FISHING SEASON UPDATES

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End of Season Sept 5-12

What an amazing end to the season.  Guests caught big silvers and the halibut came in all sizes.   On Friday, the storm front moved hundreds of pinks into the stream. The forecast had been for a big storm on Friday but it didn’t have as much impact as feared. The storm front caused some bigger tides.

Guests saw plenty of bears and wildlife.  We even had a black bear wander through the facility.  It was a nice promise of what future years hold in store for us at Doc’s.  We hope you all have a pleasant fall and winter and we will see you again “reel” soon next summer.
 

Doc’s Crew

Lots of Silvers Aug 29-Sept 4

Aug 29, 2021

In like a lamb and out like a lamb, with a lion in the middle.  The first three days of the week were sunny but calm.  Thursday was stormy and Friday had rain and calm waters.   Monday and Tuesday, our guests enjoy big silvers and plenty of them.  Wednesday was slower as the salmon moved deeper before the storm on Thursday. On Friday fishing started to pick up again.

Halibut came in all sizes this week. Because the salmon fishing was so good, the halibut catch was a little lower. 
The guests left happy this week as the catamaran was piled high with fish boxes.
 
Every week there seems to be something exciting that is share worthy. This week one of our guests had their salmon lines shallow and a seagull picked up the bait.  After flying the seagull and flasher for a few minutes, they were able to land the seagull, unhook the it and set it free.  Hopefully the seagull will lay off plastic squids for awhile.
 
Another week of memories and fish.  See you all next time at Doc’s

Lots of Silvers Aug 22-28

August 22, 2021

Runs can be tracked by paying attention to the ratio of females to males in the salmon catch. As the peak of the run approaches, the females make up 80% of the catch. During and just after the peak we see the very large males. All signs indicate the silver run is not over yet. We expect the run will peak within the next two weeks.   This week, as a guest was setting the hook on a salmon, they lost their grip and the pole went overboard.  About five minutes later they caught another fish … well they thought they did …  and pulled up the pole.  The fish was still on the hook.  Later that evening they asked if they could buy the lucky pole and mount it with his fish at home. 

On Wednesday a guest caught an octopus.  It was a big one and filled the entire net, overflowing into the boat.  When an octopus gets mad, it turns red and this one was not happy.  After some consultation, they decided to return it back to the water and keep the good story and pictures. 

Fishing was moderate during the first part of the week.  The salmon are having an incredible year with lots of large silvers.   By the end of the week, the catch was predominantly silvers, many that were nice fat ones.  Thursday and Friday saw heavier catches in spite of rough water.  

See you next time at our little bit of heaven we call Doc’s. 

Pink Salmon Aug 15-21

August 21, 2021
This was a busy week. The salmon have returned to spawn in our stream which signals the tapering of the pink salmon run. The silvers are continuing to run strong and the commercial trawlers have joined in the harvest.
 
The halibut surprised us a little as we had a few fish over 100 pounds. Generally, the halibut have been smaller for a few weeks, so this was a nice surprise. We have learned that halibut spawn several times throughout the year so maybe the females have returned from another round of spawning.
 
As you know, communications from the fishing grounds can be a little tricky sometimes. Certain places don’t have any cell service and others only have intermittent service, suitable for texting but not a phone call. This week a group of guests had brought their Garmin In-Reach device. They used it to contact us by text when their cell phones were out of range. Incidentally, AT&T is still the most reliable service in our area but only for 4G. There aren’t any 5G towers near us. If your phone is 5G only, it won’t work at all here.
 
Lynda reports strong bookings in 2022 and 2023.  Much of 2022 is sold out already. We are anxiously waiting for the next few weeks of guests as they come to that special place we call Doc’s.
 

Wettest week ever Aug 8-14

August 15, 2021
 
Last week was probably the wettest week we have had, maybe ever.  Every day the guests suited up and braved the water and wind to bring back their catch of salmon and halibut. The weather report called it an atmospheric river.  Friday, the stream muddied and we went on water rationing.  As we leave this Saturday, it looks like we will have water again before next week.
 
On Friday one boat used a unique method to catch only Silvers.  In order to catch Silvers and not Pinks, they kept swapping lures until they found one that the pinks would not bite.  Of course, the big question is – what lure did they use? Like any good fisherman, they kept it a secret!
 
The halibut continue to be steady.  We are sorting through mostly small fish to find their big sisters and every so often, one shows up.
 
It is hard to believe that two-thirds of the season is passed.  There are a few more weeks of fish stories to be acquired and memories to be lived.  Thank you for making your visit to Doc’s part of your memories. 

Great Halibut Fishing August 1-7

August 8, 2021
 
Some weeks things happen that you just can’t make up. A group from Montana hooked into a large halibut. It took some time to get it up and then once they had it secured, they couldn’t get it in the boat. Fortunately, these guests are ranchers so they knew how to hog tie it to the side and bring it back to be processed.
 
One day this week, guests trolled through good sized salmon schools. This provided a lot of excitement for them as the fishing was fast a furious for a bit. When the guests were in the schools, those landing and counting species were quite busy. One boat assigned the dad to determine species and he was complaining about having three fish in the net at a time and two more waiting.  Other boats were taking breaks so they could find time to eat lunch.
 
We are hoping the schools will continue to be found in the usual places and in a few new ones. While heading to Juneau this morning, we see a few salmon jumping so we know there are some left for you.

Calm winds, fair skies, and smooth waters - July 25- Aug 1

Calm winds, fair skies, and smooth waters.  Normally when it clears off we end up with afternoon winds.  This week was perfect weather and no winds.  Many of our guests are returning home with sun and smiles on their faces.   The salmon catch continues to be excellent.  The pink run looks like it has a few more weeks to go.  Silvers are becoming more of the catch and there looks like there will be some big lunkers this year.  We also picked up a few reds and chums.
 
Halibut was slower this week but that is normal for when the salmon jump, the time spent on halibut fishing decreases.  The mix of halibut was either tiny or huge.  Not much in the mid-range.   The picture with this post is of guests on the back deck of the catamaran with fish boxes loaded and the Fairweather mountains in the background.   
 
Stunning views and great fishing. Doc’s is always a good time.  Thanks for the memories and new friends.  See you all again “reel” soon.   ~Doc’s Crew

A little of everything - July 18-25

T’was a week of salmon, halibut, and yes, more salmon.  The fillet tables were hopping every evening and there were so many fish boxes on board the catamaran was only able to do 2/3rds it’s normal speed. Ok, just kidding.       The weather this week was a mix of everything. The tides early in the week were moderate and increased as the days progressed.  Most of the fishing grounds were fished every day regardless. We are beginning to master the art of catching rock fish, expanding the possibilities for our guests.
 
This week we had a group of retired sailors with us.  On Wednesday we all wore Hawaiian shirts and on Saturday, as we were leaving Doc’s, we sang Anchors Away with them.  It was a nice, patriotic goodbye and made us all feel a bit nostalgic.
 
Lynda reports that the demand for space next year is extremely high, so don’t delay your plans. We are taking reservations out to 2027 for those of you who like to plan ahead.  Thank you for making Doc’s a part of your lives.  We hope to see you all “reel” soon.   ~ Doc’s Crew

Fish are Jumping - July 10-17

I asked a guest how they would describe this week and they quickly responded, “It was perfect!”.  But then again, a fishing vacation at Doc’s is always a perfect way to get away.  This last week started with winds and ended with calm waters.  As the skies cleared, the Fairweather range was mirrored on its glassy surface.  There were lots of whales putting on shows and other critters sighted.

 
We had several people join our 100# club this last week.  The halibut continue to impress.  There are lots of little ones this year as well.  The salmon are in strong numbers.  We saw kings, silvers, chums, and the plentiful pinks come across the dock.  As we cruise Homeshore on our way back to Juneau, everywhere one looks there are fish jumping. Thank you all for a great week at Doc’s.  We look forward to seeing you “reel” soon at that special place we call Doc’s.
 

Fishing update - July 4-9

What a nice week it was this last week at Doc’s.  We had several new members inducted into our 100# club.  The big halibut are off to a great start and it looks like we will be adding many more new inductees as the season progresses.   Salmon fishing has remained the same.  We continue to see some nice silvers mixed in with the other species.  There was plenty of reels singing as line was being stripped off.  

The weather continues to be dry.  After our wet spring, we are grateful to dry out a little.  If it stays dry though, we will need to start watering the garden.  Wildlife continue to put on a show.  Large rafts of sea otters have been spotted in Icy Passage daily.  Whales are in large abundance as usual.  George, our bull sea lion, has not been seen this year.  His replacement is still being named but is a regular already every evening.  Wherever your summer plans take you, we hope you keep your lines tight and sails trimmed.  Fish on!

Fishing update- June 27-July 3, 2021

The story of the week was wind!  After a short-lived smooth start, the wind and waves were busy this last week.  Despite having a bumpier ride, guests roamed the entire fishing grounds all week.  As we leave the dock this morning, the waters have returned to their normal calm self and many are planning their next foray at Doc’s. 

The salmon catch continues to exceed expectations. They are in early and in good quantities. We even had a few nice kings to add to the mix this last week.  It appears that the actual returns are going to be stronger than the preseason forecasts.  Halibut this week were medium to small in size.  There were plenty that were nice and thick.  The catch was spread out.  Thank you all for another fantastic week at Doc’s.  See you all again “reel” soon.

Fishing update- June 20-26, 2021

The 2021 season is finally underway! This week we had a real mix of weather and fish.  Overall the group did well and they are planning their return to Doc’s. 

The salmon are already in decent numbers. Guests caught pinks, chums, silvers, and reds this week.  Some of them were exceptionally large for this time of year. We only saw a few kings.  The halibut are looking strong again.  We had several fish over 100 pounds and many smaller ones. In some areas there were a lot of juvenile fish.  It looks like the future halibut will continue to be great. 

We had a variety of weather this week.  The week began with sunny days but then a storm came through late Wednesday and Thursday.  The storm kept people close to home.  Friday the fleet spread itself back over the entire fishing ground.  It didn’t seem to matter though, the catch yielded many nice fish on all days.

Ready, set, fish on!  See you “reel” soon at Doc’s.  ~ Doc’s Crew

To see more pictures, take a look at our Instagram. Don’t forget to tag all your pictures with #docwarners.

Fishing Update – 2020 End of Season

The 2020 season is in the history books. As we look back on the year, it has been remarkable. Early this spring we came in to remodel and complete Fairweather. The cabin turned out great and was completed before guests arrived. We were fortunate to complete many nice additions before things turned upside down by the pandemic.

As the season progressed we had some who were unable to make it because of virus concerns. Many were grateful of our 100% refund policy and most rolled their reservations to 2021 and 2022. This means that things are looking very robust for next year so give us a call sooner rather than later.

Those that did brave the travel and dealt with the restrictions were treated to our best halibut year ever. We easily ran through three years worth of 100# club pins. It was an amazing summer to fish for those large behemoths.

The salmon also came in larger numbers than anticipated thanks to the cooler and wetter weather.

Looking forward to next year, we are expecting good fishing, excellent catching, and many fond memories. Thank you all for making Doc’s that special place in all our hearts. As always, we hope to see you again “reel” soon on your next adventure.

Fair winds and tight lines,

The Doc Warner’s Crew