- Part 9

Introducing the new face of halibut slaying via 153 Fish Camp…..

This boat is a BEAST! The setup crew went out on a halibut trip and pulled in 3 halibut (2 around 50 lbs and 1 at 35 lbs) and a nice rockfish. Although it is exposed to the elements, the open deck design and the under-floor fish storage compartments make halibut fishing a breeze. Thank you very, very much to Ed and Gary for all of the hard work they put into this boat there in Lewiston, ID. It is simply remarkable, especially compared to our old Bayliner.

Now, there are still a couple kinks that need to be worked out (notice the GPS receiver duct-taped to the light pole, just to name one) but all in all this boat is perfect for the waters we run in it, and the fish we will, Lord willing, catch with it.

Here’s some more pictures from the trip:

You’ve gotta love that sweet sound of vacuum packers running late into the night…. 🙂 Music to my ears.

Last but not least, the first group of campers arrived tonight and are raring to go! We have a fairly even mix of returning fisherman and newcomers. I can tell already that it is going to be a fantastic week. I even heard rumors about fishing for kings… 🙂

Thanks for all of your prayers. They are greatly appreciated. If you can, we would also appreciate a quick prayer for this upcoming camp, that they would have a fantastic experience. Thanks for reading! Check back soon.

It’s been a long few days here at 153 setup week, but rewarding. It’s actually starting to look like camp here again! Everybody has been a huge help, and being blessed with sunny, warm weather hasn’t hurt either!

Here’s Tracy setting out some lunch fixin’s.

Despite pouring concrete footings, setting up wall tents, building shelves, polyurethaning the floor, and lots and lots of sweeping, most of the guys (and girls) have still found time to get away and take a whack at the silvers rolling into the bay!

Jim, Robert, and Pearson with a load of fish:

These fish are brand new, and are hitting lures like crazy!

Congrats to Pearson Pahl, who caught his first salmon (consequently also the first one of the season!) here at fish camp! We’ve got him hooked for life now!

Believe it or not, we ran out of water already! I guess it’s going to take a while to get get used to the whole concept of “conservation.” 🙂 I guess it’s a good thing though… we found out later that the check valve on the water pump went out, which caused the pump to not build up pressure. 20 minutes, a replacement part, and a couple of soaked shirts later, the water pump started working again, and we were able to pay the local volunteer fire department (an old army truck with a water tank in the back) to fill our tank. I think Warren summed up the general feeling of the staff here with the comment “can we still have our coffee in the morning?!?”

One last interesting note – Don Hull, a local friend of the fish camp and accomplished sign manufacturer, offered to make us some decals for our boats free of charge. Who could say “no” to that? Here is a picture of one on a boat, and I must say, it looks fantastic! Thank you very much Mr. Hull!

If all goes well, our new halibut boat should be operational sometime tomorrow, so be sure to check back for pictures!

Thanks for your prayers and support.

Believe it or not, it’s fishing season again! I can’t wait for another season of 153 Fish Camp. God is going to do some great things this summer (He already has!) and I’m just thankful that we all can be a part of it.

For those of you new to the blog, I’ll be posting here as often as possible to update everyone on what’s happening at the camp. Questions and comments are welcome!

Things have been a little different since Mark Gunkel hasn’t been here to help us get ready for camp this year, (he’s currently in Anchorage training to become a teacher, and will not be here until the second week of camp), but overall things have been going smoothly. Warren Akin, Dave Caudle, and the rest of the Gunkel family drove up 2 vehicles and a new halibut boat Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Thankfully, there were only a couple breakdowns!

The tongue of the trailer bent and creased, and was nearly dragging on the ground! God certainly answers prayer though… a couple of local guys showed up and offered their welder and services for a fantastic price, and we were on the road again in a couple hours.

We’ve been blessed with a huge volunteer set-up crew. Thank you so much to Dave, Warren, Joe Davidson, Dewey Bastedo, Jim and Patsy Phelps, and Robert and Pearson Pahl! They all have been a huge help so far!

Another new addition to the camp – a brand new halibut boat! Ed and Gary spent a lot of time and hard work building this boat for us, and let me tell you… it’s going to be NICE! It’s a 22′ open aluminum boat with a v-bottom and high sides. It has a center console with the controls and a 200 hp Suzuki outboard on the back. This baby is going to fly! Ed, Gary, Dave Caudle, Dave Bjur, Warren, and myself spent some long hours right up until the time we left getting the boat together, (Thank you all for your hard work!), and we can’t wait to slay some halibut with it!

Thanks for all of your prayers. It’s going to be a great summer! Stay tuned!

mlgunkel

A halibut’s worst nightmare…

Settin’ up camp as the fish are rolling in.

Summer is here again!