Surf fishing in Ninilchik

I did make the trip to Ninilchik to surf fish with Randy Sisco and his Compassion Thru Fishing guiding business. The drive down went better than I expected, given the darkness and rain, and I arrived at about 9:20 a.m. for a 10 a.m. meet time. The problem was I ended up at the wrong house after receiving directions from one of his neighbors.

After assuming he had already left to go fishing, I heard folks talking and a dog bark next door through the trees. I drove over and there he was with his other two guests, Stephanie and Stephen, patiently waiting for my arrival. I was glad to learn I wasn’t late, and we were off to the beach to surf fish. Randy has access to a quiet section of beach accessible by a private road.

Randy picked a spot to set up and started rigging the gear to begin fishing. The three of us decided to take turns landing a fish, assuming we only had one bite at a time. When one rod tip wiggled shortly after the bait was in the water, Stephanie was first up. She landed about a six-pound halibut. The day was off to a quick and promising start!

I was next shortly afterwards and landed about a nine-pound halibut (the 110th halibut landed this season). Things suddenly quieted down, and it took some time for Stephen to get his chance. Before he finally landed a seven-pound halibut, he caught a skate, an Irish lord, and a small shark, all of which were released. Stephanie landed and released a small Irish lord shortly after Stephen’s successful catch.

The partly cloudy skies and sunshine while we fished were a welcome change from the rainy drive down.

Randy showed us how to rig the terminal tackle using swivels, a “specialized” bead (available from craft stores) to protect the knot, and seine twine to attach the hook to the line. He likes using a certain style of “J” hook designed to hold the bait. When I asked about “circle” hooks, he said he likes to use them after the dogfish have moved out, because the J-hooks were easier to use when unhooking and releasing the sharks.

Randy also showed us a couple of different casting techniques, using a couple of different rod and reel setups. He used a bait-fishing rod and reel rig to make a “pendulum” cast and demonstrated a “pitcher’s motion” overhand technique when casting a spinning rig. He also explained the weight style (pyramid) and amount of weight necessary to cast long distance and hold the bait on the bottom given the tidal currents common in Cook Inlet.

On this trip, there was only about a 14-foot tidal height change, so he was able to reduce the weight size to 8 ounces. We were amazed watching him easily cast 100-yards or more out into the waters. Randy commented that the fish did come in closer to the shore on occasion, but to soak a bait where the halibut tended to hang out, the 100-yard distance was needed. If you want halibut, that’s the minimum casting distance to get where the fish are.

We had a lot of fun talking and joking between hook-ups. I learned that Stephen works in the tourist industry and Stephanie works with disadvantaged children. Randy told us about where he learned to surf fish and that, being from a military family, he got the chance to fish all over and learn the different regional techniques. I told them I was retired Fish and Game and wrote this column for the Frontiersman newspaper. They all wanted to see what I would be writing.

We tagged Randy with a new nickname. He will now be known as: “Randy Sisco, the godfather of Alaska surf fishing.” He loved it and immediately talked about getting some t-shirts made up.

I asked about where to get the specialized rods and reels for this fishing technique and Randy’s response was that, right now, everything must be ordered online. Nobody in Alaska carries the required gear, but he said he’s working with Mike Hudson at Three Rivers Fly and Tackle in Wasilla about stocking the equipment.

I’ve spoken with Mike, and he told me the same thing when I stopped by earlier. When asked, Randy recommended a specific make and model of rod and reel as a good quality “starter” set up. I hope that’s what Mike starts stocking. I’ll be visiting his store regularly, looking to buy some gear.