Experience fishing for coho (silver) salmon in Seward, Alaska! See how you can stock the freezer for winter, while fishing to

How would you like to slow down and experience what it's like to fish for coho salmon right off the beach in Seward, Alaska? See how one day's catch can transform into a whole winter's worth of wild salmon and then have a home-cooked meal a mere feet from the water on the day it was caught. It doesn't get more ocean to table than that. Come with us and let's go fishing. This story begins here in Seward, Alaska. Located literally at the end of the road, Seward hugs the base of the Kenai Mountains and looks straight out into the waters of Resurrection Bay and beyond that the Gulf of Alaska. All five species of Alaskan Pacific salmon enter the waters of Resurrection Bay each year, all within different time frames. In all, salmon season runs from about mid-May through September. It's mid-September and so we are concerning ourselves with coho or silver salmon who are about to have a moment and show up in force right here along a stretch of shoreline near downtown Seward. So where exactly are we right now? This is a public access site right near the small boat harbor. It's a popular spot as you can drive right up, set your cooler on the shore and just start fishing. For those here from out of town, it's even more convenient for a very particular reason. Did you know that a huge portion of Seward's waterfront is dedicated to campgrounds run by the city, giving visitors unparalleled views right on the water? Well, lots of folks make a whole event of it, bringing their RVs, coolers ready and set up camp just a couple hundred yards from where the fishing's great. So funny story, we're still learning right and we're not afraid to admit it. So Jose Luis starts his day out here and he's fishing with a lure. Everyone else is catching fish but not him and he's wondering what the heck he's doing wrong. Then a kind soul takes pity on him and says, you know man, you're probably not gonna catch any with that. You need one of these. So this is a treble hook and it's used in a fishing method called snagging. The hook is pulled through the water in rapid motions to, well, snag the fish as it's swimming by. Armed with the right gear and the right technique, we start getting lucky. So Jose's catching fish and he needs ice. To keep him fresh while he keeps fishing. So for the rescue, we've got a garbage bag full of ice. The line keeps breaking. It's the right weight and the knots are correct. So honestly, we still don't get why this keeps happening. Like I said, we're still learning and we're humble enough to say it. So if you know what's up and why this line keeps snapping, share your knowledge with all of us and let us know in the comments. Now it's really cool to be here when the silvers are coming in because not five minutes from here, the Alaska SeaLife Center walks you through the life cycle of this fascinating fish. The silvers we are catching right now start their life in the freshwater streams of this region. They hatch and emerge as fry, little baby salmon, and then they grow into smolt in estuary environments around that transition zone between fresh and salt water where they themselves transition into salt water dwellers. Then they make their way out to the sea as adults. These fellas go far, living in the open waters of the Pacific until a little timer in their biology activates and they come right back to Resurrection Bay and to the water's edge where we anxious anglers await. And by the way, they don't come in one steady stream. They come in waves. Sometimes nothing's happening and nobody's catching anything and then all of a sudden they're leaping out of the water and the fishing is on. It's a bit of a wild west out here. The shoreline is packed. Lines are getting tangled and treble hooks are flying. Lots of folks wear sunglasses, not just because the polarized lenses help you see the fish better, but because they also protect your eyes. Lines are constantly getting tangled, but for the most part folks are really good-natured and patient. I mean, you can't voluntarily join a fray like this and expect anything different. I fish some too, but we don't film it. I take over as José Luis stops for lunch. We're hoping we can stock the freezer today. We'll see. Even a black bear makes an appearance when the fishing is really hot. It's skirting the edges of the public access area, just kind of eyeing the whole situation. When it decides to go for the coolers on the beach though, that's not a safe situation for people or the bear and I can't believe I catch this moment on film. Want a little insider tip? See this area here? It has lots of rocks and when the tide is high, it's really easy to lose your hook here. It's a bummer, so avoid that spot at high tide. But there is a silver lining. When the tide goes out, you can go sleuth around and try to get your hook back. The rocks are littered with hooks actually, so it's a good place to go stock up and help keep the ocean free of our hooks and lines. It's an awesome win-win. Alaskan fisheries are closely regulated to ensure the sustainability of this public resource. Everyone here has a license and a limit. The rules change by the body of water, by the fish, and by the time of year. So here today, our limit for coho is six per person. Between the two of us, we catch nine. All right, it's the last one. Now we can't even imagine what it would be like to clean and process all this fish in our tiny home on wheels. The water required alone would drain our freshwater tank and that's not to mention the smell. So we're very grateful for Seward's public cleaning station where we can process our nine coho salmon. We could have gotten 12 if we wanted, but honestly that's more fish than we could probably eat this winter. And as this is a shared public resource, it's important to harvest only what you need and no more. The city of Seward has two public cleaning stations right here at the small boat harbor. And I tell you, there's something special about processing the day's catch to the backdrop of the Kenai Mountains. It's fun to be here swapping stories with other anglers. Spirits are high after a good day of fishing. Subsistence is a way of life here in Alaska, one that is alive and thriving. The salmon caught on that beach out there today are going into freezers for the winter. Food is expensive up here in Alaska and this is a key way a lot of folks help ease the burden. In fishing towns like Seward, public cleaning stations like this one are an important facility helping keep fish waste off the beaches and out of harbor waters. The waste gathered here is ground and disposed of by the city. We can't help feeling that zing of satisfaction and security knowing that we just provide it for ourselves. Combined with the scenery, it's been a good day. You might be curious why Jose Luis is cutting most of our fish into steaks rather than fillets. A lot of folks here in Alaska only process kings into steaks. For silvers and reds, they stick to fillets. We're doing steaks because to be honest, neither of us is skilled at filleting and we feel like we're just losing a lot of meat. Jose Luis grew up in Nicaragua during the revolution during times of food insecurity so wasting any food at all really bothers him. Cutting steaks seems to be the best way to use all the meat. We even keep some heads for making Nicaraguan fish head soup. Look at that. The one thing we don't know what to do with are the eggs and unfortunately we don't have the freezer space to freeze them while we figure it out. Luckily around here somebody will always take them. We were just saying it felt so bad to like get rid of them. Like I said we're still learning so it takes some time but eventually the deed is done and we have nine salmons worth of steaks, a few fillets and three fish heads. How much freezer space will that actually fill? Well let's go pack them and find out. This is heavy. We got like 40 pounds of fish here. Now it's time to vacuum seal it and put it in the freezer. Look at that. That's a lot of fish. A lot of fish. At least 40 pounds. Last egg and then we're gonna make space and put them in the freezer. We have a little tiny freezer. All right we're done. Now it's time to put them in the freezer. I'm not sure if we're gonna get all this salmon to fit in a little tiny freezer but let's see. Look at that. So much fish. A lot of space to work with. And I already took some things out just to make space for the salmon so I'm gonna have to be playing Tetris with these steaks to make sure that everything fits in it. It's been a big day. In one fell swoop we filled our little freezer. If we can find a friend who can store this for us we'd actually like to maybe go out again. That way we can share with family and friends. We'll see. And that's a full freezer. Nothing like having salmon fresh caught from the day. This is quite a way to celebrate a successful day. We were parked a couple hundred feet from the water right on the seward waterfront. Like I said before it really doesn't get more ocean to table than this. Salmon season in Seward Alaska is a lively time where visitors and locals alike gather on the water's edge to share in this public resource. If you come to join in the harvest make sure you know the rules, follow local guidance, and above all be oh so grateful for the opportunity to take part. This was the perfect way to fill time as we wait for the fall colors to pop at the next place we're going to take you. Will they show up like we predicted they will? Well we're headed there next so come find out with us next time on Art We Dare Yet. 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