Aug 17th Combo Trip- 249lb Halibut!!!

Today we had the pleasure of taking out ASRC of Alaska.  The group was composed of whaling captains from up north and some of the best true hunters of Alaska.  We had an ideal tide for targeting some big halibut.  We showed up on slack tide and within the first half hour of the incoming tide, we had already had a few big take downs.  I could hear the drag screaming on the bow, I ran up the side of the boat to see what all the commotion was.  The rod was doubled over and cracked right in half, Rex and the deckhand had to hand line the fish all the way in while the fish ran back and forth tangling lines for 15 minutes.  I wasn't sure as to how big this fish was until it finally appeared about 20' down.  It was bigger than we thought, I ran upstairs to grab the shotgun while Sam was frantically tying the harpoon shaft to the buoy.  Sam barley stuck the harpoon all the way through the fish but we were able to get a shot off before her last big dash to the bottom.  After pulling her in we were blown away at how big this fish really was.  My guess was 235lbs because she was extremely wide and thick for her length.  We caught 5 nice fish at our first spot, with another halibut weighing in at 100lbs.

We had some big fish and it was now time to fill the boat with some good eaters.  We dropped anchor on top of a rock pile in 220' water.  The current was running strong but the bite was hot. The boat had reached a limit of halibut by 2:30 with 36.  We still had enough time to target a few silver salmon, although we were picking up silvers at the halibut grounds the bite was not fast enough to limit.  We moved 50 minutes to a spot a little closer to home near the mouth of a river.  We dropped the anchor in 56' of water and immediately started hooking up with silvers.  We landed 43 silvers in an hour, but unfortunately had to leave them biting because it was getting late.  After hitting the docks and weighing the hog, my assumption was close as it turned out to be 249lbs.

We had a great day fishing with you guys, great job with the big fish Rex, it was the largest halibut of the season for us.  FISH ON!!!

August 10th Combo Trip- Silvers Save The Day

We had a group of 26 fishermen on board for a halibut/salmon combo trip.  The weather was absolutely perfect with no wind and sun from the moment we left the dock.  We decided we would target halibut first, stopping at a spot that I don't usually fish on the ebb tide.  Two nice halibut were brought up weighing in around 50lbs each.  After about two hours we pulled anchor and dropped offshore to fill the boat with a quick bite.  The fish weren't finding the hook.  It took until 4:30 to catch our last halibut; a lot longer than I was expecting.  The fish were there but a finicky bite can prolong the process of filling the boat.  We had a great time and the average size was a healthy 20lbs. 

It was a one stop shop for our salmon today.  I have not yet fished this area this summer but it has produced some serious numbers in the past for silvers and halibut.  Driving over to the grounds we saw four large humpback whales all bubble feeding.  The whales lunged at the surface scooping as much food as possible into their giant mouths.  After getting everyone to finally put down the camera's and grab a fishing rod instead, we dropped down and instantly...FISH.  We were hooking up all over the boat, up to 8 salmon on at once. We threw our 84th salmon in the box by 6:30 and called it a day.  We fished hard all day and worked for every ounce of meat in the box.  Everybody was very patient with the slow halibut fishing and were later rewarded with a savage top water salmon bite.

Good job, guys and nice work! FISH ON!!!

July 31st Halibut Salmon Combo Trip- "We Like Big Buts"

Another team from the oil fields joined us for a halibut/salmon combo trip.  We had a very light load, with only 13 that could make it down, which bought us some extra time to target big fish in the morning.  Typically on a combo, we are just going for numbers, so it was a nice change of pace for us getting to sit for big fish.  The first two fish we landed were a 40lb halibut followed by a 75lb halibut caught on the jig.  This was definitely a good sign of an awesome day to come.  Shortly after, we landed 60 and a 90 pounder halibut.  The tide started to slow down and it was time to move on.  We arrived at our next spot dropping right on top of a huge ball of bait; usually a good sign halibut fishing.  We filtered through small halibut until we limited with 26 halibut worth keeping.  The salmon bite today was also hot.  After a few moves, we finally located a nice cluster of bait fish holding some salmon.  We filled the box with 48 silvers by 5:30pm.  The weather had started to pick up with with a steady 15kt blowing from the SE.  Hopefully this front passes by mid week.

Great job on the rods today guys, it was a great trip. FISH ON!!!

July 29th Halibut and Salmon Combo- Success On The Water

BP rented the boat for the day to give the boys a break on the slope and a chance to fill their freezers before the summer ends.  Our goal was to sit for some big halibut, then fill the boat with some average size butts afterwards and if time permitting, drift for a few big ling cod.  We did just that.  The first area we fished was a rock pile in the ripping current where we were bound to haul in a  few big ones with our chum.  The bite was hot right off the bat.  Our first two fish weighed in around 75 and 40lbs.  We soaked for 3 hours and were lucky enough to catch another three nice fish.  The tide slowed down and it was time to make a move.  We beat feet off shore to limit the boat with some small halibut and were successful at filling the boat by 2pm.  Shortly after we hung the halibut gear and took out our jigging rods; attached were 16 and 24 oz twin tails of assorted colors. We made way to some rocky flats where we did 15 drifts picking up 13 keeper lings all over 36''.  We probably threw 8-10 smaller lings back because they were just under the legal limit length of 3'.  Fishing was fast paced with tons of action, the guys were thrilled to be drifting for ling cod.  Most of them had only caught lings in the past while fishing for halibut with bait, so jigging for them was definitely an awesome experience.

Always fun fishing with you guys, looking forward to putting some more in the box on the 5th.  Thanks again and see you all soon.  FISH ON!!!

July 26th Halibut & Lingcod Combo- The Unexpected

Steve and his employees from Jacobson's Greenhouse Wasilla rented the boat for an annual employee appreciation trip.  Our game plan was to sit for some barn door halibut and move onto ling cod in the afternoon.  the fishing was slow with less than two feet of water moving on the outgoing tide.  By 2pm we had only landed two halibut in the 10lb-15lb range.  We did however hook into a giant salmon shark.  The shark was hooked on a small king salmon lure fixed with a tiny treble hook; definitely not the rod I would of chose to successfully land a 500lb salmon shark on.  The fight was spectacular, the shark ran to the boat twice and the angler somehow was able to keep up with the fish maintaining line tension as the shark darted towards the boat at 15mph.  After 10 minutes the fish turned his head and took us all the way down to the backing.  At that point we had no choice but to start thumbing the spool to attempt to slow it down and turn his head.  Right before running out of line the shark took a tail wrap and cut the line with its skin.  A big disappointment but I figured we only had about a 10% chance of landing the fish on the gear we had hooked it on anyway

Shortly after we moved to our ling cod spot to drift over some pinnacles.  Aarons jig was the first jig to hit the bottom immediately hooked up with a 130lb halibut that ran clear to the other side of the boat stripping line and shaking its head violently in its last desperate attempt to spit the hook.  We managed to catch 42 of our 44 halibut while drifting for ling cod; a very unusual yet fun way to catch halibut.  It was fast action fishing, we were averaging a fish every minute.  Miles and I could hardly keep up.  We still needed more ling cod and all we were catching was halibut, so we moved 5 miles to another spot which has produced in the past.  As the clock approached 6pm and I announce that this would be our last drift, everyone put there game faces on and jigged there hearts out.  I saw Ruth's line double over with some giant head shakes and instantly I knew she had hooked another monster halibut.  It took about 10 minutes to get the fish up to the surface, so we loaded the gun and placed a slug right between the eyes.  By 6:20pm the boat had 44 halibut 18 ling cod, 9 yellow eye and 15 black bass.  Killer fishing and weather made this trip one of the best I've had in terms of action and excitement. 

Thanks Steve and your crew for coming back out with us.  I can't wait till next years trip.  FISH ON!!!

July 25th Combo Exclusive- Top Water Salmon Bite

Merrill Lynch and associates rented the boat out for a full day combo.  The group decided they wanted fast action fishing, so I took them all to a spot with a fast bite to keep everyone busy.  We dropped anchor in 220' of water right over a school of bait I saw on the sounder.  We had fish on all over the boat and landed 48 halibut in less than two hours.  By 12pm we were already on our way back the salmon grounds.  I went back to the same spot we had fished yesterday and decided that dropping the anchor would be the best way to get the salmon into the boat.  It was by far the best day of silver fishing that I have seen in three years.  Every fish that was reeled in had three silvers chasing it to the surface.  At times we had six silvers on at once.  Miles came running towards the fish box with six fish in his net.  I'm not sure how he netted all six fish at once but we had no time for questions.  It was unfortunate that it didn't rain during salmon fishing because it sure would of been nice to have a little down poor to keep the boat wet.  The guys all wanted action and that's exactly what they got.  It sure is nice when things work out to plan.

We have another exclusive trip tomorrow and it looks like the weather is clearing up for the rest of the week.  Look forward to fishing with you guys next year.  Miles and I had a great time! FISH ON!!!

July 23rd Halibut Trip- Mariam Catches The Big One, Again!!!

Today's trip was the first full day halibut trip that we've had in a while.   The crew and I love to sit for big fish, so this was a treat for us as well.  We loaded up the night before with salmon carcasses and brand new jig tails.  We drove to a spot where I have caught 5 fish all over 200lbs over the past few years.  I also landed the biggest barn door I have ever caught there weighing in at 305lbs.  I had high expectations for this particular spot.  The first hour and a half was very slow, only hooking up with 1 fish that appeared to be around 75lbs.  The fish was hooked on a jig, but managed to tangle around two other ladys' lines and shaking free at the surface.  Not really my favorite way to start a day of hog hunting.  The bite became increasingly steady and we did land two other fish around 75lbs.  Mariam who caught the biggest fish on the boat on a previous trip was able to hook her 75 pounder on a Metzler rig while getting sick at the same time.  Not many people are able to puke and fish simultaneously but Mariam is a rare breed; she loves to fish!



Mariam with the catch of the day

 We had multiple big fish hookups but the fisherman lacked the patience to let the fish really take the bait down the hatch.  It is very important while fishing salmon carcasses to let the fish really bury the bait and take at least 10 feet of line before setting the hook.  The 305lb halibut we hooked years back took over half an hour of chewing on the head before we could convince her to take the hook.  If you would like to catch big fish don't jerk the bait out of their mouth, IT'S THAT EASY.  Anyways, it was a great day and everyone was happy with the load considering we landed 15 big Ling Cod.  The weather was great all day with flat seas and a little sunshine.  It rained the entire way home making Miles extremely thrilled that the boat was semi-clean when it hit the dock. 

Thanks for coming out guys, FISH ON!!!

July 22 Combo Trip- Savage Silver Bite

Jaymes Kine with his first Silver Salmon -16lbs

I left the dock with a light load today so we had some extra time to sit for some larger fish.  The first spot we tried, however, did not produce anything but a 6 pound halibut.  After 1.5 hours we gave up our big fish dreams and decided to go for action instead.  We travelled another 45 minutes to a spot that has been great to us the past two days, averaging 15-35lb halibut.  The bite was super fast with fish on all around the boat at all times.  We had 17 limits plus a crew limit in an hour and 15 minutes.  After cleaning all the blood off the boat from our massive kill, we hung the rods and travelled another 35 minutes to a area we haven't yet tried for Silver Salmon.  There were already a few boats in the spot which can either be a good thing or a bad thing.  Within minutes of baiting the hooks the fish started flying over the rail 2 by 2.  By 4pm we had 57 silvers and 38 halibut. 

There was little wind and the fog burned off by early morning.  Blue bird skies and great fishing is about all we could ever ask for.  What a season! I don't want to jinx the weather but we haven't been blown off the water all summer.  We have our first all day halibut trip tomorrow and we are excited about the possibility of hooking up with some big halibut.  See you out there!  FISH ON!!!

July 19th Full Day Salmon Trip- Annual Camp Tamarack Salmon Trip

`Another beautiful day in Seward Alaska, we left the dock with blue skies and 31 kids and chaperones from Camp Tamarack, MI.  This is an annual trip we do with them as they travel through the northwest on a 47 day road trip.  These kids are always fun, you can see the look of pure terror and excitement on their faces as we bleed the fish and throw silver after silver into the fish box.  Most of these kids have never even seen a salmon before.  We started out fishing inside the bay to see if the salmon were still schooled up over by Cape Aialik.  Within a half hour we had 11 fish in the box, and the bite was way too slow to fill a limit of 93 silvers.  We made a move to another spot and started drilling fish right off the bat.  It was a savage bite that lasted until 2pm. 

I noticed Miles was holding the king net which is usually a good sign.  I ran up to the bow to see what was going on and it looked like Shane was caught on the bottom.  I saw a couple of good head shakes and knew exactly what this kid had.  I told him this was the biggest salmon he will ever catch in the ocean and he became so focused it hurt.  He followed my instructiond and fought his fish perfectly for a good 20 minutes.   The fish would not even budge at times, but when it finally surfaced we could see how huge it was, and it got everyone's heart pumping.  All the kisds on the boat were cheering Shane on until we finally got the fish in the net.  When the fish hit the deck it sounded like a stadium of cheering fans - my ears are still ringing. 

43lb King Salmon

We had a great time, we look forward to seeing you again next year Matt, Jim and Mike.  Always a blast with your group.  FISH ON!!!

July 17th Combo Trip- Little Girl Big Fish

We had an awesome trip today, we went back to the spot where we had numerous big fish bites the day before.  The fish were a little less hook shy today, an eight year old girl landed landed a fish over 100lbs.  She yelled, "fish on" and as I looked down the rail, the little girl's rod was about to break in half while line was screaming out of the reel.  With a little help from myself and grandpa, we managed to land her fish which was by far twice her size.  We landed a few fish in the 50-75lb range on the jigs and salmon carcasses.  We fished the hog spot until 2pm, then slid out on the shelf to fill the boat.  It only took 45 min to land a boat limit of halibut. 

We travelled back towards Cape Resurrection to try our hand at some silvers.  We had pure craziness on the back deck as we netted salmon after salmon.  The boat was covered in blood and a smile on everyone's face.  Definitely a successful day on the water.  We had a great time and look forward to fishing with you all again.  Thanks for coming out...FISH ON!!!

July 12 Halibut Trip- "Sharks Everywhere"

Today was our first straight halibut trip in a while so we were excited to soak some big baits.  The previous night we loaded up on salmon carcasses and prepared for a full day of halibut fishing.  The first spot we tried was giant rock pile off shore that we usually have good luck at.  As we came up on the spot the sounder had fish all over it.  The black bass in this area can get really thick on a slack tide making it impossible for the halibut to get to the bait.  We sat for a bit catching black bass and a few Yellow Eye rock fish, hoping that when the tide picked up it would wash the school of bass out in the current.  We decided that it wasn't going to happen so we picked up anchor and tried a spot in a little deeper water just a few miles away.  As soon as we hit bottom we hooked up with 75lb halibut on the jig but as the fish came up, he made one last attempt to run and rubbed on the swim step snapping off.  Shortly after, the dogfish (sand shark) moved in one by one tangling us up and stealing our bait.  I know there was some nice halibut down there but competition between the dogfish and the halibut was one sided.  We were not ready to give up yet so we traveled seven more miles hoping to steer clear of the savage dogfish bite.  As soon as the lines got down we were swarmed again, but did manage to land two nice halibut.  A tough day so far for the Sea Quest, but we powered through it pulled anchor again and moved to another spot, "they say 4th times a charm".  We managed to catch a limit of halibut within 1 1/2 hours.  I looked over to Howard's rod and it looked like it was about to snap in half.  He battled his halibut for about ten minutes in 240' of water.  When the fish came up I was surprised to see a 75lb halibut just sitting on the surface.  This particular spot has been known to have a few big ones roll through every once in a while.  We pulled it off with a limit of butts and a box full of Black Bass. 

It turned out to be a great day and everyone was thrilled once we started catching halibut.  The weather was a bit windy throughout the day, blowing a steady 10-15kt out of the SW.  4' ground swell with a little chop made for an uncomfortable sit; but by the end of the day the wind layed down and it was flat again. 

WE HAVE A FULL DAY COMBO TOMORROW WITH SEATS THAT NEED FILLING.  COME ON DOWN TO SEWARD WHILE THE WEATHERS NICE AND THE FISH ARE BITING. 

FISH ON!!!

July 9th Combo-

Today's trip was a light load for the Sea Quest, with only 14 fisherman.  The morning halibut bite was great all morning and we limited on halibut by 10:30am.  The next target species on the list was Ling Cod, So we drifted some twin-tail jigs and were able to catch some really nice ling cod.  We had five fish on at all times, and the majority weighing around 30+ pounds,  The silvers however were not as easy to find.  We tried three spots picking up a few salmon at each.  We made a final move to an area that produced two days ago prior, and within 10 minutes we had already landed 10 fish.  The bite remained constant until we threw our 42nd silver in the box.  Another 3 species grand slam for the Sea Quest.  The fishing and the weather have been phenomenal this summer, and the fishing season is in full force.  Thanks again for coming out guys, what a catch!!! See you next time. FISH ON!!!

July 7th Halibut Trip- A TRIP TO REMEMBER

Today the Sea Quest had her first straight halibut trip in a week.  We were excited to soak some salmon heads and see if anyone was home.  The first fish to hit the deck set the bar pretty high at 113 lbs.  The jigs were hot this morning and we landed another three fish around 100lbs.  By afternoon the jig bite died off and we started getting take-downs on the salmon carcasses.  Mary, from Santa Rosa, CA, was the first to land a hog on a salmon head and it was only her second time fishing ever.  Seven people on the boat set personal records for the largest fish they have ever caught.  By the end of the day the fish were still biting but the size remained consistent at about 25lbs.  We pulled the anchor at 16:30 with nine fish over 50lbs.  A great day for the Sea Quest and even better day for our clients.  Unfortunately quite a few fishermen felt allergic to the motion of the ocean but the energy on deck seemed to keep their minds off the seasickness and let them focus on railing monster halibut.  What a day guys - Keoni and I had a great time and we're looking forward to fishing with you all again next year.

July 5th Combo Trip- GRAND SLAM!

We had perfect weather conditions and a group of people determined to fill the boat up with fish.  The first species we targeted was Halibut.  Everyone was enthusiastic about keeping their first two Halibut so we were able to limit the boat out by 11:00am.  Afterwards we drove over to Montague Island to drift for some Ling Cod.  The Ling Cod fishing was incredible, we had 26 Ling Cod in the boat by 2:00pm.  The day was going exactly to plan, we had limits of two species way before schedule.  After the massacre of Ling Cod it was time to target some Silver Salmon.  We started making way towards home to hit some of the usual silver spots.  We landed 6 at our first spot, but there was a plague of Pacific Cod that we couldn't seem to keep off the hook.  After a few drifts we made way to a popular spot that usually produces, and sure enough we limited on Silvers in an hour and a half.  A great finish to a great day.  It's not every day that a boat with 26 passengers can limit out on three different species of fish.  A big pat on the back for all of us.  GREAT DAY GUYS!!!!LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU ALL AGAIN....FISH ON!

July 3rd Combo Trip- Mass Slaughter

Another great day of weather and fishing for the M/V Sea Quest.  With 22 clients on board we left the dock and steered towards a popular salmon spot not to catch a limit but to catch enough for Halibut bait.  It only took 15 minutes before we had 16 Pink and Silver Salmon in the boat.  We then travelled another hour to one of our favorite spots for big Halibut right at the start of a large incoming tide.  The first fish to hit the deck was a Halibut weighing over 100lbs.  The fishing was a bit slow, as it usually is while fishing for large fish but we were pulling them in fast enough to keep us from moving.  By 1pm we had 2 fish over 100lbs and a few in the 50lb - 80lb range.   The boat still needed 22 fish for a limit of Halibut so we slid off shore out of the rockpiles and onto the flats.  As soon as we dropped anchor we immediatly were catching fish, ranging from 15lbs- 25lbs which are nice fish for a clean up spot.  Within 45min the boat was limited out on Halibut so we tried a few drifts of Point Elrington to see if we could hook up on any nice Ling Cod.  We only had enough time for 2 drifts but were able to catch 4 lings, unfortunatey only 1 was a legal Ling.  5 big Yellow Eye rockfish were also caught on the drift.  Later we moved to the salmon grounds in search of some Coho Salmon.  Within 10 minutes of mooching, the salmon bite was ferocious however the ratio of Pinks to Coho was 4/1.  By 6pm we had landed 55 Silvers and made our way back to the barn.  Killer day of fishing, great weather once again...and fun people made this trip a blast. 

Thanks for coming out guys, the crew had a great day I'll see you again soon. Fish On!

June 26th Halibut trip- BIG FISH!!!

Mariam rubbing the belly of her monster for good luck

The sky was gray and weather was calling for 20kt of wind from the East.  As we approached Cape Resurrection the weather seemed to be in our favor.  The seas were a bit confused but the wind was only blowing about 9kt in the easterly direction.  As we approached Bainbridge Passage the wind kicked up a bit, but we kept on.  We approached the Island of Montague and the winds seemed to lay down and seas were calm.  We fished in 90' of water in a spot that I've done especially well in the past.  Within 30 minutes of dropping the anchor we starting getting take downs on the jigs.  As the day progressed the fish kept coming, and not only was the bite increasing; so was the size of the fish.  The largest fish weighing in at #111lbs decided to bite Mariam's half chunk of herring just about pulling her over the side as she yelled "fish on."  Two other fish in the same size range were caught off the stern by Scott and his wife both on light tackle.  It was a killer day on the water and the fish just kept biting.  By 1pm we had already caught 52 halibut, releasing most of the small and keeping an assortment of 50lb- 100lb fish.  Everyone on the boat was ecstatic as fish were being railed constantly and gun smoke fillled the air.  The weather became increasingly windy and rough as the day went on but the killer fishing kept everyone's attention solely on the fish.  The crew decided that it would be a good day to hang some fish at the dock so our fisherman could show off their prizes.  What a fantastic day. The fishing is picking up and the season is about to go into full swing... Perfect timing!! 

Thanks everyone for coming out, we had a great time fishing with you and hope that you will all be back with us soon.  FISH ON!!!

June 25th Halibut Trip "Patience pays off"

The boat was rented out for an exclusive trip by Keith of Seward.  Between him and his family there was a total of 31 fisherman.  We turned east out of the bay and made way to Montague there was little wind and seas were glassy.  Our first spot we dropped anchor on was a jagged rockpile in deep water that was sure to hold some Yellow Eye rock fish and some Halibut.  Within the first hour we had landed 15 Yellow Eye and 5 other species of rock fish.  We had yet to get a takedown from a Halibut so we pulled anchor at 11:15 and made way inshore to fish a bit shallower.  We continued to chum and sure enough we got the Halibut to bite for a good two hours.  22 Halibut were caught with weight ranging from 15lbs-75lbs.  By three it was time to limit the boat our so we travel 25 minutes to a more promising spot for a boat limit.  By 5:15pm we limited out with 70 halibut in the boat. 

It was a great day with a fun group of people.  Sometimes it pays of to be patient...FISH ON!!!

Fathers' Day Fishing - June 19th Halibut Trip

We made way towards the Island of Montague and dropped the anchor in a spot I have yet to fish this year.  Once again the current was extremely strong making it hard to keep the 3lb weight to the bottom.  The jigs were definitely the choice of the halibut this morning, landing the two biggest fish on the boat.  The bite was constant but we weren't getting much size to our halibut, averaging 15lbs - 20lbs.  At about 12:30 we pulled anchor to a spot that I have done well in the past but received only one bite and landed one fish.  They say never to leave fish to find fish, I agree but the gamble can sometimes be worth it.  August 21, 2009  I left an area that I was catching fish in to run 8 miles in the complete opposite direction from home.  It was late in the day and I was only 6 fish shy of a limit.  Within an hour of dropping the anchor we caught a 305lbs and a 168lbs halibut.  You can see why this is a difficult call at times. 

At 3pm we pulled anchor and ran 20 min to a spot that was sure to hold some fish.  Within an hour we landed 47 halibut.  It was chaos on the deck but everyone was having a great time.  The deckhands really worked for their money running around the boat enough times to equal the distance of a marathon.  All in all a great day with great weather.  The rain never showed and the sea state was flat calm with no wind.  Can't complain ... this has been a great spring. 

Bobby Mitchell & Son Luke
Happy Fathers' Day

Our next trip is this Thursday, See you there...FISH ON!!!

Limit the Boat in Less than 90 Minutes! - June 10th Halibut Trip

Keoni Tamayo - Deck Hand Extraordinaire

Today was by far the best day we've had on the ocean. The water was glass like with no ground swell.  A perfect day for even those who are allergic to the motion of the ocean.  With a full boat we headed out, once again, to the Island of Montague.  We dropped anchor at 9:45am and sat at our first spot hoping for some larger halibut.  The tide, however, was not in our favor with very little water moving.  The halibut bite did not turn on for us but were able to pull up about 9 Yellow eye rockfish at our first spot.  After an hour we pulled anchor and made way towards our new destination at a bit shallower area with more current.  Although a slow pick, we were able to pull a few nice fish off this spot; the largest weighing in around 90lbs.  After a two hour soak, we decided it was time to fill the boat at a spot with a larger density of fish.  After an 11 mile cruise we dropped down around 180ft and limited the boat in less than an hour and a half.   We had a great group of people who were enthusiastic about fishing and made my day.  Our next trip will be this Sunday as we still have a few seats, though they are filling up quick so make your reservation soon. Fish On!

The Bait of Choice - June 5th Halibut Trip

 There has been a significant amount of water moving this week with the new tide cycle.  The crew and I had picked up a bunch of King Salmon carcasses for bait this week on the Kasilof River.  The Kings seemed to be the bait of choice for this trip.  We landed two fish over #100lbs and 5 other fish over #50lbs all on the carcasses.  We fished the incoming tide that started at about 9:50am, a perfect tide that funnels all the scent down a small passage in 70' of water.  The Halibut started showing up after the first hour and our second chum bomb.  It was a slow bite as usual at a hog spot, but to pull a few nice fish of a hole is well worth the wait.  The jigs however did not fire for us, which is very unusual for this specific area.  After a few hours at our first spot we pulled anchor and moved three miles off shore to a spot with a heavier concentration of halibut.  The wind was blowing a steady 15 knots out of the SW by 3:00pm and we drug anchor on the initial drop.  After reseting the anchor we were able to hold right above a school of halibut ranging #15lbs - #35lbs.  After a few hours, the boat was limited with 54 halibut and a variety of species of rockfish.  Another great day of fishing in the Gulf of Alaska.

There are a few seats available this Thursday, June 9th and Friday June 10th!!

To make a reservation call (907)224-BOOK or click. See you all out there, FISH ON!!!