The Kachemak Bay Combo is the perfect choice for families with younger children. Yesterdays came out near-perfect. No rain, but not too hot, and the King salmon cooperated allowing us to catch three kings and release one before heading out to the halibut grounds. When we have young arms aboard, we try to fish in a place that will be easier and more fun for them. We chose 120′ in the middle of the Bay, just on the edge of Cook Inlet. There we were happy to find instant gratification and lots of action throughout the two hours we fished for halibut. After releasing twenty halibut in the 10-20# range, we were able to put ten in the box in the 15-30# range. At some point, the halibut decided to check out the weather, as they came to the surface and were begging for bait. It is not something we see every day, but when we do, it is always a treat. Homer, Alaska fishing sometimes includes ice cream, so when we had our fill of halibut, we headed to Seldovia where the Smith family was able to tour around for an hour and a half while Capt. Pete filleted their fish for them.

I fished with Gary and Debbie Cannon today in the kelp beds off Anchor Point. Let’s see, the sun was shining, it was likely the warmest day of the year so far, and we were fishing with light weights in 24 feet of water. With alot of coaxing, we caught six nice halibut up to 65# and one large octopus. The Cannons took home a tote full of beautiful fillets and allowed their captain to retain the octopus, which will be made into poke this summer. Fishing in Homer, Alaska is always a new experience. I am including a couple of photos of our feathered friends that frequent our view in front of the house here on Kachemak Bay.

It was a rare event for us to have a Saturday off late in May like today. The forecast was near-perfect and even though we had many chores at home, we both decided that going fishing was a top priority. We headed for Anchor Point, but we considered going toward Seldovia and maybe lunch there after fishing. Good thing we took a right at the green can and made it up to the South marker in time to get in on some pretty good king salmon action. Most people that come to Homer want to fish for halibut, but most of us locals want nothing more than a king salmon fillet to grill. The spawners are beginning to show up, but we were fortunate enough to find our selves a couple of feeder kings this morning. Debra hooked up first with a nice fat 18# feeder that made our day. We decided to fish until 11AM and then head home, but it took until 11:15 to make it to our beloved rock near the green cabin just down the beach from the tractor launch at Anchor Point. Well, the tide was just right and there really should have been a king right on the up-tide side of the rock and lo and behold, there WAS! We hooked up with a nice 27# feeder hen that completed our limit for the day in that area. Now, we could have gone on the other side of the 59 40 line and tried for a couple of others or gone halibut fishing, but why? We headed home and had lunch at Fresh Sourdough Express Bakery and later grilled up some of our mornings bounty. Yum!

As many of you know, the “Julia Lynn” became a “smoke-free” vessel last year. There were some that came fishing with us anyway and made it through the day just fine without smoking. Others declared “no way!” and went with someone else. We are happy to report that we are continuing this policy and we welcome you all to a breath of fresh air. I have a Ray Troll t-shirt that declares: “If you must smoke, smoke salmon!” and that is what I am doing today. I brined up a batch of last years silver salmon and it is now in the smoker and should be out later this evening.
I am taking three people on a combo fishing trip tomorrow, so I will have a fishing report to post here. We have been busy lately getting the housework done and preparing the old motorhome for the summer camping season. It will be warm enough to begin planting the garden soon.