Advice from Fisherman

[jack300s]

My buddy and I are thinking about doing some fishing one day on the cruise. Our cruise is the first week in June. Which port would be better for fishing on a charter or excursion? Ketchikan or Skagway?

 

I've read somewhere that Skagway does not have any processing plants that will ship your catch home. Is that true?

 

Any advice about fishing or charters would be appreciated....

[mapleleaves]

Fishing for what? You might want to look at the Alaska Fish and Game site for run timing by area:

 

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/FishingReports/index.cfm?ADFG=R1.summary&Area_key=3&RecordID=65

 

I've seen positive reviews on this forum for Ken at Northern Lights Charters in Ketchikan: ( http://ketchikanfishing.net/ ). Do a search to find reviews. Or look in trip reports.

 

My family goes to Alaska every June to fish. It used to be ketchikan but they found a great lodge in Sitka so that's been the go-to place for the last 4 yrs. They go mid to late June and always bring home 80-100 lbs of halibut and salmon. Since they're just flying to Seattle they bring it home as excess luggage.

[slider728]

I usually fish out of Juneau. The fish have to go by Juneau to get to Skagway, so most of what holds true in Juneau will roughly hold true in Skagway. I cannot speak for Ketchikan as I honestly have not fished there in probably 20 years and even then I did not fish there often.

 

In the first week of June, there are not going to be a ton of fish around yet. The King salmon run will be going, but king salmon fishing is nowhere near as "active" as other salmon fishing. If your lucky, you might catch one. However, I've fished roughly 10 hours a day during the king run and have gone a week without a bite. On the flip side, we've been out king fishing and had 2 on at once, but that is a rarity for king salmon.

 

Halibut might start tricking in around that time, but in my experience, that is still a bit early for halibut.

 

If you were a family member or close friend, I'd say sure, go out fishing, but keep your expectations realistic. You very well might not catch anything. However, I've seen some stellar sites out on the water, things that people dream of. Just be prepared to make the best of it, assuming you might not get a fish and if you do, major bonus!