July 1st summer King Opener
We loaded up with ice, fuel, and groceries and headed south of Sitka to look for fish. There weren't many kings close to town all spring, so we cruised down the southern coast of Baranof Island in search of whales, birds, and bait fish — signs that kings would be feeding nearby. My dad said the water looked clear and not too "fishy," so we decided to keep cruising past Cape Ommaney and a colony of sea lions, into Chatham Strait. We crossed Chatham and headed toward the waters off southern Kuiu Island, where we'd done well a couple of years back.
Day 1
This is usually the most stressful day of the opener, since fishing tends to be best early on — so it pays to start on good fish. The day began slowly, and none of the boats around us were doing well. Word across the coast was that fishing was slow everywhere, so we decided to stick it out and make it pay. We scratched up a dozen or so by noon, and then, when the tide changed, the fish started biting. We had three on one line at once, and I had to call John out of the wheelhouse to help land fish while I caught up on cleaning and icing them down. With few boats around us, we managed to keep a decent catch rate through the rest of the day and ended up with 52 kings — a great start to the opener, and spirits were high aboard the Sunfish.
Day 2
Day 2 started with glassy, calm water and sunny skies. We were hopeful after finding a good bite the day before, but we never found that same school of fish. We talked to other boats in the area, but nowhere seemed better than where we were. We settled into our rhythm — running gear, cleaning fish — and scratched out a decent day with 27 kings. The last few hours were fishless, so we knew we'd need to find a new spot. We ran in and sold our catch to a tender (a larger boat that buys fish directly from smaller boats) anchored nearby, since we weren't sure where we'd end up over the coming days. That way, the fish would get back to town fresher, and we wouldn't have to worry about making a delivery run ourselves for a while.
Day 3
We started day 3 by moving south off Crowley Rock, since fishing had slowed the previous afternoon. We found a few fish on one pinnacle, but other boats found them too, and the bite died quickly. We did see a pod of orcas hanging around, which is always a treat — they don't steal fish off our gear, and they scare away the sea lions that do, so trollers are always happy to have them nearby. When fishing slows down, the days stretch on, and day 3 had long stretches without a single bite. All in all, not terrible, but we ended up with just 19 kings for the day.
Day 4
After a slow day 3, morale wasn't high, and we needed to find more fish. We kept working the same spot — at least the sun was shining and the seas were calm. Another long July day, starting at 4 a.m., makes noon feel like 5 p.m. We kept our gear in the water and finished with 17 kings. Once again, the afternoon bite died off, and we knew we'd need a new spot.
Day 5
My dad was eager to try some spots on the other side of Chatham Strait, where he'd done well in his younger days. I was reluctant to leave, since we were still picking up a few fish, but not enough to make a real case for staying. So off we went to try southern Baranof Island. We landed a nice king right off the bat and thought we might be onto something — but it turned out to be the only fish we caught all day. We pulled our gear and headed back around Cape Ommaney toward Sitka. A southerly storm was kicking up, and we made it into protected waters just as it started to blow. We sold our remaining fish, and that was a wrap for trip number one on the F/V Sunfish. It was great to spend the time with my dad, and it helped that we found a few fish along the way and got to fish some beautiful spots we love.
Watch Marsh and John bring in the kings together.
Marsh Skeele
Marsh is our original fisherman and helped start Sitka Seafood Market over a decade ago. He grew up fishing with his family outside of Sitka and began his own fishing journey captaining the F/V Loon in 2011. Shortly thereafter at a dinner party sharing his catch, he met friends that figured out how to get his fish to the Midwest and Sitka Seafood Market was born. He loves finding the highest quality ingredients and sharing the stories of their harvest over a dinner party. You can find him fishing with his family in Sitka and searching for the next delicious piece of seafood to share with you.
