Sheefish have been on my wish list for many years. They are only found in the far north and are often called "tarpon of the north". A friend went to Kotzebue, Alaska last year seeking monster Dolly Varden. When asking his pilot about sheefish possibilities, Lewis Pagel of www.arcticfishingadventures.com was a must. So, I along with 3 friends booked a trip March 25 to 28. We flew out of Chicago to Anchorage then to Kotzebue. Upon arrival, Lew picked us up and drove us to his "second" house.
The facilities were like being in a 5-star hotel. Lew figured we would not want to fish in the afternoon since the temps dropped to a (-) 28F. Lew soon realized we were a different breed of fishermen and told him we want to go. The ice tents were not available, so we rouged in out sitting on chairs on the ice. 1 was tough as we only managed 1 bite. Lew said not to worry as the conditions looked great the new few days. All of us brought along Jason Mitchell elite Mac ice rods in heavy and extra heavy action. Most anglers use a Native Alaskan sheefish rod called a Niksik which is made of carved wood, caribou antler, or whale bone. The few days the bite was on. Lew is sold on less wind makes for better fishing and lots of current is the key.
We jigged in about 25 feet using various colorations of Doctor Spoons. Lew prepared a few filets and sheefish is delicious. My 3 friends took home about 50 lbs of filets each.
Lew provides guided fishing with all equipment. These include snowmobiles, sleds, ice shacks, heaters, power augers, chairs, and more. He even provided your fishing license, processing of fish, fileted, vacuum sealed, frozen, and boxed to take home on the plane. In all this trip far exceeded our expectations. Lew is not only a great guide but fantastic host. He even bought a few cases of Pabst Blue Ribbon for us, Midwest guys.
The meals were fantastic, and Lew even prepared some musk ox for us. I highly recommend this trip and have already booked for next year.
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