Here’s how those two days, so typically Alaskan vacation days, went.
Day One
The first day was dedicated to king salmon fishing. We utilized a chartered boat departing from Homer. Initially, the fishing was slow, resulting in just a few small rockfish and various other catches. Our son-in-law managed to reel in a Dolly Varden trout, an uncommon sight for me in salt water. However, it wasn’t until around noon that we had any luck with salmon. Following a gut feeling, the charter boat captain steered us towards a different area, where our daughter caught a 28-inch king salmon, and I snagged one between 29 and 30 inches.
The weather that day was stunning—sunny with a brisk breeze over the water and temperatures reaching the 60s. Apart from a successful fishing excursion, we also had the pleasure of witnessing a pod of orcas, possibly on the prowl for the same salmon we were targeting.
King salmon are fascinating creatures, known to many as Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), and they can grow to impressive sizes. They inhabit the North Pacific, ranging from Alaska to California along North America’s west coast, and in locations like Kamchatka and Hokkaido in Asia, with introduced populations in spots like Lake Michigan. Among the salmonids, they rank as one of the largest, with mature individuals averaging over 30 pounds in weight. Alaska’s Kenai River boasts the largest population, with the river producing the world record catch—a colossal 97-pound king salmon.
We expect some good eating out of our specimens.
Day Two
On the second day, we went out after halibut. This was a long-range trip, around the bottom end of the peninsula and into the Gulf of Alaska – but the seas were rough and the fishing difficult. We did see a humpback whale smacking the water with a flipper, and a few sea otters bringing their catch to the surface and using their tummies as a dining table. But we didn’t get into the halibut until we retreated into more sheltered waters, at which point everyone on the boat managed to limit out on middling-sized fish.
Our family came away with two good-sized king salmon, eight halibut, and a dozen or so rockfish. Not a bad two-day haul. I came away sore; the Midwestern rural kid in me still has a hard time dealing with a small craft in rough water, and I found myself being slammed repeatedly into the railings. A couple of the folks on the boat spent some time hanging over the rail. Still, it was worth it. No trophy halibut on this outing, just lots of good eating.
In addition to fish, whales, and otters, we saw a variety of birds, including the gulls that followed the boat in a cloud, eagles soaring at an arrogant height above the waves, puffins, murrelets, and more that we only glimpsed.
