Most New Year’s resolutions challenge us. Things like exercise more, lose weight, give up some habit or another. Why not make some resolutions that translate to fun and fulfillment. Why not commit to closer connections to the people in your life and the natural world. And, if you’ve already made a resolution to eat better – you’ll find no better source of protein than salmon, halibut, rockfish, lingcod, and all the other species that swim in the Gulf of Alaska.
1. Fish More – An old saying has it that the days fishing don’t count against your time on earth. The data may not support a one to one correlation here, but stress isn’t good for us and fishing is a terrific way to bring those stress levels down.
2. Decrease Screen Time – How much time do you spend in front of the computer, watching TV, or starring into the glow of your smartphone. Put it all down and look at a wilderness shoreline, a humpback whale feeding, and the countless other sites that form the foreground and background of fishing Alaska.
3. Increase Face Time with Family and Friends – Call me old fashioned, or worse, but the quality of time with family and friends feels increasingly compromised by constant incoming and outgoing messages. Get out of cellular range then stand side by side with the common purpose or the friendly competition of catching a fish. Finish a thought without the person next to you checking their Twitter feed.
4. Introduce a kid to fishing – Whether it’s your child, your grandchild, your neice, nephew or a friend of the family. Introducing the younger generation to the wonders of the water and the thrill of fishing in Alaska provides a lasting memory and a deep connection.
5. Fish Alaska – For those of you who haven’t, make the resolution to fish the 49th state this year. The combination of wilderness scenery, abundant wildlife and large numbers of fish is unparelled anywhere on the planet. Take that money you were pumping into your gas tank and head north. It’s even better than you think it is.
6. Eat Better – There is no better protein than fresh caught and fresh frozen fish from Alaska. The healthful benefits of fish are well documented (Google it) and they’re delicious. At AU each fish kept gets the finest care from the moment we land it until it’s vacuum packed in our freezer. So, come on up, have a lot of fun and let the fish you bring home with you be the cornerstone of a better diet.
7. Be a Better Fisher – When you fish with AU, you fish hands on methods – you feel the bite, you hook the fish, you reel it in. Our captains can teach you everything you need to know in order to become more effective during your trip and you have skills to take home. The nice thing about fishing Sitka is you’ll have lots of bites, lots of chances on most days. Lots of good practice and plenty of positive reinforcement.