As You Enjoy Thanksgiving, How About A Fishing Gift Wish List?
Happy Thanksgiving! We know you haven’t even carved your turkey, ham or whatever wild game you decide to devour today, but the holiday gift rush is already here, so how about some fishing gift ideas from our From Field to Fire team Scott Haugen and his wife, chef Tiffany Haugen, who throws in a recipe for that upcoming holiday party you need to cook for:
BY SCOTT HAUGEN
Imiss those winters when Tiffany and I lived on the North Slope in the 1990s. It forced us to slow down, relax, catch up on sleep and get recharged for the months ahead.
With the busy holiday season fast approaching, here’s a look at some fishing gear I tested in parts of Alaska this past season. These are items I liked and will keep using, and they’d make great gifts for a loved one – or yourself.
POWERPRO FISHING LINES
The first time I used PowerPro’s Maxcuatro fishing line was jigging for sheefish near Kotzebue through 7 feet of ice. The big fish of the day tipped the scales to just over 40 pounds. I landed more than 30 sheefish that trip, and the thin braid held up to being repeatedly raked over the edges of the ice holes, at the surface and subsurface. Then I took it to Mexico, where I casted surface plugs for barracuda. Obviously, a steel leader was in order, but the thin braid allowed me to cast long distances in high winds and land feisty water wolves, one after another.
This fall I fished 40-pound Maxcuatro for coho. I tied spoons, spinners, twitching jigs and plugs directly to the braid. Even lightweight 2.0 Mag Lips were easy to cast with the thin line, which has a diameter rating equivalent to 8-pound test. The thin line bucked heavy Alaskan winds and accounted for dozens of coho without any breakdown, despite fishing amid boulders, around sweepers and along vertical cutbanks.
High-visibility PowerPro in 30-pound test was my go-to line for float fishing. Be it cured eggs, jigs or soft beads, this mainline is perfect. It holds all bobber stops and floats with precision and consistency and it’s easy to see, which optimizes mending and drift efficiency.
I know what you’re thinking: Neither line is cheap. So, when it begins to fade and show wear, simply reverse it onto another spool. The fresh line that was buried inside your spool will be like new. A lodge I fished at got a bulk spool of PowerPro and are on year two of outfitting all their rods – over 60! – with it, thanks to recycling the unused line close to the spool. Do this and you’ll get years of use from these high-quality lines, and you’ll land way more fish, thanks to their toughness.
Info: powerpro.com
SHIMANO RODS AND REELS
I didn’t think my favorite Stradic spinning reel could be improved upon. I was wrong. I spooled two Shimano 3000 Vanford reels for two weeks of salmon fishing on the Alaska Peninsula. Whether running braid or a copolymer, these are the smoothest, fastest spinning reels I’ve fished with. And the drag system is so speedy to react, it makes managing the fight of heavy, tenacious salmon a breeze. I caught and released over 150 salmon, including chums up to 23 pounds, and the reels worked to perfection.
I also test-drove Shimano’s new Technium spinning rods. I fished the 9-foot, medium-heavy-power, fast-ac-tion rod the most, as some of the coho and chums I targeted were in deep holes and fast-moving currents where some backbone was needed for the fight. I also fished the medium-powered Technium in wider, more gentle water, also in a 9-foot model. Both rods held up to salmon after salmon and made landing and releasing them simple and fast. A couple buddies caught fish with them and were quick to comment on the lightweight, strong feel of each rod.
Info: fish.shimano.com
GRUNDENS WADING JACKET AND BOOTS
Quality wading boots are a must in Alaska – both in terms of comfort and performance. I spent nearly three weeks in Grundens Bankside Wading Boots this fall. From fishing to photographing brown bears – even hunting ptarmigan on the soggy tundra – these lightweight boots were extremely comfortable. I wore them with two styles of stocking foot waders and didn’t get one hot spot. Their gripping ability was perfect in a range of settings. I’ll be wearing these moose hunting next fall.
Last year I wore Grundens Portal Gore-Tex wading jacket on a sea duck hunt – actually, multiple sea duck hunts because it worked so well. I wore it fishing this fall in Alaska. Even in 40 mph gusts on the Egegik River, with rain driving sideways, this jacket kept me dry. I love the lightweight, ergonomic fit of this tough jacket. The pocket and sleeve cuff designs are top-notch, and other bells and whistles this state-of-the-art wading jacket offers will appeal to all serious Alaskan outdoorsmen.
Info: grundens.com
YETI FOOD JAR AND FRENCH PRESS
Hot soup never tastes as good as when you’re on the river and it’s cold and wet. I used both sizes of Yeti’s new Insulated Food Jars – 8 ounces and 16 ounces – and loved them. They kept soups and stews hot and let me stay on the river longer, rather than going back to camp for a snack. The double-walled vacuum insulation kept food hot all morning, and the two-piece lids are easy to clean. No leaks or drips inside the backpack either.
I never drank coffee until one fall 11 years ago when I was stranded in brown bear camp and we ran out of food. It was cold and miserable, and all we had was coffee. Now, I’m a wannabe coffee snob, so enter Yeti’s new French Press. I got the 34-ounce version and love it. It’s tough, features a DuraSip ceramic lining and double-wall vacuum insulation, and it made great coffee for a buddy and I on a recent fishing trip.
Info: Yeti.com
WITH PLENTY OF TIME left for holiday shopping this year, these are some handy items Alaskan anglers will want to consider. Next month we’ll look at more quality pieces of gear – those on the hunting side – I put to the test. ASJ
Editor’s note: For signed copies of Scott Haugen’s popular line of salmon and steelhead fishing books, contact him at scotthaugen@yahoo.com. Follow Scott on Instagram and Facebook.
TIFFANY HAUGEN’S TWO WAYS TO PREPARE TO SPOT PRAWNS
BY TIFFANY HAUGEN
When Scott and I lived in Hyder, Alaska, in 2019 and 2020, we loved catching and eating spot prawns fresh from the bay in front of our tiny little town. I miss those days.
Last summer, Scott went to Prince of Wales Island. He brought home lots of bottomfish and salmon. He also nailed the spot prawns, a type of large shrimp. He vacuum-sealed meal-sized portions of them to freeze and bring home. A couple of the packages got shoved to the back of our freezer, but they were still great to eat. These two recipes are what made them so delicious. Of course, fresh is best, but don’t underestimate the flavorful delight these little gems offer, even when frozen.
GARLIC BUTTER SHRIMP
1/2 pound shrimp, shelled and cleaned
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
With garlic and butter (top) and tomato and herbs (right) are two of chef Tiffany Haugen’s favorite ways to prepare the spot prawns husband Scott brings home. (TIFFANY HAUGEN)
1/4 cup onion, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1 cup baby greens, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped 1/3 cup heavy cream
Salt and black pepper to taste
In a medium skillet, melt butter on medium-low heat. Add minced onion and garlic and let caramelize for seven to 10 minutes. Turn heat to medium-high and add shrimp. Sauté just until shrimp begin to turn pink.
Remove shrimp from the pan and deglaze with white wine. Add tomatoes, greens and parsley and sauté for two to three minutes. Salt and black pepper to taste. Add cream and as soon as bubbles appear around the edges, add shrimp and cook until desired doneness. Serve with bread to soak up the pan juices.
HERBED SHRIMP AND TOMATOES
1/2 pound shrimp, shelled and cleaned
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh chives, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, finely chopped Five fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
One tomato, chopped
Salt and black pepper to taste
In a medium bowl, toss shrimp with olive oil, lemon juice and orange juice. Let sit for five to 10 minutes at room temperature. In a medium skillet, heat olive oil on medium-high heat. Add marinated shrimp and sauté two to three minutes. Add chopped herbs and tomato to the pan and sauté an additional one or two minutes. Salt and pepper to
taste. Serve over rice if desired. ASJ
Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany Haugen’s popular book, Cooking Seafood, visit scotthaugen.com.
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