We ventured out to some new territory at Montague Island in search of big halibut. We dropped anchor in a little deeper water than usual and slid back on anchor just behind a big rock pile. We pulled all sorts of fish off the spot including Yelloweye Rockfish, Halibut, Black bass, Quillback rockfish and bunch of big Lingcod. We arrived just in time to catch the tail end of the incoming tide and for as long as the current was strong we were catching fish. By 11:30 we hit slack tide and had to make a move to an area more productive for an outgoing tide. Unfortunately, the fishing was nowhere near as hot and heavy as the previous, still we managed to hook a few small halibut and lost a giant one right under the boat due to a tangle with another rod.
A premiere day on the water, the sun was out and not a ripple on the surface of the water. In the afternoon we made a third move off a rocky shelf where we anchored on top of a large school of candlefish (bait). Everyone on the boat had fish on at the same time and we limited the boat with small halibut in a matter of 1 1/2 hours. The drive home was spectacular, whales were breaching and large schools of Kittywakes were feeding on bait that the pink salmon were driving up from the depths. The gulf looked like a postcard in every direction making me feel very fortunate to have the best view. Kudos to all my fisherman today, job well done. Another good day of fishing and weather on the horizon. See you tomorrow. FISH ON!