Homer Weather ?Window? arrives

40°F in Homer at 1pm on Thursday and the forecast is for temperatures to remain above freezing through Sunday and part of Monday. And little if any chance of snow in the forecast. Partly cloudy/sunny each day.

Unfortunately this year's "good" winter weather always seems to have a "catch." The wind will be picking up to 15kt Friday, and 20kt Saturday thru Sunday putting 4 to 5 foot seas on the water. So if its warm and not going to rain on the party its gonna blow and add another variable to contend with. But the good side of that sort of weather and these 40 degree air temps is it stirs up the water and adds some heat back into the system and that should have a positive effect on bringing kings back into the area and hopefully some baitfish as well.

I did do some checking around with my sources last night to see if there has been any close in improvements on the Spit for kayakers. There hasn't been very much "pressure" on the local fishery from anglers lately so intel is spotty.   General consensus is kings are apparently moving around and one day they hit them good at one location like the Bluffs and the next day the same spot is a blank. It appears the general area off the end of the Spit is seeing that same trend on a more limited scale.

It won't be long before these feeders should start turning up with hooligan in their bellies as the smelt and herring will be staging in the Inlet and Kbay pretty soon. Right now off the Spit there have been a few kings taken on some days when folks have been out. The production zone has been working the bait at 50-90 feet down and more out towards the Can than off the Condos. With a lack of baitfish the kings may be focusing on marine worms on the bottom as this may be their only source of protein in these barren areas. If you get a king with a scuffed up nose you know they have been digging for worms in the rocks.

I think I'll work on the Kayak gear this weekend in my shirt sleeves outside and pass on the lumpy seas. It can only get better from here on out.....more or less. 

I was out there yesterday, more for testing new gear than anything. The temps were great with nearly calm waters. I fished a little out by the buoy with no strikes at 65 feet down. It was just great to get out and see some nature. I witnessed an eagle swoop down and pluck a small fish from the water, and got to watch 9 sea lions in close! I'm out of town for a few days, but sure hope the weather cooperates when I get back!


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I witnessed an eagle swoop down and pluck a small fish from the water, and got to watch 9 sea lions in close! I'm out of town for a few days, but sure hope the weather cooperates when I get back!

Hey Kat, geez you are a tough one! heheh  Thanks for the on-the-water report.
Those sea lions were probably waiting for you to hook up so they could get an easy meal.    And might well have "influenced" your fishing success in other more devious ways too.

BUT, your observation of the eagle swoop on a small fish as well as the presence of large numbers of sea lions could be a very positive indication that smelt are beginning to move into the central Inlet and stage in the area. So your observations have some good value beyond just your personal pleasure from the trip. Winds this weekend are out of the West so it might be lumpy out there but another takeaway might be it pushes those baitfish towards the Spit and we know who will be following that scent!

That eagle meal may have been a dazed or wounded hooligan on the surface from sea lion attacks on a school. Just need some sea gulls to come back to give us some additional indicators and guidance.