Reds carry opening day at the Copper River

Thursday's season opener at the Copper River produced an estimated catch of 155,000 sockeye salmon and 1,100 Chinook, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports.

"This compares to an anticipated harvest of 32,000 sockeye and 2,100 Chinook salmon for this period," the department says.

Deckboss hasn't heard a thing about prices. Anybody?

The Copper River District will open at 7 a.m. Monday for another 12-hour period.

Bristol Bay nets are smoking

Wow, fishermen netted more than 1.8 million sockeye for the second consecutive day Monday in Bristol Bay, the Department of Fish and Game reports.

The tally for the season thus far is now over 10 million fish.

Some big days are yet to come if the harvest is to reach the preseason forecast of 24 million fish.

Millions of sockeye already netted at Bristol Bay

The fishing is heating up at Bristol Bay, the Big Daddy of Alaska salmon fisheries.

Nothing compares to the bay — not the Copper River, not Cook Inlet, not Kodiak or the rest of the world, for that matter — when it comes to sockeye wealth.

State biologists expect a commercial catch of about 24 million reds this season, with the peak of the fishery to come around the Fourth of July.

We're seeing some considerable fireworks already, with close to 4 million fish caught through Thursday.

Should be interesting to see what kind of price fishermen get this year, what with the global recession and all.

If you'd like to follow the daily catch totals at Bristol Bay, click here.