It was a busy week on the water for boat traffic with the official King salmon commercial trolling opener starting July 1. We had fantastic weather – partly cloudy, glass-like water, and long even swells.

Kings have been reduced to one per day, per person now, with six annual still effective. But, they continue to produce well. Anna Irby caught a 34-pound king at the Parking Lot and Brody Rohlfs caught the biggest of the year so far – a monster 65-pound king aboard Captain DJ’s boat. It was the largest king caught at AU in nearly 10 years.

Cohos are here in full force – much more consistent this early in the year compared to last season. Each boat is typically filling their limit. Some fish are even coming in around 12 pounds!

Since the water has been calm, we’ve been drifting and anchoring to get our salmon. Some groups have gone deep to find their halibut and bonus black cod. Others are content finding chicken halibut on the gravel.

We’re still finding our best luck south of town. There are lots of humpbacks and orcas milling around the Cape. It indicates a sign of a lot of life west of Kruzof. It’s hard to pass up the short drive south when it keeps producing for us.

Check out the photos from a great first week of July: