the person serving it), and it’s often not everyone gets to try it.  There’s a trick however to spreading out the delicious smokey magic, a conservationists approach to serving smoked salmon, a real salmon saver: It’s Dip.

Halibut, Pheromones, and COSTCO – OR – Fast Fresh Fish for Families

Fishing • Group Travel • Living the Alaska Dream

How to turn Wild Alaskan Halibut into food, using COSTCO

If your go out on a Millers Landing fishing charter, odds are you have a lot of fish.
If you have a lot of fish, you’re probably going to attract a good looking person to share it with.
If you attract a good looking partner, you may have a child.
If you have a child, you probably have very little time, and keep a closer eye on your money.
If you have very little time and keep a close eye on your money, you probably do most of your shopping at COSTCO.
COSTCO, my friends, is amazing.

Organizing Your Alaskan Fishing Gear: Episode 1 – Pimping Out Your Jig Bucket!

Fishing • Living the Alaska Dream

Organizing your Alaskan Fishing Gear – Episode 1:

We get it.

It’s a challenge every time! How do you keep all that gear organized?

What do you do when a single jig can weigh 3lbs? The hook is the size of your palm, the plastic bait a foot long, and you’ve got a dozen of them made up for that super productive but ultra painful pinnacle the current just rips over?
What about the Salmon Mooching Rigs you spent hours building last winter, or the circle hook leaders and big bait rigs?

The struggle is real. For us and other operators out there,  there are literally hundreds of set ups to crimp, tie, snell, set, and store each season, both beforehand and during the rush.  Equipment has to be organized, clean, accessible, and pre-made as much as possible so that when the fish are biting (and breaking) your rigs, you can get them back on – fast.  There are dozens of proven ways to do this, we’ll share some of ours, as well as some ways we’ve seen it done in our new series: Organizing your Alaskan Fishing Gear.

What to talk about first? What else – The Jig Bucket.

Living The Dream, 100 Days of Summer – OR – A Day in Operating an Alaskan Summer Camp

Group Travel • Kayaking • Living the Alaska Dream

100 Days of Fishing, Kayaking, Camping, Water Taxis & More

Doesn’t sound so tough, does it? Enter a day in the life of Elijah, Miller’s Landing’s Operations Manager.

Your alarm goes off at 5AM. It might as well be noon, it hasn’t been dark at night for a month.

     Hopefully you got a good night’s sleep because hitting “snooze” is not an option. If you’re late, every single trip of the day will be late also. Get up! Let the dog out for a few minutes and head down the road to open up the office. Hopefully the grounds crew are already there – As you pull up you see Jean and Brad already hard at work, these guys are so dependable.

Fishing? Kayaking? Tours?
First you have to wake up!

     You ready for this? Mornings at Miller’s Landing are no joke! You open the office and start brewing some coffee – by the gallon. Free coffee for over 35 years sets a precedent, you really can’t make it fast enough.  Building a fire in the wood stove is second nature at this point, in moments eager anglers and kayakers are already crowding around with steaming cups of joe, excited for the day’s activities. By 5:30 the rest of the morning staff have arrived, the kayak guides, captains, and deckhands are already on the boats. Sometimes you have to give them a bit of a kick, but they’re pros and quickly get moving once they’re up.

Mornings are beautiful at Miller’s Landing! The sun over Resurrection Bay from the porch of the store shouldn’t be missed!