In 1952, Tuggle Int-Hout’s bride-to-be, Esther, followed him to Seldovia. Her plane ride from Anchorage to Homer left a lasting impression. “We were flying along and it was snowing and nasty. He (the pilot) said, ‘Can you see anything?’ and I said, ‘No,’ and he said, ‘Don’t feel bad, I can’t either,’” she said.
Marrying a fisherman proved challenging. “He had four boats that he built,” she said. “A mistress would have been easier to handle than those boats.” After Tuggle Int-Hout died, Ester Int-Hout remained in Seldovia. “I think I’m blessed to be here,” she said.
A long-time Alaska commercial fisherman, Tuggle made his home in Seldovia, Alaska for 63 years. After his retirement, he was an ardent fly fisherman, enjoying his favorite pastime with many friends and traveling to some of the best fishing waters in the world and of course, Alaska. All who knew Tuggle will not forget the twinkle in his eye as he told stories, his original quotes and his ever-present, mischievous smile. Always ready with a helping hand, he was the first on the scene to help a friend or neighbor. He enjoyed jewelry making, woodworking of many types, tying flies for his fly-fishing friends and trying new styles.
In 2005, Tuggle and Ester were honored as Seldovia’s Gold Nuggets, Mary Glover wrote this “Tuggle and his lovely wife, Esther, have lived in Seldovia for 47 years! They reared their daughter here. In fact, Jan was one of the 1972 graduates in the first graduating class at the then new Susan B. English School. They own one of the few homes overlooking the Seldovia boat harbor. My first impression of Tuggle and Esther was that these are good, kind and humble people – the solid Alaskans. If people were like the strong supporting pilings on the docks, Esther and Tuggle would each be one of them. I’ll never forget my first visit with them, after a few minutes I became aware of the wealth of history, information and talent these two wonderful people possess. Tuggle has this sign in his craft room:”An old fisherman lives here with the catch of his life.” It’s true, Esther is quite a homemaker! I’m sure she knows just about everything there is to know about how to cook, prepare, organize and plan with regard to the demands of living in Seldovia. She keeps everything, including Tuggle, just perfect! And what a gracious hostess! Esther is also a computer buff and is up on email, DSL, digital camera imaging and gets right in there with the rest of us computer nerds! In 2003 Esther did an outstanding job for the Cake Auction at the 4th of July and helped raise a couple hundred dollars to fund the 4th of July Celebration in Seldovia for 2004.Now, I want to tell you a little bit about Tuggle. Tuggle is an old Seldovia commercial fisherman and can tell you stories of the days when the Seldovia canneries were in full force and how the life was back then. Tuggle told me that after a fisherman quits commercial fishing, “then you go bananas.” So one of Tuggle’s claim to fame is his interest in fly fishing. Tuggle is a pro when it comes to fly fishing. He has been tying his own flies for many years and has an entire room dedicated to his hob-by. Who said you couldn’t catch a halibut on a fly? Talk about catching a big fish on a fly, Tuggle has a Certificate of Release for catching the 1st Pacific Sailfish on a fly in April 1997! Tuggle showed me the fly he ties to catch a steel-head and then showed me his fuchsia fly for silver salmon. He loves to fish the Kenai River where the fish are the biggest in the world …for fly fishing. I asked Tuggle if he had enough flies? Tuggle’s response, “You can’t have too many!” Tuggle told me about the first two Kings he caught on the Seldovia bridge. He caught them on a long skinny fly! Imagine that! Tuggle said that the art of fly tying probably came from Scotland and England. One of his mottoes is “Can’t fish it, don’t tie it.” I asked Tuggle how much the most expen-sive a fly could cost. He responded, “Up to $300 per fly!” Tuggle’s flies are just beautiful. He uses rab-bit fur, yarn of all colors, feathers, deer hair, moose hair, artificial hair, bear hair, polar bear hair, rope to make his flies, and anything shiny or attention getting. They are specially created and designed for each species of fish. Esther and Tuggle are truly a couple of the Seldovia Gold Nuggets. I hope you might get to meet them one day! For those of us who swim in the same pond, we love and respect the bigger fishes!” Mary Glover Seldovia Gazette Summer 2005
Her daughter Jan said that “Sunsets were my mom’s favorite part of the day and she always took time to watch them, commenting on how beautiful they were. I would like to leave a passage that my mom read the last day she was here with me from a small book of faith that she read each and every day!
“Find Me in the midst of a maelstrom. Sometimes events whirl around you so quickly that they become a blur. Whisper My Name in recognition that I am still with you. Without skipping a beat in the activities that occupy you, you find strength and Peace through praying My Name. Later, when the happenings have run their course, you can talk with Me more fully. Accept each day just as it comes to you. Do not waste your time and energy wishing for a different set of circumstances. Instead, trust Me enough to yeild to My design and purposes. Remember that nothing can separate you from My loving Presence; you are Mine.” from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. “
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