Well, after good fishing late last week, the fish are gone for now. Just 1 fish by 11am. I was entertained by a young humpback doing repeated spiral breaches near the boat. Rainy with a SW lump, which makes me sleepy with the lack of fishing action.
Mark Stopha
F/V Dutch Master
Alaska Wild Salmon Co
4455 N Douglas Hwy
Juneau, Alaska 99801
907-463-3115
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Sold my fish off the dock to our Juneau customers yesterday. Then laoded the remainder into fish totes, and used a homebuilt power cart to push the fish up the dock and onto the pickup truck. We built the contraption out of a snow blower (sans the blower attachment) and a t wheel dolly frame – both given to me just because the givers knew we were trying to invent something. Bob, our resident welding friend, then took things dfrom there to make the unit operational. It still needs refinement, but is easier than pushing the fish by hand like I used to. You’d think in a town like Juneau, there would be things like a crane to do this work. Our Harbor Board, however, has taken just about every opportunity to remove infrastructure vital to the commercial fishing industry in favor of new infrastructure for the cruise ship tourism industry. What’s even more frustrating is that they receive fish tax money directly from me, yet continue to discourage small boat fishermen from o!
perating in Juneau. I’m thinking about running for our local city assembly to give folks like us a voice in the town.
After offloading, I had a good hour of email correspondence. Then a weekly dinner with our friends in Juneau where we supply a fish, and they do the cooking. After that, I dropped off a fish at the Glory Hole, our local homeless shelter run by a friend. Then finally home to see how much fish we had to ship out, then how many customer orders on our waiting list we could fill. Next, I called those customers to schedule delivery. The next morning, I was up at 6 to begin boxing up mail-order items. Then to the processor to ship fish to a restaurant in Fairbanks owned by a family from my tiny hometown of Bolivar in western New York state. Next to the airport to ship fish, then the post office to mail the mailorder items, next to the grocery store for fruit and peanut butter and jelly and bread – my boat staples. Then a drop off of smoked salmon to a friend for his mom, and to borrow more books for the week to read. Finally, stopped to pick up some bait and gear, and down t!
o the boat. A final call to a friend who is shipping out my fish for me so ai don’t have to wait in town for it to be filleted first.
Every trip turnaround is like this. Almost impossible to get business done in one day and get back fishing. It’s the primary difference between being a fisherman and running a fishing business.
Mark Stopha
F/V Dutch Master
Alaska Wild Salmon Co
4455 N Douglas Hwy
Juneau, Alaska 99801
907-463-3115
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Good fishing yesterday and okay today, too. Lots of herring at the surface here, and a few humpback whales showing up, feeding on them along with the eagles, salmon, rockfish and halibut. The herring are very large, with a single fish just about filling the stomach of a 17 lb king salmon.
I noticed my first flock of gulls today near a creek mouth. The herring are too big for the gulls – these herring are eagle food. I was surprised that the gulls didn’t follow behind the boat to grab the fish entrails as I cleaned fish. Out on the outer coast, the gulls only need to see a troller come out on deck to flock behind his boat, whether he is cleaning fish or just checking his gear. Not many boats fish here in comparison to the outside area, so I’m guessing it’s a trained response.
Mark Stopha
F/V Dutch Master
Alaska Wild Salmon Co
4455 N Douglas Hwy
Juneau, Alaska 99801
907-463-3115
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A baker’s dozen yesterday. Lots of herring here, with a couple dozen eagles constantly airborne over the schools, trying for a fish. Today, overcast, with 6 fish from 4am to 9am.
Caught my first coho of the season yesterday, and one more today.
Catching many small halibut. I’d always thought of them as strictly bottom dwellers, but I’ve caught many at least 60 feet off the bottom, likely traveling up to feed on the massive schools of herring here.
Mark Stopha
F/V Dutch Master
Alaska Wild Salmon Co
4455 N Douglas Hwy
Juneau, Alaska 99801
907-463-3115
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Replaced the compass on the autopilot and that fixed the problem. Caught one of my largest kings yesterday eve.
Mark Stopha
F/V Dutch Master
Alaska Wild Salmon Co
4455 N Douglas Hwy
Juneau, Alaska 99801
907-463-3115
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Traveled to Chatham yesterday. Caught one king upon arrival. Today, 3 kings and 2 lost at the boat so far. Sunny and warm again. Incredibly, now the autopilot, which I repaired last year, is acting up. Hpoefully just a little air in the system, as after a midday nap, it now appears to be working fine. The rebuilt transmission appears to be running just fine. It appears our waters are becoming more and more of a police state. The Coast Guard appears to be checking every fishing boat in their radar range. Not sure what threat our little fishing boats are to national security so far from any important strategic or economic center, but it makes you wonder hoe much of our freedom and privacy we are willing to give up. We, after all, elect the people who dictate national security policy.
Mark Stopha
F/V Dutch Master
Alaska Wild Salmon Co
4455 N Douglas Hwy
Juneau, Alaska 99801
907-463-3115
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