Waukegan June 21 thru June 27

[Captain Rick Bentley]

We completed a busy week on the water into late June that saw us return back into port with mostly good hauls of Chinook (King) Salmon.

Monday morning's trip was tough and we still got a few fish but the following day we departed a little earlier than normal at 4am and we rebounded in force with a 16 fish haul, many of those big Kings! That afternoon the fish stopped eating again but we still caught a handful on a beautiful afternoon. With Wednesday cancelled because of storms, we prepped for a full day on Thursday and put the wood to them again with 9 in the morning (and MANY fish lost) and 9 more again in the afternoon. Back out in the morning on Sunday, we found the fish to be near the same spots they had been and in just over an hour of fishing we already had 5 fish in the cooler with several more escaped. A grim looking frontal system was passing over the water to the north that began kicking up waves so we decided to head back in.

In just about a week's time or so since my last update, our catch has officially shifted over into most Chinook Salmon - Kings! Every year this transition takes place but some years it can take place over several week to more than a month. This year the transition has taken place very, very quickly and that is a scenario in which we hope for!

We continue to catch a few Coho, Rainbows, Lake Trout and Brown Trout but Chinook season is now officially here with big Kings in the area too. The 2010 season has hardly skipped a beat and with many more Chinook in our waters, earlier than than usual, I think our King Salmon catch this year is looking to be pretty stellar.

I encourage morning charters for the bigger hauls still but we have seen encouraging results in the afternoon again as well.

June is usually the slowest month for business across the charter fleet but we actually saw a 100% increase in bookings over last year. It is in this regard that I encourage you to inquire about availability and bookings as early as possible for July, August, and September for the 2010 Chinook (King) Salmon Season. There are of course dates available still but the calender is in motion and filling in pretty quickly. Just send me an email or give me a call and I will get back to you quickly, even if I am on the water fishing.

Attached are few photos from this past week. The last photo is from a newspaper in which a crew of mine that came out on June 3rd submitted and got their picture in the local paper and they passed it along to me.

Thanks for reading,
Capt Rick