"I can't hold it," Pam shouted between breaths, struggling
to maintain her grip on the bucking graphite rod. With our attentive
captain and deckhand providing instructions and moral support, I was
free to sit back and soak in the surreal scene. Less than 24 hours earlier
I had been fighting for a parking spot in the crowded, chaotic jungle
known as Los Angeles International Airport. Now, after a short floatplane
trip from Juneau,
I
was perched on the upper deck of a spacious 34-foot yacht, watching my
wife fight the fishing battle of her life against the idyllic backdrop
of the snow-capped Fairweather Mountains. The air was clear and crisp,
bald eagles circled above, and the surrounding waters were filled with
fish. It was easy to get lost in it all.
I was jolted back to reality by the sound of a big fish splashing at boatside and the excited yells of the crew and passengers. Furiously pressing the shutter button of my camera, I watched through the lens as the mate slid a huge landing net under Pam's 35-pound king salmon.
It was a magical moment, and a fairly typical introduction to fishing
at Tanaku Lodge,
a
cozy, family-run resort tucked into a cliffside near the mouth of Elfin
Cove, Alaska. Over the next four days, the action rarely slowed as our
group caught plenty of big king salmon, Pacific halibut ranging from
ten-pound "chickens" up to triple-digit monsters, alligator-sized
lingcod and scores or big, colorful rockfish.
Located on Chichagof Island at the northern end of Alaska's Inside Passage, Tanaku Lodge is ideally situated for fishing either the open Pacific or the many sheltered inlets, coves, and straits of Cross Sound. The region's cold, plankton-rich waters are teeming with life, including otters, orcas, humpback whales, and of course, more fish than you can shake a long, graphite stick at.
With abundant schools of herring to eat and plenty of pristine rivers and streams flowing nearby, the area is a natural highway for thousands of salmon with the urge to feed and breed. Depending on the season, the daily fishing menu includes king salmon (up to 60 pounds), coho salmon (up to 18 pounds), pink salmon (up to ten pounds), Pacific halibut (up to 300 pounds), lingcod (up to 65 pounds) or a mixed bag of rockfish (up to 20 pounds). In addition, kings, cohos, pinks and Dolly Varden trout can be caught in the local rivers and streams during late summer and fall.
Tanaku Tactics
King salmon are the resort's main attraction, and we targeted them by
slow-trolling 
whole
and plug-cut herring on downriggers, diving planes or trolling sinkers.
All of Tanaku's boats are outfitted with levelwind reels spooled with
20-pound line and custom eight- or nine-foot graphite rods for a lightweight,
sensitive combination that lets you feel every head shake and tail beat
during the fight.
According to lodge co-owner Dennis Meier, the fishing strategy changes later in the season when coho invade the local waters. Anglers can catch them by vertical jigging with Crippled Herring and other slab-style spoons on light tackle. When the captain positions the boat over a cloud of baitfish and hungry salmon, the action can be fast and furious.
Another big draw is Pacific halibut. The Tanaku skippers know areas
where the bottom seems carpeted with flatties in the ten - to 40-pound
range, and we had a ball 
with
these fish on 20-pound tackle. In deeper water, where the giant triple-digit
halibut hang out, we broke out the serious gear: offshore stand-up rods
sporting 4/0 or 5/0 reels spooled with 80-pound Dacron. The standard
terminal rig is a one- or two-pound lead ball, a short length of nylon
rope or 200-pound-test monofilament leader, and a 10/0 circle hook baited
with a chunk of herring, a strip of salmon belly, a rockfish head of
any other piece of fish that happens to be handy.
To the uninitiated, such heavy gear may seem like overkill. However, I can assure you that any such thoughts left my mind as soon as I felt the raw power of one of these fish. Despite the heavy-duty stand-up gear and fighting belt, all I could do was hang on for the ride. We didn't catch any 300-pound monsters during our trip, but each day, members of our group tested their strength and stamina by battling fish in the 70- to 125-pound class. Combined with our take of salmon and rockfish, these hefty fish helped ensure that we all had full fillet boxes for the flight home.
Alaska, Tanaku Style
People expect excellent fishing when they travel to an Alaskan resort,
but it's the atmosphere, the staff, the food and their scenery that make
it memorable. On these counts, Tanaku Lodge offers a standout package.
Meier
and co-owner Jim Benton have created an intimate, friendly resort that
makes you feel as if you've stepped into someone's rustic mountain cabin
- one with a million-dollar view, an attentive staff that fulfills your
every need, and a world-class chef who will put a few extra notches in
your belt. The creations of chef Skip Congers, a Floridian who trained
at the Southeastern Institute of Culinary Arts in St. Augustine, quickly
became a highlight of our trip. Congers amazed us with everything from
fresh-baked pastries in the morning to fireside hors d'hoeuvres to dinners
featuring fresh local salmon, halibut and crab.
Meier 
and
Benton take a hands-on approach to resort ownership, and on any given
day you're likely to find them working on the boats, helping anglers
on the water,unloading fish, handing out nightly fishing awards or enjoying
an evening drink with guests. To accommodate guests with interests other
than fishing, the lodge staff will coordinate trips to nearby Glacier
Bay National Park, set up kayak sighseeing tours, take guests on hiking
excursions and more. This has made Tanaku especially popular with couples
and families, and Meier said the lodge often customizes packages for
those who want to combine a romantic getaway or family adventure vacation
with Alaska's famous 
fishing.
If you've never visited Alaska, Tanaku Lodge is a great way to experience the fishing, wildlife and scenery that have made this last American frontier so popular. Unlike some other large resorts, Tanaku offers an intimate, casual atmosphere where you'll quickly get to know all the staff and other guests on a first-name basis. Take it from me, it's a recipe for magic.
