The father and sons team of Blake, TJ, and Tim Bush just finished their first fishing trip in Sitka and were blown away by the experience. They had amazing fishing and the best three consecutive days of weather this year. Each day was flat-calm, which not only allowed them to venture to the deep for halibut, but also made for comfortable days and better photo opportunities.
The most consistent salmon bite is still at The Cape. When it’s calm, boats are able to drift, but most still opt to anchor for a better chance at halibut and the occasion king cruising the bottom. Schools of kings are becoming more common. When they swim under the boat, everyone typically gets a bite. The Bush boys capitalized when they had the school. Captain Bo remembers a couple times during the trip when every angler had a king on the line at once. He also said the fish seem to be more aggressive now. Earlier in the year, it wasn’t a guarantee to even get a bite when the school went through.
They caught an amazing variety of fish during their trip. Their haul included two black cod weighing nearly 20 pounds each, limits of perfect chicken halibut, a lingcod, a coho, limits of enormous black rockfish from The Cape, and kings in the low 20-pound range. The also witnessed some up-close humpback whale feeding while on anchor. Whales are also becoming a more reliable sight – it’s a great sign to see more life in the ocean with each passing day.
We still have some availability to get in on the June king run, too. We have a boat open during June 11-16 and with airfare as low as we’ve ever seen, this is the perfect time to catch kings in Sitka!