Hopefully by now you’ve heard about the great forecast and regulations for king salmon. But, what indicators besides a good AI can predict a great year? Here are 5 big reasons we expect a big king run for 2014:

1. The forecasts for returns to the Columbia River are off the charts on the high side. The best since the 1930’s – nearly 1.6 million returning kings with a high percentage of upriver brights which migrate farther north to Southeast Alaska.

2. The forecast for the West Coast Vancouver Island hatcheries, with one exception is excellent.

3. The 2013 post season AI will surely be revised substantially upward from the low preseason number of 1.2. Anyone who fished Sitka last year experienced king numbers well above what would be expected with a weak forecast.

4. Ocean productivity in the southern Gulf of Alaska has been excellent. This is driven in part by the Pacific Decadal Oscillation which is a cold (negative) phase. This favors salmon abundance for all fish feeding in the southern Gulf of Alaska and includes the kings we catch in Sitka.

5. The winter fisheries in the Alaska that serve as leading indicators to our summer fishery have enjoyed extremely good fishing.

Join us during the peak king salmon periods of May and June – we still have openings. Our May dates are also discounted 20% off our regular rates for 2014. If you want to fish Alaska, make it Sitka, where the salmon fishing is the best in the whole state. 2014 is the year you won’t want to miss!