Local Photographer Makes the Pages of Alaska Magazine

Last month, Rome photographer Nelson Rudiak (and former radio host, a.k.a. Hirsch and Nelson/WOUR), earned a guest spot in Alaska Magazine, which features travel plans, spectacular photos and incredible stories from America's 49th state.

Rudiak took a trip to Alaska back in 2019 and traveled on the western-most road in the North American highway system at Anchor Point. In September of last year, he visited Lubec, Maine, which is the eastern-most town in North America and he took a photo while holding his copy of Alaska Magazine, with the Atlantic Ocean in the background. "In a little over a year, I've gone from the western-most road in the U.S. to the eastern-most. Looking forward to returning to Alaska, soon," he wrote.

The magazine has a monthly feature called, Where do You Read Alaska, which according to Rudiak is reader-submitted photo and short description of people reading Alaska Magazine around the world. Rudiak told the Rome Sentinel that he submitted the photo to the magazine in September and he kept checking his copy monthly because he felt his story was unique enough to make into an issue, but it never did. Then finally, in January his photo and story made it into the publication.

During Rudiak's trip to Alaska, he caught an enormous Halibut which he held up for a passenger on the boat to take a photo and seal the moment in history.

"I caught it in Kachemak Bay off the coast of Homer, Alaska. It was taken by a guy on the boat. I gave my phone to him and said, "Hey, will you take a picture of me and my fish?" I also told him to hurry up because my arm was getting tired," he said.

It's no surprise that it took an effort to hold up the huge fish as it weighed in at 30-pounds. He shared it with others on the charter and later found that market price on Halibut at shore was $27.99 per pound, which made his catch worth more than $350.

Rudiak told the Sentinel that the trip was an amazing adventure and he hopes to return sometime in the future, maybe this time with his wife. Our guess is if he lands another 30-pound Halibut and his wife is on the boat, instead of giving it away, she might convince him to sell it at market.