Well, guess it took our friends from Minnesota to head back to college for us to get the weather we were missing all summer. At least it came and has been a very welcome reprieve. We have been enjoying 60-70 degree weather with sun during the day and a beautiful full moon shining on the Bay at night. Fishing has been good and yesterday we took some of the young people that keep Coal Point Trading Company running fishing for salmon and halibut. We saw humpback whales on the way out and set the gear and caught a nice white king salmon. We continued out and trolled for a couple of hours and caught another two kings and two silvers. We spent an hour on the anchor and caught twelve halibut….nothing over twenty pounds, but good action and we were back in the harbor by 1:30, so they could get to work by two. It was a fun day and I am sure their families will appreciate getting some fresh fish to eat. I have always been impressed with the way the employees of Coal Point Trading Company work together as a family. It was good to find out where these young people are from and where they are going. A most enjoyable day. And yes, I let them fillet their own fish on the way home!

We have had some success catching a few silvers lately, but it doesn’t seem to be developing into a banner year. There are some really nice size fish being caught though, and when we get at least one for each angler, well, we feel pretty good. Halibut has continued to be good and when we can get out to the middle of the Inlet or down to the Islands, well, we get the bigger ones. Those that are close at hand on the rough days and when we are fishing the combination trips are good average size fish that are very good eating size. Yet another octopus has been caught in the crab pots and has come home to become either smoked tako or tako poke. This is a big treat for us and for Jona and Meghan, they provide some entertainment. And last, we here at Capt. Pete’s would like to say a fond farewell to Jona, who worked hard for us this year and if you got to meet her, you know how hard it would be to say goodbye. Our hope is that she will decide to return in 2011.

Another crab season has commenced here and the crew of the Julia Lynn has been very successful. Unfortunately, the rules do not allow this to be done in the course of our charter day, but once the working day is done, the family, crew, and friends of Capt. Pete’s head out and pull the pots. For Debra, this is a good chance to enjoy her investment in the Julia Lynn……just a quick three mile jaunt to the crab grounds. For all of us, it means some GOOD EATS! Our deckhand, Jona, has proved to be a sage hand at all of what it means to crab in Kachemak Bay….coiling, sorting, and setting the crabpot. Sorry to say that she is now a veteran of the crab “bite” and am happy to report that no finger nails were lost in the clash. We began crabbing the 16th of July, celebrated Jona’s 18th birthday on the 20th and have enjoyed dozens of crabs since. Halibut fishing is awesome right now and the silvers are showing up. Whales abound and there has even been a king bite lately. If only the rain would cease and the sun shine again….the weather today was awesome.

I have been remiss (or just busy) in getting photos posted here. It would be good to post every day, but some days, I just need some time to shut down. We have had some good days out in the Inlet and some days when it was a bit rough to go to the middle, but managed to find fish somewhere. We have had some good whale shows, both humpbacks and orcas, but because I am busy maneuvering the “Julia Lynn”, I have not tried to get photos. If you are reading this and were on the boat one of those days and have a photo, don’t hesitate to send it to me and I will post it here. Thank you all for coming to fish with us. We will always try our best to fill the box no matter what the weather.

This Spring, it was time for us to have a new brochure designed and printed. As is my custom, I waited for the last minute to begin the process and was fortunate enough to get a referral from my brother at eye-cue.com and he sent me to Kevin Holt, who does this type of work. Not only were we pleased with the results, but the printing was done in time for the Sportsman Show in Anchorage this Spring. Part of the deal included taking Kevin, his family, and friends fishing for halibut. We had a great day out on the water and the results were fantastic. Thanks Kevin for a great job.