Watch the video below to get a taste of what it's like to be aboard the F/V Ava Jane with Captain Steve.
A Note from The Captain:
"Wow. It's amazing how quickly the Bristol Bay sockeye season can go from no fish, to a ton of fish, and then suddenly be over.
Even after 23 years of fishing, the speed of the migration still amazes me. This year, we were expecting a run of 51 million sockeye in Bristol Bay, and were delightfully surprised when the total run came in at 56 million. The timing was perfect, allowing for a strong harvest of just over 40 million fish.
We had a productive season and are looking forward to sharing the catch with our customers. The fish were averaging around 5.3 pounds, which means we're delivering beautiful fillets averaging about 1.4 pounds each.
We spent the first half of the summer fishing the Nushagak River district, and then moved over to the Naknek River district to finish out the season. While we did miss some fish during the transfer, it turned out to be the right decision. During the move, we discovered an exhaust leak on the boat and were able to fix it during a closure (avoiding explosion), which meant we didn’t miss any fishing time…That was a blessing.
Our crew was made up of two greenhorns and two returning fishermen. Zach and Layten did an amazing job, as always, while the new crew members learned quickly and became a huge asset. I'm already looking forward to having all of them back next season to help with the 2026 harvest.
The last few days of the season were spent with our family onboard, harvesting the tail end of the run. It’s great to have Jenn and the kids on the boat, especially as Ava and Tommy get older and become more capable. It won’t be long before they’re working the back deck all season. Tommy loves running the hydraulics, while Ava prefers picking fish. And of course, Jenn steps in as First Mate.
Once the fishing wrapped up, we quickly winterized the boat and enjoyed a week of sport fishing on the Naknek River and its tributaries. We also made a trip up to Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park, where we saw the river absolutely choked with sockeye salmon. It was so thick with fish you could have walked across their backs with snowshoes. The park ranger said only about three fish per minute were making it up the falls. I couldn’t help but wonder if they were just a bit too big to jump, causing a salmon traffic jam below the falls.
We were fortunate with the weather this summer. Aside from a couple of rough days, it was unusually kind. It was warmer and drier than average, making for an enjoyable season captaining from the open-air flybridge of the F/V Ava Jane.
Other than the exhaust issue, the boat ran well in its 11th season.
You never really know what the run will be like, so I usually set my expectations based on the biologists’ forecast and take it one day at a time. It’s best not to get your hopes too high and instead focus on what’s actually happening as the run unfolds.
I’m grateful The run exceeded expectations, and especially grateful to bring the crew home safely to their families. And now we’re excited to share our catch with our salmon family!"
– Steve
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