Hooked on fishing

The slogan "Retired, Gone Fishin'" is a popular T-shirt and magnet for some of the AARP set. However, that phrase has a different meaning for Michael Bunker.

Unlike his fellow retirees, who are relaxing and soaking up the sun on Lake Coeur d'Alene, fishing is a post-retirement job, albeit a labor of love, for the Coeur d'Alene resident.

The 57-year-old is a local guide who spends every summer leading a group of clients on a fishing expedition off the coast of idyllic Ketchikan. From June 7 through mid-September, Bunker is the captain of a boat filled with guests from Salmon Falls Fishing Resort in Southern Alaska.

"I enjoy fishing around here," Bunker said from his Coeur d'Alene home. "But the fishing in Ketchikan is pretty epic. Millions of pink salmon show up mid-July to mid-August. It's incredible."

Even neophyte anglers have the chance to amass a catch that is of biblical proportions with Bunker's guidance. 

"It's paradise for fishermen," Bunker said. 

However, there are limitations. No more than three king salmon per fisherman during the month of June. That number decreases to two from July 1 to 15 and one fish for the rest of the summer. No more than five giant black bass can be caught a day. And it's one halibut a day. 

"You should come back with more than enough fish," Bunker said. "You'll also return with an incredible experience."

He said in Coeur d'Alene there are eagles, "But in Ketchikan, we'll see the eagles and seals but we'll also see humpback whales and orcas. Forty-foot humpbacks come right up to the boat. I'm not just in the fishing business. I'm really in the memory business. It's all about the experiences in life."

Bunker has had a fascinating existence. The laid-back former Washington State football player is the son of Wally Bunker, a nine-year Major League Baseball veteran who lived in Coeur d'Alene until two years ago.

"My parents moved to South Carolina," Bunker said. "They had it with the cold winters here. My dad was a heck of a ballplayer."

The wily pitcher, who won 60 games in The Show, has a complete game shutout victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1966 World Series on his resume.

"Mickey Mantle said that Wally Bunker has a sinker that will break your back," Michael Bunker said. 

Since Bunker's father was a major leaguer, there was little time for the father-son tandem to cast together.

"Since my father was a full-time baseball player, we didn't go fishing when I was young," Bunker said. "I would go fishing as a little kid with each of my grandfathers off of the San Francisco Bay."

Bunker was hooked early on fishing while growing up on Whidbey Island. 

"I had a boat before I had a car," Bunker said. "I had my first boat at 14. I loved fishing off of Whidbey Island."

After transferring to Seattle University in 1988, Bunker left for New York in 1989 and became a fashion model who traveled the globe for shoots. After a seven-year stint as the face of such products as Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein and Banana Republic, Bunker embarked on a boutique printing business in Manhattan. 

"I lived in New York for 22 years," Bunker said. "It was a fascinating experience."

When Bunker wasn't immersed in the fashion industry, he fished off the coast of Long Island, landing striped bass and bluefish. 

After Bunker retired in 2012, he moved to Coeur d'Alene. During the '80s Wally Bunker purchased real estate in Coeur d'Alene and started flipping houses.

"My dad bought some houses really cheap here and Coeur d'Alene took off," Bunker said. "We love it here. I thought it would be a great place to retire and I was right."

Bunker started fishing in earnest as soon as he left the rat race for the Pacific Northwest.

While fishing on the Columbia River in 2016, a Ketchikan guide noticed how skilled Bunker is with a rod.

"I showed my proficiency on a boat and I got a call for the job," Bunker said.

Bunker can't wait for his eighth season as a guide to commence in Ketchikan, but he'll get some fishing in locally before departing for the last frontier.

"At this time of year, we're waiting for the water in Lake Coeur d'Alene to get to 57 degrees so the smallmouth bass come out," Bunker said. "That won't happen until late May. The water will get warm and the fish will start spawning and they become very active. The northern pike, which is an invasive species, bite at considerably colder temperatures if you want to fish now. It's good fishing around here."

However, Bunker encourages passionate local fishermen to make the trip to Ketchikan.

"It takes less time than people think," Bunker said. "I can leave my house at noon and catch a flight at the Spokane airport at 1:30 p.m. I'll catch a connection in Seattle and in 90 minutes I'm in Ketchikan. I'm there by 5 p.m."

Ketchikan is a scenic city facing the Inside Passage along Alaska's southeastern coast. There are snow-capped mountains, an array of waterfalls and totem poles and salmon spawning streams. 

Sea kayaking, rainforest hikes and snorkeling are among the favored activities. 

"But the most fun thing to do is fish," Bunker said. "I love it since I host a cocktail party on water."

When Bunker returns to land, he orders prime rib of all entrees at the Timbers Restaurant at the Salmon Falls Resort. 

"That's what the restaurant is known for and you want comfort food. which is heavy and hearty," Bunker said. "Prime rib is the perfect meal. I don't go to Alaska to eat five-star cuisine. In Alaska, that doesn't fly. I want good non-greasy bar food. You get the best fish and chips in Alaska. But keep in mind that I come home with 250 to 400 pounds of fillet. Most of that is halibut and silver salmon. That's a lot to eat. I eat it or give it away. Last year, I caught two halibut that were each over 200 pounds. I caught one that must have been 300 pounds, but he got away."

That's some fish story, but Bunker has plenty of those tales. 

For more information on guided tours with Michael Bunker in Ketchikan, Idaho or Washington, reach out to Mtbunker@gmail.com

    Mike Bunker, right kneeling, is joined by fellow fishermen in Alaska.
  

    Mike Bunker and a friend stand by a giant halibut in Alaska.