On the longest day of the year, Nushagak Section setnetters' long wait finally ended.
Longtime setnetter Ole Olson said he was excited to get out of Dillingham and back to Nushagak Point for the first opener after it was announced June 21.
"I don't care how old you are, or what you do -- that first opener, and getting ready, you know, that never leaves," Olson said that morning at the harbor. "When that leaves, you're done fishing. When you see the fish come over the rollers, there's nothing like it."
Nets went in the water at 5 p.m. June 21 for the first setnet opening for that section this year.
By 5:30 p.m., the F/V Rebel, a Peter Pan tender, had given out about 4 tons of ice to about 10 boats, said Kris Straub -- and another had pulled up for a delivery.
Dee Barker, about the 11th setnetter to stop by the tender, said he hadn't expected the opener quite so soon, but that he was glad to get started and planned to fish every opener for the rest of the season.
"I know God pretty well, but I don't know him well enough that he tells me what the fishing's going to be," Barker said. "And I'm sure that he's the only one that really knows."
Barker was fishing with a crew member -- unusual for him this early in the season -- his nephew, Paul Kruse. Kruse said he was new to fishing, but getting going was the only way to stop being a greenhorn.
The opener was much anticipated, but even after waiting, the early return appeared slow.
The preliminary estimate was that about 35,000 fish were caught in the first opener.
After several weeks of waiting in Dillingham, the June 21 announcement of the setnet opener caused a flurry of activity. Within minutes, the boat harbor came to life, both with setnetters and drifters, who were put on short notice for future openings.
Nushagak Area Manager Tim Sands said he was able to open fishing because of strong sockeye escapement to the Nushagak and Wood rivers and a solid count of kings at the Nushagak sonar on June 20.
Sands said June 22 that he expected to be able to provide fishing opportunity just about every day, depending on the runs.
The Nushagak opener wasn't the first fishing in the entire Bay -- east side fishermen have had some openers, and Area Manager Paul Salomone said June 21 that it looked like escapements were on track, and that the Port Moller Test Fishery indicated that more fish were on their way to the bay.
Before coming to the Nushagak, Straub said the Rebel had been buying fish in Igushik. Catches there were confidential early in the season because of a limited number of buyers, but Straub said there had been some activity.
"It seems like it's starting to pick up a little bit, and bigger fish, so that's exciting," Straub said.