Final Report of 2019 Season – Saving the Best for Last
September offers the widest range of possibilities in Sitka. We’ve seen it all from hard rain, wind and tough fishing to solid action under a cool blue sky. What we saw on September 10 extended the upper limit of that range. The morning dawned warm, clear, and calm and Cape Edgecumbe delivered a wide-open bite for silvers that ranged mainly from 10 to 18 pounds. Limits were landed in less than 2 hours, including 36 for six anglers on Loon with Captain Lev. The hooked fish had multiple others chasing them as they came to the boat. These deep bodied big silvers made multiple line peeling runs punctuated by wild leaps. Multiple hookups made for some frantic choreography as anglers moved around the boat trying to avoid crossing lines while keeping up with the erratic movements of these big coho. The fast silver action was quickly followed by 30-minute limit halibut action and the usual rapid-fire rockfish frenzy. Loon was back to the dock a little after noon with limits of everything. The other boats weren’t far behind.
On September 9 the boats that went to Cape Edgecumbe found solid action and limits were the rule. A few went north where the fishing had been hot, but it cooled considerably. On the 11th, our last day of the season, the fishing wasn’t quite as hot at the Cape, but limits of big silvers in about 3 or 4 hours of fishing were the rule. 2019 clearly saved some of the best for last.