Halibut Cove kings
Several charter clients and do-it-yourselfers hooked into quality fish in Halibut Cove Lagoon Saturday and Sunday.
Most drifted eggs to catch these enhancement-run kings.
The king fry for future returns was released Monday and fishing for adult kings should remain steady for the next couple of weeks.
Homer Spit
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced Monday that the Fishing Hole will open to snagging at noon Wednesday, June 29 through midnight July 4.
All other regulations pertaining to this fishery remain in effect including the daily bag limit of two king salmon of any size.
The harvest of a king salmon 20 inches or longer must be recorded, in ink, immediately on the back of the license or on a harvest record card.
Remember to watch out for other anglers and avoid walking directly behind them during this potentially hazardous time. Excited anglers sometimes hook innocent bystanders this time of year as their snagging hooks fly out of the water during aggressive pulls or when the hook releases from a fish.
July 4 Halibut Tournament
The Friends of the Fishing Hole invite halibut anglers to get out on the water for the inaugural Fourth of July Homer Halibut Tournament.
Proceeds from this one-day event go to the Fishing Hole silver salmon enhancement program.
The entry fee is $100 and the angler who catches the biggest fish will take home 40 percent of the pot.
Entry forms can be found at the chamber, The Gear Shed, The Sport Shed and Ulmer's Drug and Hardware.
Homer Halibut Jackpot Derby
The overall leader remains Dale Nelson of Grand Forks, N.D.
His 276.2 pounder was caught last month with Capt. Dave Cloud on Time Out Charters.
The June leader so far is Glenn Buchhorn from Bartlett, Texas, and his 228.8-pound fish caught aboard the M/V Falcon with Capt. Tony Arsenault.
The top five June leaders all weighed in at 200-plus pounds.
The wind picked up considerably over the weekend limiting fishing time. This week boats will have to contend with some of the largest tides of the year.
Big fish
Speaking of big fish, John Bierman, of Los Angeles, Calif., caught a 365-pound halibut with Capt. Steve Moe of the Deep Creek Fishing Club.
The fish is the second largest ever caught from a Kenai Peninsula boat and leads the Ninilchik Halibut Derby. (See story page 1A)
Anchor River
Saturday was hot during the last weekend of king fishing on the Anchor River as nearly 800 fish passed through the weir during the day.
The river is now closed to fishing until July 1 when other salmon species can be caught below the bridge.
The upper section of the river opens to Dolly Varden fishing and catch-and-release trout and steelhead fishing Aug. 1.
Clam tides
Good clam tides will continue through Sunday while the biggest minus-tide (-5.0) occurred this morning.
Remember to rebury the littleneck and butter clams that you don't take neck up as you refill the holes you dug.
Diggers for littleneck and butter clams in Kachemak Bay are not required to obtain a permit.
The razor clam daily bag limit is the first 60 dug. You must keep all the clams you dig (up to the limit.)
Tight lines.
Got a fish story? E-mail me a picture and/or a few words to ben.stuart@homernews.com.
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