Summer has flown by. Enjoyed 2 groups of guests and our trip to Mali, and now it’s already late August.

Went to Homer a few days ago and bought a boat previously owned by famed Alaska outdoor writer Jim Reardon. Hope to get back into commercial trolling, albeit on a smaller scale, as well as an overnight boat I can take my nieces/nephews out and about, as well as for deer hunting. Boat will come across the gulf by ferry, and I’m already having buyers remorse but it’s a solid fiberglass Roberts hull and 453 Detroit Diesel. Beautiful weather in Homer, and the town is a lot larger than I remember.

We bought the boat from Ollie Morris, who was born in Barrow. His dad was a fur trader up there, and I was intrigued by all his stories. He and his wife and a friend came down for the sale. They all graduated with the legislator I used to work with in 1957 in Fairbanks, and her husband. The friend happened to be the mother-in-law of a UAF friend still in Fairbanks. Ollie and his wife Pat raised their kids near where my wife grew up. Sara was on the swim team with one son, and graduated with another. Pat was her Girl Scout leader. Alaska is such a small state. I bought the boat as much because of these relationships as what I planned to use it for.

A former boss who taught me how to fish now has highly acclaimed fish (from processors) after putting to work what I taught him – even though at the time he fought me almost all the way. I was able to get some of his fish for my customers who’ve been waiting since June for king salmon, and am sure they’ll all be happy.

Coho fishing has been decent. Ron and I caught 3 yesterday, and boy was it great for dinner last night.
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Mark Stopha
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
www.GoodSalmon.com