By Nick Varney

Special to the Homer Independent Press


Get ready! The Spit is going to be rockin’ this weekend.

Campground spaces will be stacked with motorhomes, while the boat harbor will be full of everything from small skiffs sporting engines small enough to be used as beverage stirrers to chartered yachts keeping track of their jet skiing guests with state-of-the-art drones.

There will be all kinds of other activities, such as observing 90-degree boat ramp launch attempts or  cruising around the various cleaning tables to discover what’s hot or what sucks.

As usual, while at the tables, the most entertaining info will come from maestros wielding razor-edge fillet blades while poppin’ Buds like they’ve just stumbled out of Death Valley after being lost for a week.

Trust me. The lies and discourses shared between those characters butchering their fish will be worth the stopovers.

Take last Sunday. I was admiring some nice-sized halibut a young man was sawing on rather than filleting when a grizzled Homerite flopped down a couple of ‘buts along with eight very hefty Pacific gray cod.

The kid took one glance at the old boy’s catch and snorted. “Nice halibut, but what’s with the trash fish?”

I’ve known Ted for a cargo ship full of years, and he gave the clueless dipstick a quick look that smoked, but didn’t say a word.

Why?

Because cod fillets have a nice moist flesh and feature a slightly sweet taste. They also keep much better in the freezer, especially when compared to salmon.

Yeah, small worms can be discovered in the flesh of Pacific cod. But these annoying critters are also present in other fish, including halibut, and can be easily removed either at the time they are filleted or just before cooking.

Note: Most of such issues with cod can be eliminated by bleeding and gutting the fish immediately upon landing and adding ice.

Bonus note: There is no bag or possession limit, so you can fill your freezer with a fine cuisine which, when fried up along with a side of fries, is beyond delicious.

Time now for the fishing report for the week of June 29.

Freshwater Fishing

The Anchor Reiver and Deep Creek reopened to sport fishing for species other than king as of July. Gear is restricted to single hook artificial lures.

Expect fishing for Dollies to be somewhat boring. The best place to get into them and avoid the blackmouth would be in the inter-tidal sections of these streams. Beads, smolt patterns and small spinners will work the best.

The Ninilchik River is closed to all sport fishing through July 15.

China Poot Personal Use Sockeye

The China Poot personal use dip-net fishery opened on June 15, and a major number of sockeye have already been spotted in the netting area. Fishing is expected to hum along into July as the red run gains steam.

Saltwater Fishing

Kachemak Bay/Cook Inlet

Halibut

Halibut fishing remained flat fine over the past week, with some nice slabs landed. Fish around slack tide so you can hold on the bottom with less weight than an office safe.

Herring on a circle hook is their go-to snack but octopus; salmon heads and jigs will also get their gorge on.

King Salmon

King fishing was “fairish” last week, with several anglers reporting landings in inner Kachemak Bay, Point Pogibshi, and south of Bluff Point.

Small troll herring or spoons behind a flasher remains the most reliable setup, but if that approach produces zilch, try hootchies and tube flies. If they don’t work, check out The Dawg.

Lingcod

Lingcod fishing opened on July 1. Expect fair to peachy fishing over the next week when seas aren’t grumpy and you can jet out to the outer coast to fish along the coast from the Chugach Islands to Gore Point.

Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon

The Chinook run at the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon has been dragging its fins, but tenacious anglers are still having a bit of success landing fish on the outside and inside of the lagoon during the incoming tide. Roe, herring or mackerel pieces under a bobber along with spinners such as a #5 or #6 Vibrax will give you a fair shot at what is left of the run.

Surf Fishing

Whiskey Gulch and Deep Creek are still fine options for nailing halibut from shore.

Don’t forget about fishing off the tip of the Homer Spit. That location can be productive for a variety of groundfish, some of which are quite palatable. Others not so much, when they turn into goo when they hit a hot pan and produce the odor of unwashed socks.

Sockeye

There should be a mob of sockeye in Tutka Lagoon and in front of China Poot Creek. Most fin hunters snag these fish with weighted treble hooks. Snagging for reds was rockin’ over the last few days. Expect the party to continue over the coming week.

Until next week.

Nick can be reached at ncvarney@gmail if you have any tips, tales or want to roar some more about the floss snaggers at the Fishing Lagoon.