Sitka
is a place where all your dreams of fishing in Alaska can
come true. Every morning Kain's Fishing Adventures' sportfisher
leaves the sheltered docks deep in Sitka Sound and the only
sound, if any, is the scream of a bald eagle. The ancient
town of Sitka is shrouded in dawn shadows as the boat threads
through islets to more open water. The morning sun shoots
broad swords of light through the banners of clouds bugging
the mountaintops of Baranof Island and backlights the mixed
fleet of salmon trawlers and sport boats headed out to the
fishing grounds of the open ocean. Seagulls pile one on another
near a kelp bed by a finger reef of volcanic rock, but skipper
Greg Kain dismisses the frenzy with a quick look through the
binoculars. "They're on rockfish."
Instead Kain sets
up a drift over an offshore hump that the video sonar reveals
in full color. Then he shows us the underhand cast necessary
to keep the long leader of the mooching rig from tangling
with the sinker.
"Go ahead and drop it all the
way to the bottom," Kain says. "First thing in the
morning there's a chance of catching some kings."
And that's just how Bobby Loomis
of G. Loomis kicks off the morning - he hooks up with a bright,
deep shouldered chinook that puts a good bend in the G. Loomis
STR 1265, which is a 10'6" mooching rod.
But it's Bob Loomis, Sr. who
gives us a lesson on how to put the mooching rod to good use.
He starts hooking silver salmon with uncommon rapidity, and
the chunky cohos rocket up to the surface as soon as they
feel the bite of the long rod.