Homer, Part 1

Leaving the hustle of Soldotna behind, I headed for the very end of the Kenai Peninsula, Homer. Claiming to be the halibut capitol of the work, Homer is a neat little town with a long fishing history. The views coming down the hill into town are worth the trip!

  

That’s the Homer Spit, and my destination. The spit is a long, well, “spit” of land extending out from the coastline.

  

There are several campgrounds out on the spit, and some great inexpensive areas operated by the city. I land at the “fishin hole” campground, which is right next to the harbor. No hookups, but they have a dump and fill station (free to campers) and nice views and beach access.

  

And there is a fishin hole! It’s actually what they call a terminal fishery. It is a large tidal bay or pool where the state releases several species of salmon as fingerlings. They imprint on the pool as their spawning place, and then spend years out to sea growing big. When they answer the call to spawn, they return to the pool, and have nowhere else to go. Bad news for the fish, but good news for the fishermen! Each year, 3000-6000 kings are caught here, and countless numbers of reds, pinks and silvers. I will definitely be trying my luck here! The silvers (Coho) should be arriving very soon in large numbers.

Meanwhile, I take a walk on the beach. Have you ever seen a beach with mountain and glacier views? Only in Alaska, and especially in Homer!

  

  

The spit is lined with shops, restaurants and bars, as well as fish charters and processors.

  

The harbor is impressive!

  

As I walk down into the harbor, I spot a neat reflection picture and grab it. I love this shot.

The next morning, Dennis, Ed and Butch meet me at the harbor at 0630. We are going out on the Sundy, a 50’ halibut charter boat. oh, boy, more halibut!

  

Somehow, we get another beautiful day, warm, clear and smooth. We get on the halibut after about a 2 hour run out, and fishing is good! There are 16 on the boat, but the Sundy is big enough for us all to have a line in the water. The captain and 2 deck hands keep us supplied with bait and everyone is catching fish.

  

In fact, the bite is so strong that I start throwing nice halibut back, looking for that elusive 100 pounder. The crew tell me I’m “shopping” and I bring in over a dozen halibut in just a few hours. Man, that’s fishing. Finally, we are almost ready to head back, so I have to settle for a moderate sized second fish, but what fun! While we are anchored, a pod of 3 Orcas passes close to our boat. I did manage to get a fin shot, but I was busy catching fish.

Dennis caught the biggest fish, and wins our private fish pool and has official bragging rights, at least till the next time we fish… I show Dennis the approved method of holding your fish up so they look bigger. LOL  (The one on my right hand in my pic is Dennis’s big one) 

    

That’s a motley crew, and a mess of halibut in the fish box!

  

On the ride back, the crew fillets our fish, and when we get back to the harbor, we spot this seal. OK, what are the chances that a seal would be posing on the back of a boat named “Halibut” ? Too funny!

  

I take a short break from Homer and run back up to Ninilchik to make a dinner date. The Leonards are hosting a halibut fry and potluck, and I’m invited. First, a little history:

Peggy and Larry Leonard are long-time Escapees, and have been living in Ninilchik during the summers for like 20 years or more. They like to meet fellow Escapees, so every so often, they plan a potluck, and then drive down to the campgrounds in Ninilchik looking for RVs with Escapees stickers. They knock on the door and invite folks to come over to their place for eats! Isn’t that neat? They have become somewhat legendary: Dennis and Carol met them on their first Alaska trip, and have seen them each time they returned. Such nice folks!

  

About 20 of us gathered for fun and food. Larry cooking halibut and Dennis cooking french fries.

  

  

What a spread! Escapees really know how to eat!

  

An eagle watches us from a nearby tree. Thanks, Peggy and Larry, it was so neat to meet you! I hope to see you again, on my next trip to Alaska!

I’ll be heading back to Homer, to fish in the “hole” and check out the town and especially the restaurants. Will meet up with Jim and Kim. Definitely a brewery run is in the works, and who knows what else… More from Homer next blog!