Mid-Season Fishing Report
We’ve reached the mid-point of the 2024 season. Our guests enjoyed excellent king fishing in May and the first two weeks of June. Since then, king fishing has been a wee bit spotty and quite spot-specific. Two boats can be anchored 50 feet apart – one gets a quick limit, the other gets very little. Same happens relative to time – follow a hot report, get there in 15 minutes, and the white hot has gone stone cold. Despite these challenges, most guests have found their way to good king results. Halibut and rockfish rate five stars throughout May and June with quite a few GAF halibut landed, the biggest was 75 inches long – approximately 225 pounds. Though not the best May/June in AU history, we’ll grade it a solid B.
Looking Ahead
As of July 8, the coho (silvers) had yet to show in any numbers. This will change any day. They are late. We have a few regulatory changes on the horizon. Starting July 15, halibut shift from a slot of under 40 inches and over 80 inches to under 36 inches and over 80 inches. Halibut will be closed on Fridays beginning July 19 through the end of our season. GAF halibut can be retained on Fridays and there is no size limit on them. The king salmon limit drops to one per year on July 16. On the plus side, lingcod reopens on August 1 with a slot limit of 30 to 35 inches and an annual limit of one.
Last Call for 2024 Fishing
AU still has one excellent opening in September. September fishing can be spectacular with the biggest silvers of the year. For a couple of seasons, the best fishing came in September. You can also run into kings early in the month. The risk with September is weather. When it stays clear and the ocean is calm, the silvers stay schooled up and feeding on the open water. If the skies turn stormy, the silvers migrate toward their home rivers and we pursue them to protected inside water, generally with good results.
Sept 5–9, 2024, fish Sept. 6-7-8: 1 boat available (Tom’s boat)
Questions? Give us a call! You can reach Kim at 218-732-4744.
