The wind was perfect for sailing across Kachemak Bay to Halibut Cove Lagoon. With only the main sail, we cruised at 6 - 6.5 mph in a steady SW breeze of 10-15 mph. We debated playing around a little with sailing, but there was a dark rain cloud chasing us and we didn't want to sail in the rain unless necessary. As we neared the entrance of Halibut Cove Lagoon, we lost our wind and the rain caught up with us, so we dropped the sail and motored. This weekend, we timed the tides better and we were able to get into the lagoon quite easily.Upon docking 
the boat and to our disappointment, we learned that nobody has caught or seen any kings swimming around the lagoon. Halibut Cove Lagoon is host to one of the many state run enhanced sport fishery programs. The State Fish and Game sets up pens with salmon fry from wild stock eggs and after they imprint to that area, they are released. In 3-5 years, the kings return to this area in hope of finding a fresh water stream to reproduces and finish their life cycle. Unfortunate for the salmon and good for the sport fisherman, there aren't any fresh water streams conducive to salmon spawning, so the kings circle aimlessly around the lagoon, while the fishermen try their luck. Near the end of June when kings loose their bright fresh color and no longer bite at any piece of metal thrown their way, the area opens up to snagging. Two years ago and one day before snagging opened, Bryant caught a king, but mostly it seems we've found ourselves either too early or too late to take full advantage of the good fishing.
the boat and to our disappointment, we learned that nobody has caught or seen any kings swimming around the lagoon. Halibut Cove Lagoon is host to one of the many state run enhanced sport fishery programs. The State Fish and Game sets up pens with salmon fry from wild stock eggs and after they imprint to that area, they are released. In 3-5 years, the kings return to this area in hope of finding a fresh water stream to reproduces and finish their life cycle. Unfortunate for the salmon and good for the sport fisherman, there aren't any fresh water streams conducive to salmon spawning, so the kings circle aimlessly around the lagoon, while the fishermen try their luck. Near the end of June when kings loose their bright fresh color and no longer bite at any piece of metal thrown their way, the area opens up to snagging. Two years ago and one day before snagging opened, Bryant caught a king, but mostly it seems we've found ourselves either too early or too late to take full advantage of the good fishing. In spite of the lack of kings, the area kept us busy for the weekend. Wyatt and Gus
had their usual beach exploration going on at low tide and they even found kids at the nearby cabin, to join in on their fun. On Saturday, we broke up the day by hiking up to China Poot Lake, a 5.6 mile round trip hike. The trail was in excellent condition, only a few minor mud holes and not too surprising, the buds were just starting to come out on the trees. Last night, Wyatt picked a big container of fiddleheads (a curled up young fern), and I cooked them for dinner. While on the trail, they were sampling raw ones and determined they weren't really that good. Throughout the day, I was reminded about how cool China Poot Peak is and decided I need to prioritize a trip to the top sometime. I thought it would be to early in the year to climb it. Then, I met a couple on the dock and they said there were patches of snow on the trail, but not enough to stop them from summiting. One of these days . . . .
had their usual beach exploration going on at low tide and they even found kids at the nearby cabin, to join in on their fun. On Saturday, we broke up the day by hiking up to China Poot Lake, a 5.6 mile round trip hike. The trail was in excellent condition, only a few minor mud holes and not too surprising, the buds were just starting to come out on the trees. Last night, Wyatt picked a big container of fiddleheads (a curled up young fern), and I cooked them for dinner. While on the trail, they were sampling raw ones and determined they weren't really that good. Throughout the day, I was reminded about how cool China Poot Peak is and decided I need to prioritize a trip to the top sometime. I thought it would be to early in the year to climb it. Then, I met a couple on the dock and they said there were patches of snow on the trail, but not enough to stop them from summiting. One of these days . . . . The next morning we went against our natural weekend instinct and woke early to catch the high tide. While deflating the dingy, which Wyatt uses more than anyone, we boiled water for coffee and then headed out of the lagoon. There was absolutely no wind, so we motored to a new halibut hole that was on our way back to Homer. For about 2 hours, we fed fish at the bottom of Kachemak Bay. Beside catching a record size irish lord with a mouth the size of a cantaloupe and a bunch of deadly spines, I caught 2 small halibut, a couple of cod, and a few other more normal sized irish lords - not likely to become a fishing place we return to, as Bryant's luck wasn't any better.
As I was pulling anchor to head back to Homer, a wicked mean cold wind attacked. Instead of pulling the sails out and making our way to Homer like real sailors, we acted like true fisherman and motored back the 1/2 hour to port where the Sol Searching now awaits for another adventure.
For more pictures click: http://picasaweb.google.com/jillcaho/HalibutCoveLagoon
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