It was a tough season for most of the fishermen in Sitka Sound. It was my dad’s 37th summer: it was my first.
An ocean that never really settled down, we had very few good stretches of weather, and the fish were hard to find — far offshore and far between. Add to that a near-record length second king opener — it was an understatement to say we were tired by the time September and the end of our season rolled around. And with the season extension, there are still a few brave and hardy boats still out, pulling in this season’s saving grace: some of the biggest cohos we’ve ever seen, fish that come aboard like solid silver anvils.