Let me take you through a day in the life of a hook-and-line salmon troller. It is the spring king salmon season, meaning there are limited areas of Sitka Sound open to ensure enough fish make it back to their natal rivers to spawn. This time of year can be boom or bust, with days of 1 or 2 fish for an entire day. The only way to have a good day is to be out there and in position, rather than waiting for a report of a hot bite. By the time you hear about good fishing, it’s usually too late.
Captain John and I have been fishing together for a long time—my entire life, in fact. We fished together as a family, and as I grew up I took on larger roles and responsibilities on the boat. Eventually I bought my own boat to fish for salmon and spent my summers on the ocean chasing king and coho salmon. Now we choose to fish together, two captains putting their heads together to get inside the mind of the elusive king salmon.
Now that John is nearing his retirement from fishing, he wants it to be on his terms—which means not too rough of weather and the ability to search around for fish where he wants to look. I agree to let him go off and try a few unconventional spots, and that we won’t fish in any bad weather. After spending so much time fishing together, we’ve found a natural rhythm to our day: running through our gear and looking for signs of fish.
Fishing has been slow this winter and spring, and the first waves of summer kings are just starting to show up. We are going to try some new spots and areas in the hope of finding some fish, and we’re excited that you get to see what it’s like to fish for king salmon in Alaska!
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.
