The good old days returned to Sitka in the second week of June. The ocean came alive with a massive plankton bloom that kicked the food chain into high gear. Whales numbering in the hundreds worked the fertile waters as did big schools of kings. The Wong group enjoyed three days of excellent king fishing including getting into a bite so hot that one king was hooked using a rainbow colored Gummy Worm (yes, the candy) for bait. The bait rich water also attracted schools of silver, chum, and pink salmon, all three to four weeks early. Halibut fishing was good for decent sized chickens and Doyne Bohannon, landed a 115 pounder on June 13 fishing with Captain David Gross.
To top off the good times, the seas were flat, the sun came out and everyone agreed that it just couldn’t have been any better. We believe the silvers are here to stay. King fishing should stay at a high level through much of the summer given the strong run forecast. Halibut fishing appears more consistent than in recent years.