May – June 2014

Our Sitka fishing season opened May 15 like 2013 never ended. The seas were calm, the sky clear, and we ran into a good king bite at Cape Edgecumbe. After that, it was offshore for halibut then back in to finish the 2 kings per person limit and for an hour you couldn’t put a bait down without getting a bite. Big schools swam under the boat and it appeared the massive run forecast was on the money. The king fishing continued to be reliable for the rest of May, but it required patience. Searching around didn’t help, but staying put at “The Cape” worked. Halibut fishing offshore was excellent. June continued the same story – good fishing, but not everywhere – staying put paid. Then in mid-June things began to break open for kings with good showings at Vitskari, Point Mary, Point Amelia, and the Shark Hole. Offshore halibut fishing was 100% reliable.

Visit our photo gallery to see what our clients are catching in 2014.

The weather In May was downright pleasant and wonderful, but by early June we got into a pattern of wind and rain about every four days. This pattern persisted through about four cycles, but we were either able to tough it out on the ocean or find fish in the protected confines of the Shark Hole when we needed it. Limits remained the rule, with the occasional off day.

Did the huge run of predicted by the preseason abundance index show? The answer is a wishy-washy kind of. We had some spectacular days of fishing in between day in, day out very good fishing for kings. The fish have been smaller than normal with many in the mid-teens to high teens rather than the normal range of 20 to 25 pounds. Big fish – like over 40 have not shown up. Our anglers enjoyed a two per day, six per season annual limit which was a major bonus.

The grades for 2014 nearly half way through the season:

Kings: A for numbers, C for size.

Halibut: A for both size and numbers

Rockfish: Always a solid A

Lingcod: C-  Lots of lings available but very difficult to find them withing the 30 to 35 inch slot.

Weather B – Lots of good days on the water, but a few pretty blustery bursts during June. What we love about fishing Sitka is that even during a blowy day, the lee shores of legendary salmon spots like the Shark Hole make a great day possible.