Halibut Point Rd Sitka, Alaska 99835907-747-3736info@anglingunlimited.com
MailInstagramTwitterFacebook
Angling UnlimitedAngling Unlimited
Angling Unlimited
Sitka, Alaska Charter Fishing Lodge
  • Book Your Trip
    • Season Rates
    • Forms
      • Reservations Form
      • Guest Information Form
    • Specials
      • Hook It & Cook It
  • Itinerary
  • Your Catch
    • Fish Processing
    • Photo Gallery
    • Recipes
    • How to Properly Smoke Fish
  • About Us
    • Why Choose Us?
    • Testimonials
    • The Crew
    • Our Boats & Tackle
    • Lodging
    • Videos
    • eNews
  • Fishing
    • Alaska Fishing Seasons and Regulations
    • Fishing Reports
    • Fishing Charter
    • Fish Species
    • Mooching: How We Fish
    • Safe & Responsible Catch & Release Fishing
  • Sitka
    • Why Visit Sitka, Alaska?
    • Sitka Activities
    • Sitka Wildlife
    • Sitka Scenery
    • Sitka Restaurants
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
 
  • Book Your Trip
    • Season Rates
    • Forms
      • Reservations Form
      • Guest Information Form
    • Specials
      • Hook It & Cook It
  • Itinerary
  • Your Catch
    • Fish Processing
    • Photo Gallery
    • Recipes
    • How to Properly Smoke Fish
  • About Us
    • Why Choose Us?
    • Testimonials
    • The Crew
    • Our Boats & Tackle
    • Lodging
    • Videos
    • eNews
  • Fishing
    • Alaska Fishing Seasons and Regulations
    • Fishing Reports
    • Fishing Charter
    • Fish Species
    • Mooching: How We Fish
    • Safe & Responsible Catch & Release Fishing
  • Sitka
    • Why Visit Sitka, Alaska?
    • Sitka Activities
    • Sitka Wildlife
    • Sitka Scenery
    • Sitka Restaurants
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

First Half Fishing Grades for 2015

July 2, 2015Leave a commentThe Captain's BlogBy Captain Tom Ohaus

report cardThe 2015 season kicked off early with the Bill Donwen group fishing May 4, 5, and 6 with Captain David (DJ). Although we were a bit cautious with what to expect from the beginning of May, they ended up with limits of kings and halibut on day one. That was followed by decent king fishing and great halibut action on the following two days.

Hook It & Cook It kicked off 2015 in earnest on May 15 with all 8 boats out. The fishing produced limits of kings and halibut for all and it looked like we were headed for the promised land for the rest of the spring given that trend at that time of year is almost always upward. That wasn’t the case in 2015. On May 16 the fishing was good. On May 17 it was decent. On May 18 it was challenging. As for Hook It and Cook It, we had the highest attendance ever and Ludger Szmania did his usual spectacular job cooking and imparting his knowledge of fish preparation. For four nights, we were treated to three-course meals and a relaxed atmosphere with many returning and new guests. Ludger will return to do it again in 2016.

What followed Hook It and Cook It was an extremely unusual and very slow stretch for kings. The king bite became highly variable and, at times, nonexistent. As we hit the last week of May, things improved. Some days we had quick king limits, while others required a patient and persistent effort. Fortunately, halibut, rockfish, and lingcod remained excellent.

During the month of June, the king fishing was not white-hot, but it was solid. Our June guests who are accustomed to days of catch and release for kings had to become more efficient and take advantage of their opportunities. Otherwise, it took more time to fill their generous daily bag limit of two per angler. Similar to 2014, the Cape proved our most reliable king location. It often required great patience, but if you stayed put, you were typically rewarded. Silvers (coho) salmon began to arrive in the middle of June and the first boat limits came in on June 25. Strangely, the month of June, a time of the year when the king runs are normally at or near peak, saw another challenging period.

Halibut and rockfish are as reliable as ever. We often catch halibut on the salmon grounds, but the offshore deep spots produced the most reliable limits of bigger fish along with the much-desired black cod. We’ve had great success offshore, finding fish just below the 42-inch regulation and we expect that to continue throughout the season. Rockfish are abundant and of big around the Cape. Some of the black rockfish hit 8 pounds.

Visit our photo gallery to see what our clients are catching in 2015.

The weather for the first half of the season has been unusually rainless. The dry weather in May was accompanied by a persistent northwest wind and a dense marine layer on the outer coast. It was cold and a bit bumpy on the fishing grounds, but sunny and warm on shore. June brought one big blow that kept us off the ocean for a day, but otherwise, the weather has been pretty darn good. We’ve seen a lot of sunshine over the ocean and a number of dead calm days.

As always, AU has assembled a highly experienced crew this year with some great new additions that fit right in. The compliments we get for customer service and professionalism keep coming in. We work hard at this and we’re operating like a well-oiled machine. Every day you can be certain that our crew will make sure they’re doing everything they can to make your vacation as productive and memorable as possible.

We thank everyone who fished with us during the first half of 2015 and we look forward to taking the best care of those coming for July, August, and September. If you’d like to share one of your highlights from your trip in May or June, please leave it in our comments section.

Here are our grades for 2015 nearly half way through the season:

Kings: C
Despite mostly good results, king numbers were down especially given the high abundance forecasted. The favorable regulations were a big plus, allowing our guests to bring home plenty of king salmon to enjoy. The average size king seemed a bit better than recent years until the last week of June when the fish at the Cape seemed a bit smaller. (Bear in mind that a C in Sitka is an A in most ports).

Cohos: A-
They arrived a couple weeks early. They are good size with lots of fish hitting the 8 to 10 pound mark.

Halibut: A
Most people like halibut catching a lot more than halibut fishing. We’ve been able to get to the grounds and get the job done quickly.

Rockfish: Always a solid A – fast and furious. A fun way to end the day.

Lingcod: C
Lots of lings available, but challenging to find them within the 30 to 35 inch slot.

Blackcod: B
Fishing deep for these highly valued fish varies from day to day – never a sure thing and not the target species, but when they mix in with the halibut catch, it’s a big bonus.

Weather: A-
Lots of really nice days on the ocean mixed in with a few lumpy ones. Only a day or two of being blown off the ocean during May and 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 and Biorka make a great day possible.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
first halffishing gradesreport card
About the author

Captain Tom Ohaus

Related posts
Happy Holidays & Higher Hopes for 2021
December 18, 2020
2020 End of Season Review & 2021 Outlook
October 28, 2020
Great Deals on Flights to Sitka in 2020
January 24, 2020
New Decade
December 13, 2019
The New Boat – Season One Review
November 5, 2019
7 Reasons to Fish Early Season in 2020
November 4, 2019
Leave Comment

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

clear formSubmit

  • Address
    Angling Unlimited
    Halibut Point Rd
    Sitka, Alaska 99835
  • Phone
    907-747-3736
  • Email
    info@AnglingUnlimited.com

Find us on:

FacebookTwitterYouTubePinterestInstagramWebsiteTripAdvisor
Angling Unlimited 5.0 star rating 11 reviews Yelp logo
  • TripAdvisor
Trip Inquiry
  • MM slash DD slash YYYY

Categories
  • Captain Tom's Fishing Report (194)
  • Client Stories (18)
  • eBook (1)
  • Fish of the Month (1)
  • News (65)
  • Photo of the Day (87)
  • Recipes (103)
  • Sitka (12)
  • The Captain's Blog (331)
  • Trivia Tuesday (50)
  • Uncategorized (14)
  • Videos (7)
  • A group of fishers hold their king salmon catches in front on the Angling Unlimited dock
    Sitka Fishing Report, June 24, 2022
    June 24, 2022
  • Ernie Petersen sets records for king landed at 97 years old
    Sitka Fishing Report, June 16, 2022
    June 17, 2022
  • Sitka Fishing Report, June 8, 2022
    June 8, 2022
  • A Hit or Miss Start to the 2022 Season!
    June 2, 2022

eBook

Fishing Reports, Regulations, Delicious Recipes and Secrets to Fishing from Our Captains.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

© 2013-2020 Angling Unlimited

Site by Odd Dog