The Summer

Over the next couple of weeks I will be sharing with you a few of the stories from this past Summer.

Story #1 FAMILY

It might be a sad statement but I don't know my relatives very well. A smattering of uncles, but that is about it. (even though I think my uncles are pretty cool and I never felt like I was lacking) But this Summer I was introduced to a few members of my Dad's side from Oregon. The Chases became family so fast and we wish they lived a whole lot closer.

My kids had a blast and thought it was fantastic getting to eat some of Jennifer's now famous sticky buns! We crabbed, fished, and ran up the creek to fly fish.

The weather was so fantastic that there was a flurry of activity to be the first ones to jump off the boat into the brrrrr cold water. Ya it was that warm!

Here are a few pictures of our week together. Thanks Doug, Jen, Tyler and Ross! See you soon...

Oh the Gear!!

With all of the shows that we have done we wanted our presence to be known. One of the best ways to do that is to make sure that people recognize who you are.

This can usually happen in two ways, either a person recognizes you as the person or they recognize you as the company.

We want to be recognized in both ways. We want to be known for who we are as people, and have that be a direct reflection of who we expect the company to be as well. Below you find a few pictures of the gear that we wear to help people recognize Petersburg Sport Fishing as a classy Alaskan adventure business. Tell me what you think.

A great big thank you to our designer Lorena O'Neal with Elloh Designs and D'Ann Hayes with Ink it up designs for creating our amazing look. Another thank you to my dear wife and professional photographer for making it so my double chins were almost non existent.

PS If you need a new "Business Model" I am always available and love to take pictures in other peoples gear!

Hats and Jackets...Done!

Did you know that if you see us at the show and book with us you can get one of these sweet hats?

I'm a model you know what I mean?

D'Ann has also hooked us up with logo'd pens, shirts, chapsticks, knives, shampoos, towels, business cards, and backpacks to take with us to the show. Talk about sweet gear!

Can't wait until this Summer to load you up with it all. See you soon!

Are you Zen enough for a Banana?

A Fisherman's nightmare or is it all just in your head?

There is a lot of talk out there about the power of positive thought. Whether you call it "The Law of Attraction" or you have watched "The Secret" it is basically the same thing. Our minds are very powerful and whether you believe in it or not just the simplest implication can begin to grow into a full on superstition.

I for one believe that we have great power and that sometimes we use that great power to our detriment. Like Bananas for example. Who decided that Bananas were bad to have on a boat? Very few anglers can tell you the history of this superstition, but yet most charter captains believe that Bananas are bad luck and even if it is Banana Boat Sunscreen the offensive product will get thrown off the boat and the offender is lucky if they aren't as well.

It's just a superstition! It can be traced back to two possible  beginnings. The first would be found in the Hawaiian Islands. (wouldn't it be nice if we could go there for a few days so I could teach this lesson? Well just imagine yourself there for now.) The Hawaiians would take along a bunch of Bananas and by the time that the Bananas were rotten they had usually traveled too far for the fishing to be any good. So they believed that the banana was the harbinger of bad news, thus becoming a symbol of bad luck.

The second story follows a similar path but instead of being the harbinger of bad news they were the harbinger of death. It was believed that when crates of bananas were brought onto ships they carried with them bugs and spiders that would bite causing pain and many times death. So, the Captains began spreading the word that bananas were bad luck.

Here's what I am asking: Come prepared to break down barriers and be free of the banana's mighty hold. We will fish and fish well while eating our fresh baked banana bread. Nothing will hold us back from "fishing up a Storm" nothing! Especially not an age old myth about BANANAS!

To prepare your mind you can read this article as well: Zen Fishing

10 things I learned while in Sacramento

#10 Q-tips can be used at any time they are found: I watched a gentleman ride by a couple of Q-tips on his bicycle stop and pick them up out of the gutter and then (this is how I knew what he had just picked up) proceeded to stick them in his ear and ride away. Yes folks they were still sticking out of his ears as he drove away.

#9 Somethings are better left as a memory. Do you ever think to yourself that you can't wait to eat something/do something and then your bite into your huge burrito and it's just not as good as you remembered it being? Well, 360 burrito I'm sorry but you let me down.

#8 on the Flip Side somethings really are just as good as we remember them! Hello Fenton's Creamery (http://www.fentonscreamery.com/), and Kinder's Meat (http://www.kindersbbq.com/). My mouth still water's at the thought of the Prime rib Sandwich with jalapeno/onion butter topping. The best sandwich ever! They also have an amazing marinated Trip tip, you can grill that thing to perfection at home. What better to finish off an amazing lunch like that than a "Black and Tan" from Fenton's. I grew up on this little ice cream shop, and it is still incredible with their home made ice cream, caramel, and hot fudge. Doesn't it look fantastic? (Fenton's was also featured in the movie "UP" by Pixar. It is officially a Bay Area symbol of Gluttony and I'm all for it)

Almond Ice Cream-fudge/caramel-whipped cream and a cherry on top.

#7 I still hate traffic and stop lights. Our one flashing yield light turned red this week and I couldn't believe it. Just my luck :0

#6 The State of CA has quite the gig going. Our booth at the show was right next to CA's Fish and Game. They were selling their licenses right from the booth and it was packed all day long, for four days straight. I couldn't believe it.

#5 I have never been a small guy, but I am bigger than I used to be. Who isn't? But I now know that I wasn't meant to squeeze into tight tubes chasing after my nephew. I didn't get stuck but I sure couldn't move as fast as he could!

#4 First Class is amazing! I love it. Upgraded on the way home and all though the gentleman next to me was probably tired of sitting next to a rookie. I will find a way to upgrade again! Ya buddy!

#3 It is important role I play in protecting our fishery. As I talked to CA fishermen I was reminded of how sad their Salmon fishery was. It only made think of ways in which I can protect our salmon runs while still enjoying the benefits of living in Alaska.

#2 When the plane touches down in Petersburg I feel the sense of excitement that runs through the veins of each of my clients. I think of all the fun that I have here and can't wait to see my family again! I love returning home. I live in Alaska, I still have a hard time believing it.

#1 People are excited about what we offer. As I talk to folks at the show, they are genuinely excited about what we have put together. The opportunity for folks to experience the beauty of Alaska from Whale watching- Glacier tours-photography classes, they want it all. I love providing for their smiles. As my Dad says "We provide everything but the smiles." We can wait to see yours!

two pictures to bring a smile. Petersburg Alaska

Sandy Beach, Petersburg, Alaska

Fire in the Mouth!

Denver was a rough patch as far as my body was concerned. Leaving our northern rain forest and touching down in Denver my body immediately puckered. Has this ever happened to you? My lips dried out, my throat screamed for water, and the rest of my body began to scale up like a lizard. Or at least this is how my mind perceived this transformation. I happened to have a handful of mints that I sucked on none stop just to keep my throat from totally giving up the ghost, while a free sample of chapstick from ink it up designs kept my lips from looking like a desert wanderer.

I knew that I would be talking non-stop so I went through at least 5 water bottles each day and numerous other drinks just to keep myself going, but what I really wanted was "Jolly Rancher Cinnamon Fire" candies. I am not sure what it is about these little devils but they make my throat feel like a million bucks. D'Ann (my Mom and one of the partners in this little venture) and I looked at a couple of different stores in Denver and couldn't find them anywhere so I survived on water and mints.

I knew that Sacramento would be different since I was born and raised in the Bay Area and knew that there is a bit more humidity than in Denver, but I was bound and determined to be prepared. So with my trusty chapstick, bottles of water, and those little fire balls called "Cinnamon Fire" I fought the good fight and my vocal chords survived another gauntlet of discussion and friend finding.

Thank You Jolly Rancher's for making " Cinnamon Fire" and thank you Hammer and Wikan ( our local small grocery store here in Petersburg) for stocking them. Who would have thought that we would find it here in town and not in the behemoth "low price leader" box stores down south.

So, when you need a pick me up just give me a call and I will send you a bag of "the Little Devils" cause you might not find them when you need them.

10 things I learned while in Denver:

#10 I hate traffic! I used to tolerate it while growing up in Northern CA but gosh does it really have to take 3.5 hours to drop my mom off at Denver International? I'm not kidding, a 1/2 hour trip took me longer than it takes to fly to Seattle from Petersburg. Now yes it did snow a fair amount but even still traffic is brutal.

#9 My just down the street is different than your just down the street. To get to Wal-Mart I had to go through 10 different stop lights. It was only a mile away. Crazy! To get to our grocery store (3 miles away)I go through zero stoplights. I think I am becoming a minimalist.

#8 Tollway 470 seems to appear everywhere in the Denver Metro area. So if I wanted to take this road I had to pay $25 to the rental car company or pay a $50 fine if I drove on it. Well trying to get by with the "minimal" amount of money spent I tried to avoid this road way like the plague. Not knowing where you were going most of the time made this tollway frustrating because "Cat" my GPS kept telling me to get on it. Thankfully my trusty navigator (thanks Mom) kept me aware of when I was close to making the costly mistake of entering the "Tollway."

#7 I missed Wal-Mart...Sad but true. The land of everything cheap called my name more than I would like to admit. I guess I am a sucker for all things cheap.

#6 The two hour time difference really did make a difference in how my body reacted to sleep. Waking up at 8:30 am was early to me and going to bed at 1 am was brutal. I mean come on it's only two hours.

#5 The radio is still alive and well. Here in Petersburg we basically have one radio station filled with NPR. Now I don't complain because it makes my selection pretty easy. On or Off. My thoughts are so much more concise. So, then when hundreds of radio stations appear before me I had a hard time deciding what I was going to listen to. I ended up just keeping it off. It was simpler that way.

#4 The toilet will be the safest place during a tornado. Really?!! I had a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that if I hear of a Tornado coming I needed to run to the nearest Restroom. I believe I would probably run for the Ladies because I have a suspicion that there's will be a lot cleaner.

#3 I missed my family. It was only a week but man I have had the opportunity to be with my family more than I have for many years and I was surely missing them. They are a fantastic part of my life. Can't wait to introduce them to you.

#2 I have incredible friends. We stayed with Erik and Janine Grover, great friends that we had while we lived in Eastern Idaho. I forgot how much we had in common. Thank you for allowing us to invade your home! Also, can I say that a simple common bond make create friendships for life. It was incredible to me that as I talked with folks at the show, we were laughing a ton. Ah laughter, I think that one thing can make friends faster than any words could. Thanks for the laughs everyone!

#1 I have amazing Partners in this little venture. Between my wife and my parents we have created a business that I am proud of. We work well together and each one of us has skills that the rest of us don't. It really is a great way to run a business. Thanks Mom, Dad, and Meg!

I can't wait to see what I will learn from Sacramento. See you tomorrow!

Thanks Babe!

Day 1-ISE Denver

Wow- how did 11 hours fly by so fast? My voice is a little raw already because I talked with some amazing folks! One wonderful lady told me that when her and her husband got married she hunted more than he did and she expects that when they come with us she will out fish him every day. She was a character.
What fun. The show is packed and has something for every one. Check out some of the pictures below and we will see you at the show!

Thats one great lookin booth! Must be me.

Or maybe it's my Mom?

Great Food-got this 2 foot long sausage with peppers and onions. Mmmmm can taste still...

These guys had a whole forest where you shoot their moving animals (archery)

Safari anyone?

If you ride the Bull, let me know I want a picture!

All-terrain? This climbs mountains and swims like a whale. (OK not a whale but it swims)

Fly fishing and jig demonstrations?

Catch and Release for the Kiddos.

This is how they share messages at the show. Cool eh?