Hooked on Sitka

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 the kelp bed by the 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 a long rod.

Back