May 28 – Hoonah
We decided to spend an extra day in Hoonah and try halibut
fishing from the Grady White. We had no
luck! Jon Liljegren had arranged to have
Seafood Chowder prepared at the Office Pub, so we all went there for chowder
and beer.
May 29 – Hoonah to Tenakee Springs
Departing Hoonah at 0800 we followed Steel Tiger east in Icy
Strait and the south down Chatham Strait.
The skies were clear, but with a brisk NW wind. At 1410 we docked in Tenakee Springs just
behind Steel Tiger. The crab pots were
set in Kadashan Bay and some of us enjoyed the hot springs.
The store has been refurbished inside and is really nice. There is free wifi at the bakery!
May 30 – Tenakee Springs to Takatz
There were NO crab in our pots the next morning! Departing Tenakee Springs at 0910 we immediately ran into fog in Chatham
Strait, which dissipated as we headed south.
We dropped off prawn pots in Kasnyku Bay and then anchored in Takatz
Bay. Most everyone boarded the tenders
and we headed several miles further south to Warm Springs Bay where we hiked to
the upper hot springs for a refreshing soak.
The tubs at the docks are new since the last time we used them, and the
water is hot! We carried the martinis up the boardwalk to the upper pools.
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| Part of the boardwalk at Warm Springs Bay |
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| Enjoying the hot springs and martinis alongside the river |
May 31 – Takatz to Rodman Bay
Timing our departure to pick up the prawn pots in Kasnyku
Bay and still make high slack tide at a halibut fishing location on the way to
Rodman Bay, we found only 9 prawns in the pots.
The fishing was more productive, with Jon Liljegren hooking into a 77
pound halibut, followed by a 10 pounder and a large quillback rockfish. By 1815 we were anchored in a windy Rodman
Bay (sustained winds of 25 knots) and were all invited to an impromptu dinner
on Maximo. Crab pots were set.
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| Jon Liljegren's 54 inch 77 pound halibut |
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| Jon and Suzanne enjoying the prawns from Kasnyku Bay |
June 1 – Rodman to Kalinin Bay
At 0835 we left Rodman Bay with 14 nice Dungeness crabs and
continued west in Peril Strait through Sergius Narrows and on to Kalinin
Bay. After anchoring, we took the Grady
White fishing and came back with a king salmon caught in one of the usual
places, (Yes, the places are local knowledge, you have to come learn for yourself).
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| Patrick getting ready to clean the first king salmon of the season |
June 2 – Kalinin Bay
We fished from the Grady White and captured 4 more King salmon
and 1 Quillback. The rain continued all
day.
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| Patrick & Jon with the next four king salmon |
June 3 – Kalinin to Sitka
Departing from Kalinin Bay at 0700 in the rain, we docked
without incidence at Sitka at 1050. Our
oldest son Cameron arrived on time from Helena, Montana on the 1310
flight. Dinner was a group affair at the
Channel Club.
June 4 – Sitka – Maintenance Day
After more than 1500 miles, it was time for oil changes on
both the main engine and the generator.
Liljegren’s toured Sitka and Cameron helped with the oil changes.
June 5 – Fishing at Biorka Island
We let everyone sleep in, so the fishing began with a 0610 departure from Sitka, towing
Teri’s Mink, the tender to Steel Tiger.
Swells were running 8-10 feet and the winds was steady at 20-22
knots. The seas calmed in the lee of
Biorka Island and both boats began fishing.
We lost 2 fish and finally returned to the dock at 1415. The rain was heavy at times.
June 6 – Sitka
Patrick and Cameron fished in the Grady at Kalinin Bay
without success, except for rockfish. The rain continued all
day.
June 7 – Sitka
Liljegren’s left just before noon, taking the halibut and
three king salmon with them. Patrick and
Cameron then fished at Viskari Rocks, and then at Long Island. Cameron caught his first King salmon.
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| Cameron with his first king salmon |
June 8 – Sitka - Fishing with Big Blue Charters.
The seas offshore were too big for the Grady White, and
Spirit would have rolled badly in the 5-10 foot seas, so Miriam, Patrick and
Cameron went out on a charter boat from Big Blue Charters, bringing back 1 King
and one small halibut, which became dinner.
There was enough halibut fillets to make four more meals, so they were
vacuum packed and placed in the freezer.
We have collected 7 king salmon and 3 halibut so far from the combined efforts of Liljegrens and Gills.
June 9 – Sitka
Cameron departed shortly before noon, returning to Helena,
Montana, taking home two king salmon.
The rest of the day was spent doing laundry, checking provisions and
preparing to depart Sitka in the morning.
We will fish and crab before the commercial crab season begins on June 15, and then return to Sitka on June 17. No new posts until then since we will be out of cell phone range.
