Trophy halibut fishing has begun out of Gustavus, Alaska, near the mouth of Glacier Bay.
During my first week of charters, Ron Goode of Napa, Calif., reeled in a 235-pound halibut, the first 200-plus-pounder of the season. The fish was caught on a whole king head marinated in Pautzke's Halibut and Rockfish Nectar.
We've been catching limits of 50- to 70-pound fish, plus a few really big ones, and releasing lots of 15- to 30-pound fish.
Salmon fishing is fair at Deer Harbor, but with good reports out of Sitka we expect good fishing the next week.
Lots of bait is beginning to show up, mainly candlefish but some herring too, so the big halibut should arrive on the next big tide.
If you want to fish there are some walk-on opportunties on Sundays and Mondays, but call ahead as space is very limited.
