Corn Meal Crusted Ling Cod with Corn Relish & Cilantro Lime Cream

Ingredients:
4 5-6oz. Ling cod skinned and dried on paper towel
½ Cup Cornmeal
½ Cup Flour
Salt & Pepper to taste
¼ Cup Canola oil

Assembly:
Dry ling cod on paper towel. Dredge ling cod in mixture of cornmeal, flour, salt & pepper. Preheat sauté pan over medium high. Add oil. Add ling cod and cook for 4-5 minutes a side.

Corn Relish:
Ingredients:
1 Cup thawed frozen corn or freshly cooked kernels. I like to place whole shucked corn directly on hot grill and roast it. Only turning when kernels are browned. Then, I let it cool and cut kernels off the cob. (This adds a great flavor).

1 Red pepper diced
1 Jalapeno pepper diced very small
1 Small red onion diced
½ Bunch cilantro (remove stems)
1 Tbl. Apple cider vinegar
1 Tsp. Honey
Salt & Pepper to taste

Assembly: Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

Cilantro Lime Cream:
½ Cup sour cream
Juice from 2 limes
½ Bunch Cilantro
Salt & pepper to taste

Assembly: Combine all ingredients in food processor. Pulse for 1 minute.

Final Assembly: Plate and top with ¼ cup corn relish and then 1 oz. Cilantro lime cream on top of relish.

Wine Suggestion: Fume Blanc or Beaujolais

Chef Stu Campbell

A Beautiful Sight. Guest Dining Room.

Power House Behind Warehouse #2

Our Winter's Waterfall.

Winter Wonderland

 Guests often inquire about Waterfall in the winter.  Well, we don’t shut down, we just slow down.  We have a regular crew headed by Maintenance Supervisor Glen “Babe” Wilks.  Contractors for larger projects come in as needed.  The general store and main lodge are transformed into crew quarters and a kitchen.  As evidenced by these photos, Waterfall is truly a Winter Wonderland.

Frozen Waterfall Photo: By Jimmy Hunt.  Remaining  3 Photos:  By Glen “Babe” Wilks.  All 4 photos were taken during Christmas week 2008.

In recent months, we have covered such topics as fishing techniques and local “hotspots.” Now we would like to share something that many fishing enthusiasts overlook during their fishing trips. It is the influence of hatcheries on the local fisheries. For this story, we are going to be talking primarily about our local hatchery, the Prince of Wales Hatchery Association (POWHA), which is the second oldest hatchery in the state of Alaska. What many don’t know is the sheer quantity of salmon produced from this hatchery, and how much of an impact it has and will have on our salmon fishing future.

Coho
For the past few years, POWHA has produced and released more Coho (Silver) salmon than any other hatchery in the state of Alaska. Yearly, they have been taking 5,000,000 eggs to be incubated and raised in their ponds. Approximately 18 months later, close to 4,250,000 smolt (baby salmon) are released into the wild to continue their lifecycle. By releasing this many smolt, the numbers of returning, mature, hatchery Coho to our local waters are in the neighborhood of 350,000. Commercial fishermen, approximately 60%-70%, intercept many of these with the balance going to sports fishermen, charter boats, local subsistence fishermen, or returning to the hatchery.

Chinook
Another species being raised by POWHA is the Chinook (King) salmon. In an effort to bring a local Chinook run, this hatchery began a new program about five years ago. After their first year of trying to raise Chinook, 104,000 smolt were released into local waters. Being a relatively new program, there is no scientific information on what the return levels will be for this upcoming year. However, based on Coho return ratios, everyone is hoping for an extra 9500 Chinook salmon to be swimming through our local waters in June. Since the first year of Chinook production at POWHA, the hatchery has worked at increasing egg production to 500,000 a year. One possibility of this Chinook program in the future is for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to declare increased limits within certain fishing zones, as this program has been deemed a “terminal fishery.” What this means is that the Chinook will not be allowed to spawn naturally and will only be produced by the hatchery. Unfortunately, this increase in limits cannot happen for a few years until enough data is received regarding the numbers of returning Chinook.

Local & Distant Hatcheries
We hope the information presented in this article will demonstrate the beneficial influence that hatcheries have on our local fishery. Even distant hatcheries impact our region. This past summer, we submitted the heads from hatchery fish (denoted by a clipped Adipose Fin) caught at Waterfall. The data gathered from the tagged fish established that many originated from the local hatchery; however, some were from as far away as British Columbia and Washington.

For additional information, go to www.powhasalmon.org (the website is a little outdated) or call 907.755.2231. POWHA is a non-profit organization and will gratefully accept donations.

Of course you can always contact me at 907.265.9650 or scott@waterfallresort.com.

Thanks for your interest and we hope to see you at Waterfall next summer!

Scott McKelvey
Operations Manager
Waterfall Resort
POWHA Board Member

December 15, 2009

Dear Friends,

This festive time of year and the summer fishing season have a great deal in common. They come around once each year and provide the opportunity to share special times with family and friends. With child-like anticipation, we look forward to both seasons and the epic myths that surround each annual happening. There is, however, one significant distinction for the adults. Very few fishermen are grateful to see the fishing season come to an end.

We reminisce about nostalgic events that took place during these memorable and magical times of the year. We’ve had many unforgettable moments at Waterfall. One such event took place this past summer. Dan Rowe of Sammamish, Washington had included a return trip to Waterfall on his wish list for some time. In July of 2009, this wish came to fruition with a little something extra in his stocking. Or should I say, net?

Waterfall Wish & Monster Fish!
Dan and his party were fishing with veteran guide Mark Schaefer on boat number 22. The happy group of fisherman patiently plied the waters at “Pineapple,” one of our more productive holes, for big salmon when suddenly Dan sensed something nibbling on his cut-plug herring. A few seconds later, the fight was on. Dan had hooked a 55.9 lb. hen. The big female salmon made a couple of short powerful runs. Dan thought he had turned the hen when she began ripping out line on the run of her life. Mark attempted to chase the fish with the kicker motor, but she was too fast and he had to switch to the main engine. After a tense 30-minute battle, the big hen was in the net and the celebration began.

Mark later commented that Dan had done an excellent job of fighting the fish and that Dan is a skilled angler that all professional guides would like to have on-board when there’s a trophy fish on the line. I’d say Dan’s Waterfall wish came true and then some! He didn’t even seem too concerned that his King was knocked from the top of the leader board a week later when Brian Mayberry of Sahuarita, Arizona took the lead with a 60.5 lb. King Salmon.

Family Fishing Traditions!       

The holiday season and fishing season are all about tradition. We have many families that choose to celebrate their fishing season at Waterfall, year after year. One group of extraordinary anglers is the Porter Family of Newport Beach, California. Gretchen, Roger, Jennifer and Heather have been coming to Waterfall for 20 years. On July 16, 2004, Gretchen and Roger were fishing with their good friends Tom and Julie Rielly on boat number 2. Their guide, Devin Rowe (no relation to Dan), well known for tracking down big King Salmon, had taken them to the “Rockpile.” The mission that day was to harvest one of the trophy kings known to frequent this legendary fishing hole. At 9am Gretchen, while power mooching, got a big strike. The fish immediately dove about 75 yards and then swam furiously toward shore and the safety of a kelp bed. Devin skillfully maneuvered the boat to prevent the fish from becoming entangled in the kelp. Gretchen wasn’t sure what she had, but she knew it was big and powerful. Gretchen, whose walking around weight is about 90 pounds, gradually tired from the strain of reeling and told Devin they needed to land the fish soon. After about a 30-minute struggle, Devin netted the 79.2 lb. King Salmon. This broad-shouldered bully, who measured 53 inches long with a 36-inch girth, still holds the record as the largest King ever taken at Waterfall.

Apparently the apples didn’t fall too far from the tree. Jennifer Porter caught a 53.2 lb. King that was the largest of the month for August 2007, and Heather Porter was Queen of the Day on August 10, 2007 with a 30.7 lb. King. Roger Porter, patriarch of this angling clan, began this amazing legacy when he bagged a 65.7 lb. King on July 7th, 1997, which just happened to be the largest King Salmon of that season. How’s that for a family fishing tradition!

As you can see, both “Holiday Seasons” create timeless memories that we all cherish. But fishing season does have one or two more advantages; we don’t suffer through nearly as much depression or anxiety over fishing, and you can always choose your “Fishing Family.”

Happy Holidays and remember there are only 173 shopping days until Opening Day at Waterfall Resort!

All the best,
Steve

Gretchen Porter (right) & her 79.2 lb. Resort Record Catch! 7/16/04!