How Ordering Works

Why the wait?

Wild sockeye are caught in summer in Bristol Bay. Boone sells that summer catch. Fish are flash frozen soon after harvest. Boxes ship in August 2027.

Dates to know

• Ordering closes: end of June 2027
• Fishing season: summer 2027, Bristol Bay
• Door shipments: August 2027
• Spokane pickup: August 2027

Step one, in full: reserve

Pick your boxes on the shop page. Fillets come in 10 lb and 20 lb boxes. Portions come in 5 lb and 10 lb boxes. Smoked sockeye comes in a 1 lb pack and a 2 lb gift box.

Add the boxes to your cart. Go to checkout. Pick door delivery or Spokane pickup. Door delivery adds $29 to the order. Spokane pickup adds nothing.

Checkout gives you an order number. The number starts with BOONE. Keep the number in your email. The Track Delivery page reads that number.

Step two, in full: the wait

Your order waits after checkout. The fish for your box are still in the ocean at that point. Sockeye return to Bristol Bay in summer.

The wait runs from your order date to summer 2027. An order placed this fall waits longer than an order placed in June 2027. Both orders fill from the same summer catch. Both ship in August 2027.

Your order status reads reserved during the wait. Nothing is wrong when the status sits still for months. The season sets the pace.

Step three, in full: the catch

Joseph Montecuco fishes out of Igiak in summer 2027. Igiak is in Bristol Bay. Bristol Bay holds the largest wild sockeye run in the world.

Alaska manages the bay by escapement. Fish pass the fishing grounds first. Those fish reach the rivers and spawn. Fishing opens after the count is met.

The catch is flash frozen soon after harvest. Flash freezing drops the fish to frozen fast. The cold holds the deep red color. The cold holds the firm texture.

Boxes are vacuum sealed after freezing. The seal keeps air off the fish. Sealed fish stores well in a freezer.

Step four, in full: August 2027

The season ends. Packing starts. Door orders ship in August 2027 in insulated packing.

Spokane pickup orders are ready in August 2027. Boone confirms the pickup spot by email. Boone confirms the pickup hours by email. Bring your order number to pickup.

Your tracking status moves that month. Check the Track Delivery page with your order number. The page shows the step your order has reached.

Receiving your box

Bring a door delivery inside the day it lands. Move the packs to your freezer that day. Keep every pack sealed.

Thaw one pack at a time. Move a sealed pack to the fridge the night before you cook. Cook that fish the next day. Leave the rest of the box frozen.

Smoked sockeye needs no cooking. Thaw it in the fridge. Serve it cold. Refrigerate the pack after opening.

Questions about the cycle

Can I order in July 2027?

Ordering closes at the end of June 2027. The boats fish after that date. Orders for the next season open after the 2027 boxes ship.

Why does Boone sell one catch a year?

Bristol Bay sockeye run once a year, in summer. Boone sells that run. A single season sets the whole calendar.

What if August 2027 finds me away from home?

Pick Spokane pickup if you live near Spokane. Pickup waits for you in August. Door delivery needs someone at the address to bring the box in.

Does the fish change hands before it ships?

Joseph fishes the sockeye in Igiak. The catch is frozen in Alaska. Boxes ship from that catch in August 2027.

What a reservation holds

A reservation holds a share of the summer 2027 catch. The share matches the weight on your order. A 10 lb order holds 10 lb of that catch. A 20 lb order holds 20 lb.

The hold starts at checkout. Your order number marks the hold. The number follows the fish from the season to the shipment. That is why the confirmation tells you to keep it.

The hold ends at your freezer. The box ships in August 2027 or waits for Spokane pickup. From that day, the fish is yours to cook through the fall and winter.

Freezer planning for August

Clear space before the box lands. Fillets store as flat sealed packs. Portions store as a stack of single servings. A 10 lb box fits along one wall of a home freezer. A 20 lb box takes about double that room.

Cook from the box across months. Thaw one pack at a time in the fridge. Cook that pack the next day. Leave every other pack sealed and frozen.

Smoked sockeye stores the same way. Thaw a pack in the fridge when you want it. Refrigerate the pack after opening. Eat it within the time on the package.

After August

The season closes when the boxes ship. Orders for the next catch open after that. The cycle starts again with a new summer run.

Your order number still works on the Track Delivery page after delivery. The page keeps the steps your order passed through. Keep the number with your order email.

The short version

Order through June 2027. Fish are caught in Igiak in summer 2027. The catch is flash frozen and vacuum sealed. Boxes ship or wait for pickup in August 2027. Your freezer holds the fish from there, one sealed pack at a time.