We are so filled with gratitude for the richness of this last summer.  Not only were we in Bristol Bay, AK for the largest recorded salmon return in history with our brand-new boat the F/V Maggie B., but it was also the first season our children, Maggie (5.5) and Ben (3.5), came aboard as deckhands for the very end of the season.   Here is a photo and video collection of our high points.

For our 2018 Halibut Season the sunshine, tides and kids temperament lined up for a great family fishing day.

It's a dream come true to have our new boat finished and to actually have time to enjoy her!

Our winter in Homer,  AK has been both fun and productive.  The systems on our new boat, the F/V Maggie B. are taking shape and we should be on schedule for a mid-April boat launch.

Kyle has transformed a big burned up mess into a promising boat project!  Check out these great progress photos.

It's that time of year again- when we are so excited for the upcoming season.  

Excited to put the 'ol F/V Northland back in the water.  Excited to catch the first beautiful, fresh, sockeye salmon for 2016.  Excited to see so many returning customers placing their orders and licking their lips in anticipation for the upcoming harvest.

THANK YOU to all of our customers that put their orders in by the end of May- it really helps us plan for our season.  GOOD NEWS, if you haven't yet we are still taking orders- so keep them coming!  

 Kyle and our 2016 (rockstar of course!) crew of Jamie and Jake are putting the final touches on the boat hoping to launch into the river in the next couple days.  Fresh paint on the decks, repairs to the fiberglass that was smashed around too hard last year, new buoys for the upcoming smashing around, hanging new nets . . . the list goes on.

So far the 2016 sockeye salmon return to Bristol Bay, AK is just starting.  There is a test boat that fishes the southern line of the fishing district and so far they are reporting an index of about 20.  (When the fish are REALLY coming in strong later in the season this number rises as high as 200!!).  New in Bristol Bay this year is that you have to drop your permit card on your first fishing day.  In the past there was a 'Free Week' before you had to commit to a fishing district.  What's important about this is there is a 48 hour closure if you decide you want to change from one are to another.  48 hours doesn't sound like a big deal, but in the commercial fishing world missing out on a HOT 48 hour fishing period can really decrease your season's catch.

On the home front, Emily reports that staying at home with a 3.5 and 1.5 year old is probably an equal challenge to commercial fishing!  Last year was probably a greater challenge than fishing and it's expected that next year will be easier than fishing.  Kyle is still eager for Small Scales Seafood salmon season to be a family fishing venture so he can pass on his fishing bug to his kiddos and not have to be away for so long.  We hope to get some good, calm skiff fishing for Alaskan Rockfish and Pacific Cod with Maggie and Ben aboard later in the summer! 

Thanks for reading.

 

 

Good News: We have Salmon Shares available now!  Contact us to reserve your Scrumptious Sockeye Salmon. It's snowing and cold and snowing here in the Methow Valley! It's a New Year!  We hope your year is a joyful one.

We're all getting ready for the upcoming season:

-Emily is tallying up everyone's orders, making her lists and checking them twice.  (Get your orders in asap to guarantee your Share of Scrumptious Sockeye Salmon!) -The munchkins are practicing their slip and slide skills on our new salmon slide.  (Once installed on the boat this slide will help every salmon gently slide from the net to the fish holds filled with chilling 34 degree water.) -Kyle recently returned from 5 furious days of pre-season boat work in Naknek, AK.  He cut a 9" hole through the bow of the Northland to install a bow thruster.  This will help maneuver the boat through swarms of boats and nets.

For all the details, including ways we're improving quality and shipping in 2015, pricing, and fall delivery information, read about our Salmon Shares.  Subscribing to our blog is a great way to get announcements about the 2015 season and your order. We hope you're well and enjoying those last scrumptious pieces of the 2014 season. Thank you, thank you, Emily, Kyle, Maggie and Ben

We've been busy the last month with our new greatest project: Benjamin Harding Lints, born 10/10/14 in Brewster, WA.  Benjamin weighed 8 lbs. 10 oz and measured 21 inches at birth.  He is healthy and content and already proving to be a gentle soul.

We are so grateful!!!

We are spending the fall-spring back in the Methow Valley of WA.  We joke that the Methow is our calving ground and Alaska is our feeding ground.  Last week we bought boxes of winter storage onions and squash from a local farmer in Twisp.  The beauty and succulent taste of the onions is so incredible and so much better than what we buy at the grocery store.  Granted, we had to coordinate back and forth to arrange a pickup time and may have paid more than the non-organic, non-local store counterpart. It reminds us that buying directly from the producer is so much more rewarding in knowing who we are supporting and in the quality of the food.  We hope you feel the same about buying fish from us! We are doing our best to get back to customers but may be on a newborn sporadic schedule for a little while.  It's amazing how a little one can shake things up!  We have about 500 pounds of sockeye to sell before the end of the year and 300 pounds of halibut and will be in touch soon.  Thank you to all of you have already bought your Scrumptious Sockeye Salmon Shares this year.  We hope you are enjoying the scrumptiousness!