Kodiak Bears fishing

Gone Fishing with the Big Bears of Kodiak…

/ Curt Mekemson / 34 Comments
"Now where did I leave that fish?" A big Kodiak Bear looks for salmon on the Frazer River of Kodiak Island.

“Now where did I leave that fish?” A big Kodiak Bear looks for salmon on the Frazer River of Kodiak Island.

Kodiak Bear fishing in the Frazer River on Kodiak Island, Alaska

“Are you down there?” The submarine approach to finding fish.

Peggy and I are off in Alaska as you read this blog. Since I won’t have time for blogging or reading blogs, I decided to repost a few blogs from the trip we made to Alaska three years ago. If you have been following me for a while, you will have read these blogs previously. I will try to respond to comments. –Curt

I hadn’t been fishing for 40 years. That changed this last week. I’ve now been out fishing for salmon three times and halibut twice. Kodiak Island will do that to you. Ask the bears.

Pink Salmon catch on Kodiak Island.

Peggy and I hold up a string of Salmon that we caught along with our son Tony and his wife Cammie. Peggy caught the majority, as she is quick to tell everyone. (grin) (Photo by Cammie Lumpkin.)

On our trip out to the Frazer River on the south part of Kodiak last week, we watched the large Kodiak Bears land fish after fish. It was all about eating sushi. Catch a live salmon and down it on the spot. Move on and catch another one. Sushi can’t get any fresher. And these are large fish. No wonder the big bears reach the size they do.

Another thing we quickly noted was that the bears used different fishing techniques. Some behaved like submarines. Walking through the river with their heads under water, they would catch their fish like a diving duck. Other bears chose to chase their fish down, charging across the river on the tail of a desperate salmon and then pouncing.

Kodiak bear chasing salmon in the Frazer River.

A Kodiak Bear discovers a salmon and takes off in pursuit.

Kodiak chasing fish on Frazer River.

Across the river he goes. “You can run, Mr. Salmon…”

Kodiak Bear pounces on Salmon in Frazer River.

Pounces!

Kodiak Bear with salmon dinner on the Frazer River.

And catches dinner.

Kodiak Bear and salmon in Frazer River.

She wanders off…

Kodiak Bear eat salmon.

And settles down to eat.

I'll conclude with this photo of a solitary bear fishing the Frazer River.

I’ll conclude with this photo of a solitary bear fishing the Frazer Ri

A Visit with the World’s Largest Bears… Part 1

/ Curt Mekemson / 19 Comments
Kodiak Bears in the Frazer River on Kodiak Island.

The beautiful Frazer River on Kodiak Island is home to some of the largest bears in the world.

The largest Kodiak Bears can tower up to ten feet when standing on their hind feet and weigh over 1500 pounds. With these stats, the brown bears of Kodiak Island are considered the largest bears in the world.

We were privileged this past week to spend a day watching them on the Frazer River, which flows out of Frazer Lake on the southern, uninhabited part of the island. We flew in by floatplane and then hiked for a quarter of a mile to a section of the river that had dropped several feet during Alaska’s massive 1964 earthquake. A fish ladder had been built to help the salmon over the section. The Kodiak Bears consider the area beneath the falls and ladder to be their personal fishing hole.

A Kodiak Bear prepares to go fishing on the Frazer River.

A Kodiak Bear prepares to go fishing on the Frazer River.

Our son Tony, who flies helicopters for the Coast Guard out of Kodiak, and his wife Cammie had arranged for the trip. We owe them big. It was a gorgeous day in a beautiful area and a number of bears were fishing for salmon. This is the first of three blogs I am going to do about the experience. Today I will feature moms and their cubs. Next I will focus on the bears fishing. I will finish with some fun photos of bears being bears.

Cubs are born in January or February while their mother is still hibernating in her cave. They then nurse for several months before emerging in June. They weigh approximately one pound when born. Cubs live with mom for three plus years before venturing out on their own. Bears have their first cubs around five years of age and continue to produce litters every four years or so into their twenties.

A mother Kodiak Bear checks on the welfare of her three cubs. The cubs were waiting for mom on a fish pass that led the salmon to the fish ladder.

A mother Kodiak Bear checks on the welfare of her three cubs. The cubs are standing on a fish pass that leads  salmon to the fish ladder. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

Here the three cubs are waiting patiently while mom fishes. They will lose their white collar in their second year.

Here the three cubs are waiting patiently while mom fishes. They will lose their white-collar in their second year. It is hard to believe that these little tykes will grow up and weigh over 1000 pounds. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

I liked this shot of mom and her parade. She had just chased off a male Kodiak Bear.

I liked this shot of mom and her parade. She had just chased off a male Kodiak Bear. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

A different Kodiak Bear mom touches noses with her cub. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)

A different Kodiak Bear mom touches noses with her cub. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)

Kodiak Cub next to Frazer River on Kodiak Island.

We watched this cub playing with its mom in high grass where we couldn’t get any photos although she was about ten yards away.

Kodiak cub stands on hind feet searching for mom fishing in the Frazer River on Kodiak Island.

“Where did Mom go?” the little guy seems to be asking as he stands up on his hind feet and looks for her.

Kodiak cub watches its mother fish in the Frazer River on Kodiak Island.

Momma Kodiak has her head buried in water searching for Salmon. Junior joined her for the show. “Catch a big one, Mom.”

Having caught a fish, Mom shares it with her cub.

Having caught a fish, Mom shares it with her cub.

NEXT BLOG: Peggy and I watch the Kodiak Bears on the Frazer River catch enough salmon to make the most skilled fisherman jealous.