Nine-year-old Miles Lawrie holds fishing gear next to the 45-pound king salmon he landed – the first king he’s ever caught. (Photo provided to the Sentinel)
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
For many Sitkans, fishing is a way to fill the freezer or earn a living. But for nine-year-old Miles Lawrie, fishing is a chance to spend time with his grandparents on the water.
So it was a bonus for Miles when, while fishing with his grandparents on July 8, he caught his first ever king salmon – a 45-pounder.
“The pole went like ten feet out, just dragging, it kept going hard way out,” the Miles said.
It’s unlikely he would have caught the big Chinook if sea conditions out in the sound hadn’t made grandparents Pete and Shelley Palmer decide to fish close to town. They had been planning to go out to Vitskari Rocks, a popular fishing ground south of Kruzof Island.
“We were headed for Vitskari. My wife and grandson were with me and we thought that the water was too rough,” Pete Palmer said. “So we decided instead of going (to Vitskari) that we’d come in and stay close to town. That’d be good enough.”
Shelley Palmer said they wound up fishing in flat calm conditions, so they can credit the rough sea conditions offshore for Miles’ chance to catch the big king.
“If it hadn’t been so rough, we would never have caught it, because we went where no one was fishing,” she said. “I mean, there wasn’t a single boat anywhere near us, just super flat.”
After about an hour of fishing, a line went tight and Miles rushed from the cabin to play the fish.
“I got pretty excited, I was just like, ‘There’s a fish! I’ve got to run out there,’” he said.
After about ten minutes of carefully reeling in the large king with his grandparents’ help, Miles had the 45-pounder on board. He’d never caught a king salmon before, but had fished in the Swan Lake trout derby.
The Palmers lived in Sitka for over a decade, but now live in Michigan and come back to Sitka in the summer. Miles lives in Sitka with his parents, Ben and Cara Lowrie.
Pete Palmer plans to fish with his grandson again.
“Now he’s going to have to wait until next year to try to get the bigger one,” Pete said. “And we’ll be out there next year.”
For Miles the best aspect of the fishing trip wasn’t just catching a salmon, but the time out on the boat with his grandparents.
“My favorite part would maybe be probably just catching fish and enjoying the time,” Miles said.
