I learned today what many old timers have told me – when you get a fish on, don’t always rush to get it off, as it may attract other fish to the gear. I was losing fish near the boat that would throw the hook because they were pulling so hard. So, I started leaving fish on awhile to let them tire out some before I pulled them in. This lead to multiple fish on the wires and more fish landed. I even had one at the surface and saw another one try to get the hook from its mouth. Another day of good catches.

I took a nap in the late afternoon and came out for the evening bite. Dozens and dozens of eagles were diving on the tons of herring feeding on the plankton blooming thick all around.

Mark Stopha
F/V Dutch Master
Alaska Wild Salmon Co
4455 N Douglas Hwy
Juneau, Alaska 99801
907-463-3115

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Clear and hot today. Caught 7 by 2 pm, and took a nap, then looked for a leak in the tranny. Back fishing at 5:30 pm or so. First pass down the drag I got a “clatter” – multiple fish on each of my 4 wires. Finished the evening with 15 more kings, with a few coho, pinks and a chum, too. Sealions are arking as I sit here at anchor and ready for bed.

Mark Stopha
F/V Dutch Master
Alaska Wild Salmon Co
4455 N Douglas Hwy
Juneau, Alaska 99801
907-463-3115

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Another trip turnaround doing a week’s worth of work in a day and a half. Sold our catch at the dock to Juneau customers, hauled the rest of our fish to our fish processor to ship orders out of town, call customers who had fished shipped to see that they recieved it in good shape and are happy with it, respond to numerous email inquiries, send some website updates to my webmaster (we’re now Kosher!), talk over plans to with my processor to service a large coho salmon client in Juneau, ship orders of canned salmon to our natural food store outlets, send billings for last week’s shipments, fill out a fish ticket for last week’s catch, check in with our poor bookkeeper, buy groceries, change the engine oil, get more ice, and leave town again. All in less than 2 days. Sure happy to have my wife back home helping.

Still losing a little tranny oil, but luckily my mechanic walked by. He gave me advice on what to check, and I loaded him down with a fresh king salmon for home. His son is working in his shop now, after 4 years in the Navy. He told us about his son working down in the bilges of aircraft carriers with bilge up to their waists. Nastiness…

Mark Stopha
F/V Dutch Master
Alaska Wild Salmon Co
4455 N Douglas Hwy
Juneau, Alaska 99801
907-463-3115

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Almost 80 degrees today. Sunny, with a southerly swell. Fishing in front of Angoon, which has transformed from a commercial fishing town to a sport charter town, with some of the best fishing anywhere right in front of town. After catching a few last night here, I tried again today, and the fishing was good enough to keep me here – everywhere else where I know to fish has been poor, and I usually only find new areas when all the ones I know are a bust. Sent word through a friendin Angoon to call my wife to let her know all is well, as I’ve been out of cell range for several days.

Mark Stopha
F/V Dutch Master
Alaska Wild Salmon Co
4455 N Douglas Hwy
Juneau, Alaska 99801
907-463-3115

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Very slow. Only 3 keepers and a coho from 5:30 am till 6 pm. Sunny and hazy. Still hope to have a little late evening action that saved the day yesterday. 3 boats at Danger Point near Angoon was down to 1 today, and he left about noon, so looks like it’s slow in a lot of the area. I’ll probably stick it out here, and hope to get one or two double digit days to make a decent trip.
Still no more fish by evening. These are the days that no matter how many times I go through them, I worry about our financial situation, and how much money I’ve spent so far this week just in fuel and groceries, etc. I also begin to doubt my fishing ability, or I feel like everyone but me is in another spot catching all the fish.

It only takes a clatter of fish to forget all the doubt and feel like happy days are here again.
Mark Stopha
F/V Dutch Master
Alaska Wild Salmon Co
4455 N Douglas Hwy
Juneau, Alaska 99801
907-463-3115

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First day of coho season, although we catch few where we fish now. No kings thru 1 pm today. Calm seas, overcast, a little rain, and lots of feed, but no kings. I’ve noticed many cow humpbacks with young calves this year, and few pods of more than 3 whales thus far this spring. Saw one young brown bear foraging on the beach.

Just one king in the boat by 5 pm. Had a big one to the boat, and then
the swivel ring on the flasher broke and away he swam with my gear. Lost another 1 or 2 before I saw them on the gear. Seems like the days I catch hardly any are the days I lose the most fish, and when I’m in the fish, I don’t lose any.

Caught a few more fish by 8pm, so not a bad day. Seems like lots of male? humpbacks showed up today, attracted, I’m sure, by all the herring present.
Mark Stopha
F/V Dutch Master
Alaska Wild Salmon Co
4455 N Douglas Hwy
Juneau, Alaska 99801
907-463-3115

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