Fishing Update / Doc Warners - Alaska Fishing Adventures

Fishing Updates

July 30, 2006

Some of you who are reading these reports are very diligent in keeping track of our adventures and read each weekly report several times. Please be just as diligent in reading the information you have received on what to bring and what we furnish while you are at the lodge.

Down south the weather has been hot and dry. At Doc Warner's it has been cool, wet, and sometimes windy. The summer continues to be wetter than normal and cool with some days only getting up to the mid-50's. While the winds have blown regularly we have not had any big 'blows' this summer. Last Friday was forecast to have 30 knot winds ( 1 knot = 1.2 mph) and 5-6 waves in Icy Strait. It never materialize and we were able to fish all day.

Halibut fishing continues in the doldrums. I visited with a long-time friend this past weekend who is a commercial halibut fishermen. He has fished all over central Southeast Alaska this summer and said there are no halibut any where. That explains why we have seen more commercial halibut fishermen this summer in Icy Strait that I ever remember. The fishermen are straying from their normal areas in hopes of finding more halibut. I got a similar report for people fishing Cook Inlet and Kenai--fewer fish than in previous years. We are just missing big populations of halibut weighing between 20 and 70 pounds. It is encouraging that we have so many small halibut. This indicates that future years should have plenty of these fish to catch.

We moan about poor halibut fishing, but nobody is complaining about the salmon fishing for silvers and pinks. Both species are plentiful, large in size, and willing to take the bait. The average catch of salmon-per-guest has jumped from 16.6 two weeks ago to 23 this past week. Boats were catching limits, fish were jumping everywhere, and smiles filled every returning boat filled with guests fishing for salmon.

Pink salmon harvest was up from 1027 a week ago to 1255 this past week. The cooler weather, which has produced later runs, has also assured that we have good pink numbers in early August that are still in very good condition for taking home and eating. Lots of pinks in the 5- to 8-pound range. Some streams now have spawning pinks in them.

The Silver catch jumped slightly over the previous week. The biggest silver of the week weighed 17.5 pounds. Lots of 15-pounders. This run should continue to build on through the end of August. The abundance of pinks is reducing the silver catch simply because the pinks get to the bait before the silvers do, and right now they are much more numerous.

Guests who have fished with us this summer, and in previous years, are filling the available spaces for the next two summers at a record rate. Thanks for your vote of approval and support for Doc Warner's.

— Doc

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