I was walking across a city campground area the other day when I overheard several visitors bemoaning the fact that silvers at The Fishing Hole were in serious short supply and the small boats they were towing ruled out a shot at the halibut grounds. They were considering packing up and heading for Seward.

I took a look at their rigs and decided to let them in on the semi-secret of Mud Bay east of the enhancement lagoon.

Many years ago, after we first moved down here, a fishing buddy who owned a relatively small skiff, offered to take me halibut fishing. I was a bit wary until he told me it was about a 10-minute run from the mouth of the harbor northeast to his "secret holes." Some of those trips turned out to be the most fun a guy can have in a little boat with light gear. We used salmon rods and simple rigging with herring for bait.

We'd usually head out around slack-tide then anchor up with a scent bag attached to the rope in about 16 feet of water and wait for the tide line to arrive. As the current started to roll, so did the action. The fish were small at first but still fun to catch with the equipment we were using. Things got more exciting as the water level changed and more fish swept into the area attracted by the submerged lure trail.

Have you ever nailed a 20- or 30-pound flatfish with salmon tackle in really shallow water? There's no heavy hauling because all they can do is run straight away from you at high speed and the fight is on. Believe it nor not, sometimes they leap out of the water like silvers, but mostly it's similar to tangling with a king.

Those "secret" spots are still there and can be found with a little searching. There also are deeper areas in the 70-plus foot range in the vicinity of the barge buoys that can be productive too.

Believe me, you can fill your freezer with flats (some more than 100 pounds) from Mud Bay with a little patience and exploring the bottom for your own hush-hush holes.

Anyway, the visiting fishermen decided to stay and give it a shot. Hopefully, they had as cool of a time as I did.

Now let's get to the Homer area fishing report.

Emergency Orders and Regulation Reminders

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is requesting that people participating in the non-commercial fisheries for Tanner crab in Kachemak Bay refrain from setting crab pots in the outer bay (i.e. outside the Homer Spit), particularly in deep water areas until Sept. 9. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration is conducting a sonar survey to provide detailed bottom and habitat mapping of Kachemak Bay during those dates.

The waters upstream of Fish and Game markers on the Anchor River, Deep Creek and Ninilchik River are open to fishing only for Dolly Varden and rainbow/steelhead trout. The rainbows and steelies may not be removed from the water or kept, and must be released immediately. These upstream waters are closed to all salmon fishing, including catch-and-release. (Don't ask me what you do if you hook a salmon that you weren't fishing for in the first place when it's also closed to catch-and-release.)

Fresh Waters

On the Anchor River, Deep Creek and Ninilchik River, anglers can expect fair to good catches of Dolly Varden. The limit for Dollies, in these waters, is two per day and two in possession.

Pink salmon fishing is fair to good and actually hard to avoid at times.

Dolly Varden are whacking most anything resembling salmon eggs along with small spinners that they think are cool. Fly-fishers are having good success with egg patterns, beads and Muddler Minnow patterns.

Anglers fishing the lower sections of the Anchor River and Deep Creek report fair to good catches of silver salmon. Some do not. It reminds me of the old saying, "I fish, therefore, I lie."

The limits for salmon are three per day and three in possession, only two of which can be silver salmon.

Treble hooks and bait are currently allowed. Try using salmon roe and herring when targeting cohoes. Size 3 or smaller flashy spinners and spoons are effective enticements for salmon, Dolly Varden and underwater snags.

Pink salmon are returning in good numbers to streams on the west side of Kachemak Bay for those of you thrilled by such news.

Salt Waters: Halibut

Halibut fishing continues to rock in Lower Cook Inlet. Most anglers are catching their bag limits with most halibut harvested weighing 15-20 pounds. (Some with tags in their gills are worth serious bucks if you have sense enough to buy a derby ticket.)

Fishing near Bluff Point, Point Pogibshi and Flat Island has been productive especially if you know what you are doing.

Daily limit is two halibut, possession limit of four. Herring is the preferred bait, though some anglers are using squid with success along with red-eyed white jigs.

Salt Waters: Salmon

King salmon trolling success is still fair in Lower Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay and miserable north of Bluff Point.

Popular trolling set-ups include herring, green Hootchies, tube flies and assorted weird-looking spoons. Try using dodgers or flashers for an extra draw to your submerged buffet offerings. Trolling through a mass of bait fish ain't a bad idea either.

Silver salmon fishing is so slow at the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon I almost fell asleep writing this sentence about it.

Cured salmon eggs will work well if anything shows up on an incoming tide, ditto for herring. During slack water in the lagoon, try fishing bait below a bobber if you want to experience the ultimate definition of boredom.

The daily bag and possession limit for silver salmon is six in the lagoon area (good luck with that goal). The fishing lagoon is currently closed to snagging, but if you spot some scoundrels going at it, call (907) 235-8239 and bust their butts.

Outside the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon area, the daily bag and possession limit for silver salmon is three.

Silvers also are being caught in the Point Pogibshi and Flat Island areas, but most are hanging around the big bait fish supply about 24 miles out in the inlet.

Other Saltwater Fishing

Dolly Varden, flounder, cod and various ugly things are available off the end of the Homer Spit. Try fishing small silvery or orange spinners for the trout and anything that smells like rotten sushi for the rest.

Lingcod season is open. Lingcod like to hang near the rock piles and pinnacles. Best fishing success is usually in the vicinity of the Chugach Islands. There is a minimum size limit of 35 inches and a bag limit of two per day, two in possession. Any fish intended for release must not be gaffed. The bag limit between Gore Point and Cape Fairfield is one per day and one in possession.

Personal Use

The Kachemak Bay coho salmon gillnet fishery opens Monday. A permit is required and available at the Homer Fish and Game office.

Shellfish

A series of good clamming tides run Aug. 18-24. Remember, the best time is one hour before to two hours after low tide.

The razor clam daily bag limit is the first 60 that you dig.

Check your Southcentral Regulation Summary Booklet for clam limits.

Fisheries for king crab, Dungeness crab and shrimp in Cook Inlet remain closed.

The Tanner crab sport, personal-use, and subsistence fisheries in Cook Inlet are open. A permit is required and available at the Anchorage, Soldotna and Homer Fish and Game offices.

Nick C. Varney is a fishing fanatic in search of semi-truthful tales, tips and facts associated with anything that includes bait and a pole. If you have some, he can be reached at ncvarney@gmail.com.