As some may know, this year we have a record number of spawning Sockeye salmon spawning in the North Pacific region.  This was very evident a few weeks ago when we were fishing up at Langara and Sockeye salmon were being caught -- they are usually never caught on the bait we use.

Fisheries were estimating some 60 million spawning Sockeye to the Fraser River in British Columbia this summer -  a great number of those fish also make it south to the puget sound and nearby waterways, and ultimately, my little river:  Bear Creek.

I took the below photos from my bridge this afternoon.  We have been watching these fish grow in numbers for the past couple weeks.  At this point, there are probably 100 fish within a 75ft stretch of the river.  Amazing... truly amazing.

There are a few photos where you can try to see how many Sockeye you can count.

The phrase, "Too much of a good thing..." comes to mind, but doesn't quite work here. "A Good Problem" seems like a better fit.... and I'm talking about the influx of business we've been getting over the past several months.  

Traditionally, summer months - particularly late July and August - have been the slow times.  In fact, I always kinda looked forward to July and August, not just for the agreeable weather, but also for the chance to take a breather from the pulsating software M&A business.  Somthing about this summer... about this time - pseudo-post recession, in a world where tech companies still have LOTS of money to spend - has left us without a moment to come up for air.

Frankly, I'm not complaining... I'd rather be busy than bored.  But, there was a headline that caught my attention, alluding to the title of "Alleycat Bankers".  The 451 group is presupposing that Boutique M&A firms (like Corum) are scrounging for deals -- having to cutthroat one another and lunge at the opportunity to pitch their services to the next hot prospect.

The article further points out that Boutiques are playing less-and-less of a role as advisors.  Re-worded, their services are in less demand than they were in the 2007 timeframe.

I dunno about all this.  Maybe Corum is excluded from these data points based on our long history, focus, and market niche.... but I certainly have only witnessed a heavier deal flow in the past 12-18 months than previous market swells.  That said... we aren't a startup Boutique, and we maintain a high market visibility for potential clients.  Thats good, right?

Just got back from our annual fishing trip to Langara Island in BC.  Langara is the Northern-most island in the chain of the Queen Charlotte's.  Fishing was amazing... great crew with us... weather held.  Couldn't ask for more.

As a part of this trip, each year we bring our Corum clients that have successfully sold their software/internet/IT companies.