Fishing in Juneau or Skagway

[RickinStl]

Hello all. My wife and I are taking our first cruise to Alaska next July. I would like to know if there is an easy way to do some fishing with we're docked in either of these ports.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated

[bonvoyagie]

I think you will find the most fishing charters (and excursions) out of Ketchikan (not Juneau or Skagway)

[xlxo]

I've seen whale watches in Juneau.... haven't seen whale hunting.

 

I assume your boat will be in Ketchikan....

 

I see the locals often fishing off the nearby bridge at the dock. This is another opportunity... some pics I just Googled....

 

Edited September 7, 2015 by xlxo

[slider728]

I have not fished in Ketchikan personally (and I haven't been back there in 15 years, so I'm sure things have changed) but I think "xlxo" is right. I recall people fishing by the bridge (I think it is called the Creek Street bridge, but as I said, I have not been to town in years). Something worth considering.

 

I cannot speak intelligently to Skagway, but in July, you would likely have good fishing at the fish hatchery (DIPAC or the Macaulay Fish Hatchery). A pair of rubber boots helps, but depending on the tides, you might not even need that.

 

The downfall is getting there. You could take a taxi, but it would be more convenient if you had a car.

 

Personally, I snag fish there rather than use fishing lures. To each their own though. You can pick up snagging hooks at any sporting goods store in Juneau (Western Auto is closest and will likely have what you need. However, they are one of the more expensive stores IMHO. If you are only fishing for a day, I would say just go there)

 

For snagging, I use a rod on the stiff side (I guess fast action is the proper term. I use a medium to fast action rod). I tend to opt for 25lb test monofilament line as I think it wears a bit better and does not fray as fast due to barnacles and rocks. However, I do love the feel and lack of elasticity of braided line (I think I used Spiderwire), but it seemed to weaken and fray much faster than mono.

 

In July, there will probably be a few king salmon, but mostly you'll see dog salmon (chum) and pink salmon. King salmon is tasty, but I don't go out of my way to keep dog or pink salmon personally.

 

I can answer more specific questions about fishing there if you like. As I said, it would be best if you could rent a car to get there. Taking the city bus is possible (lots of locals do this) if you have everything you need in advance. Same with a cab. However, a car would let you run, get a license, get some snagging gear or whatever "lure" floats your boat, and get some fishing in. You could run to the glacier on your own after and likely have time to spare.

 

The quality of fishing at DIPAC is a bit tide dependent in my opinion. Again, I would be happy to offer my opinions if you like.

[Budget Queen]

I have not fished in Ketchikan personally (and I haven't been back there in 15 years, so I'm sure things have changed) but I think "xlxo" is right. I recall people fishing by the bridge (I think it is called the Creek Street bridge, but as I said, I have not been to town in years). Something worth considering.

 

I cannot speak intelligently to Skagway, but in July, you would likely have good fishing at the fish hatchery (DIPAC or the Macaulay Fish Hatchery). A pair of rubber boots helps, but depending on the tides, you might not even need that.

 

The downfall is getting there. You could take a taxi, but it would be more convenient if you had a car.

 

Personally, I snag fish there rather than use fishing lures. To each their own though. You can pick up snagging hooks at any sporting goods store in Juneau (Western Auto is closest and will likely have what you need. However, they are one of the more expensive stores IMHO. If you are only fishing for a day, I would say just go there)

 

For snagging, I use a rod on the stiff side (I guess fast action is the proper term. I use a medium to fast action rod). I tend to opt for 25lb test monofilament line as I think it wears a bit better and does not fray as fast due to barnacles and rocks. However, I do love the feel and lack of elasticity of braided line (I think I used Spiderwire), but it seemed to weaken and fray much faster than mono.

 

In July, there will probably be a few king salmon, but mostly you'll see dog salmon (chum) and pink salmon. King salmon is tasty, but I don't go out of my way to keep dog or pink salmon personally.

 

I can answer more specific questions about fishing there if you like. As I said, it would be best if you could rent a car to get there. Taking the city bus is possible (lots of locals do this) if you have everything you need in advance. Same with a cab. However, a car would let you run, get a license, get some snagging gear or whatever "lure" floats your boat, and get some fishing in. You could run to the glacier on your own after and likely have time to spare.

 

The quality of fishing at DIPAC is a bit tide dependent in my opinion. Again, I would be happy to offer my opinions if you like.

 

 

Fishing licenses are also required. :)

[tee_harbor]

There are many fishing charters out of Juneau. I don't know about Skagway, but I can tell you that there's few commercial fishing vessels out of Skagway, so I don't think of it as a place I'd fish.

 

To find a reliable charter, search this forum. It won't be cheap, but they'll pick you up at your ship, supply you with a license and equipment, and I assume have your fish filleted, frozen and shipped home. It'll work out to about $100 a pound. :D

 

Yes, you can fish at DIPAC, but you'll have to bring your own equipment and get there and back. There used to be a little shack that rented gear, but I don't remember seeing it open this year. And then there's the matter of doing something with anything that you catch.

[slider728]

It won't be cheap, but they'll pick you up at your ship, supply you with a license and equipment, and I assume have your fish filleted, frozen and shipped home. It'll work out to about $100 a pound. :D

 

The economics of fishing in Alaska :) By the time I fly up there, rent a stall at Tee Harbor, pay for gas for the boat, maintenance on the boat, fishing gear, herring, etc, etc.... It probably costs me 2 to 3 times as much per pound for the fish than if I would have just bought it from the grocery store in the midwest (and that is with me doing my own processing)

 

Though nothing will ever beat fresh (never frozen) halibut or a Dungeness crab that is 60 minutes out of the crab pot, boiled in ocean water!

[downrunner]

My son, grandson and I fished in Ketchican last September. You can rent a pole with lures at Dolly's on the Fleet creek boardwalk for about $35 for three hours. She also sells fishing licenses. Walk on up the trail to you come to a bridge, just on the other side is an access road down to Fleet creek. We were back after two hours as we caught so many salmon we were physically exhausted. Way cheaper than a ships excursion and a great time.

[Suzanne123]

ChumFun will take you in a van out to the hatchery dock in Juneau for fishing.

 

http://www.chumfun.com/

[xlxo]

We were back after two hours as we caught so many salmon we were physically exhausted. Way cheaper than a ships excursion and a great time.

What happened to the salmon? Sushi? Air mail home? Not sure they allow for bringing back on the boat.

[duck addict]

Fishing licenses are also required. :)

 

 

A one day license for non-residents is $20

[bluebeard39]

you can google Fat Salmon charters in Skagway. I am doing a 1/2 day Salmon fishing with them next July. They will take a reservation and get back to you in October or November for July 2016

[downrunner]

We released them all. Seems it was $95 to send one home. We get a lot of salmon were we live so it wasn't worth it to us. Still was a lot of fun.

[jplee3]

Hello all. My wife and I are taking our first cruise to Alaska next July. I would like to know if there is an easy way to do some fishing with we're docked in either of these ports.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

 

Hey which cruise line are you on? We'll be in both towns on July 17th and 18th via RCCL Explorer of the Seas. I booked with Hooked on Juneau. Though, I'm debating doing a Fly Out with Bear Creek Outfitters....

[asubaru]

Two in my group are doing this charter in Skagway and it gets excellent reviews. They are doing the 6 hour.

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60877-d6219324-Reviews-Never_Monday_Charters-Skagway_Alaska.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello all. My wife and I are taking our first cruise to Alaska next July. I would like to know if there is an easy way to do some fishing with we're docked in either of these ports.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated

[cruiseonthebrain]

My son, grandson and I fished in Ketchican last September. You can rent a pole with lures at Dolly's on the Fleet creek boardwalk for about $35 for three hours. She also sells fishing licenses. Walk on up the trail to you come to a bridge, just on the other side is an access road down to Fleet creek. We were back after two hours as we caught so many salmon we were physically exhausted. Way cheaper than a ships excursion and a great time.

 

Do you recall how much the license was?

[jplee3]

Do you recall how much the license was?

 

 

A one-day nonresident license is $20 and a 3-day is $35.

 

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=license.pricinglist

[RickinStl]

Hey which cruise line are you on? We'll be in both towns on July 17th and 18th via RCCL Explorer of the Seas. I booked with Hooked on Juneau. Though, I'm debating doing a Fly Out with Bear Creek Outfitters....

 

I'm so in.. I just don't know what my wife will do.. We have an excursion with Have and marvs in the morning in Juneau.. other than that I just want to drop a line in the water

[jplee3]

I'm so in.. I just don't know what my wife will do.. We have an excursion with Have and marvs in the morning in Juneau.. other than that I just want to drop a line in the water

 

 

LOL, same here! Well, I guess my wife will hang with the rest of my family OR watch our infant haha. BTW: the ship is scheduled to be in Juneau from 12pm-9pm. Are you sure the tour you're going on is in the morning? You may want to double-check your booking to make sure of the time.

 

I am tentatively scheduled with HookedOnJuneau for 1pm for a 3 hour local fishing tour (he will give a brief tour of the DIPAC Salmon hatchery and then we fish for the remaining time... snacks provided). Either way, it looks like buying a license is a must. If you plan to fish Juneau and Skagway, you may want to consider buying a 2 day license (perhaps in advance). Other than that, I'm really considering just doing a fly out fly fishing tour out of Juneau with Bear Creek Outfitters... of course, I would end up doing that and not the HookedOnJuneau tour. Though I think with Bear Creek Outfitters they want you to book everything through the cruise ship. If you're up for it (and I guess if I am haha), and if we could find one more person to go though, we could potentially get in for a slightly cheaper rate of $415 per person - they require at least 3 ppl for the commitment (http://www.juneauflyfishing.com/fishing_trips.html - booking through the cruise line is around $440-450 I believe). Let me know your thoughts on that. I'm debating this because I really want to come back to Alaska on a separate occasion for a dedicated fishing trip in which case I would likely do a fly out at the point in time anyway... just not sure how realistic a trip like that really will be for me.

 

As far as fishing in Skagway, there are a few options. I got in touch with Dyea Dave (local tour guide) and he recommended Pullen Creek right by the cruise ship IF the salmon are running. Otherwise, hiking up to Lower Dewey Lake for Dolly Varden and trout is another option. As far as anything else (including the elusive Arctic Grayling), it sounds like it would require driving out or renting a taxi/shuttle (Dyea Dave could help out with this too).

Edited April 3, 2016 by jplee3