Haines Skagway Fast Ferry for Fly Fishing

[LizzieBee]

Ovation of the Seas is in Skagway on June 10th. We want to take the Fast Ferry from Skagway to Haines roundtrip. Ovation is scheduled to be in Skagway from 7 am to 5 pm. We want to take the 3 pm ferry back to Skagway, putting us back in Skagway at 3:45 pm. The time coming back before that is 1 pm, which I don't think is giving us enough time to do our thing in Haines. The HSFF dock is in the small boat harbor, next to the railroad, so it is very close to the ship, but I'm wondering if this is enough time. Thoughts? 

[edinburgher]

3 hours ago, LizzieBee said:

We want to take the 3 pm ferry back to Skagway, putting us back in Skagway at 3:45 pm. The time coming back before that is 1 pm, which I don't think is giving us enough time to do our thing in Haines.

It depends on your own personal take on risk.

 

If the later ferry is the very last one which would get you back to the ship before it sails with or without you, and something/anything went wrong with it or the timing, could you handle that?  Some cruise pax are comfortable taking the last form of transport whatever and wherever it may be, others are more cautious and like to have a safety net in the "last one" and instead choose to take the second last one for their own peace of mind.

 

Haines is tiny and unless you  have big plans for there or were  hoping to head out of the town, you wouldn't need much time there at all.

Edited January 26 by edinburgher

[LizzieBee]

5 hours ago, edinburgher said:

It depends on your own personal take on risk.

 

If the later ferry is the very last one which would get you back to the ship before it sails with or without you, and something/anything went wrong with it or the timing, could you handle that?  Some cruise pax are comfortable taking the last form of transport whatever and wherever it may be, others are more cautious and like to have a safety net in the "last one" and instead choose to take the second last one for their own peace of mind.

 

Haines is tiny and unless you  have big plans for there or were  hoping to head out of the town, you wouldn't need much time there at all.

Thank you for your insight. We are fly fishing in Haines, so we have plenty of entertainment. 😛

Our guide suggested the 3 pm ferry back to Skagway. I, too, am leaning toward the 1 pm ferry. I'm hoping I get some more thoughts. Thanks again!

 

 

[wolfie11]

Do you have a fly-fishing excursion in Haines? June 10 is a bit early for salmon, so I assume you're going for trout or dollys. But the 3pm would get you back in time.  All aboard would be 4:30pm.

[karatemom2]

Yes. The ferry service is very reliable and an easy walk. We have done it a couple of times on port days. Once from Haines to Skagway and once from Skagway to Haines and back. There will likely be other cruise ship passengers onboard with you since the ship sells excursions in Haines. 

[Aquahound]

23 hours ago, wolfie11 said:

Do you have a fly-fishing excursion in Haines? June 10 is a bit early for salmon, so I assume you're going for trout or dollys. But the 3pm would get you back in time.  All aboard would be 4:30pm.

 

You don't think the kings will be running in mid-June? 

[wolfie11]

18 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

You don't think the kings will be running in mid-June? 

Most of the runs start in late June or July in fresh water.  You can troll for kings off a boat in May or June.

 

How are you planning on getting to a fishing spot?  The ferry drops you off near Fort Seward in Haines.  The best place to fly fish would be the Chilkoot River, which is about 10 miles from there.

 

[LizzieBee]

@Aquahound @wolfie11 We don't fish for Kings. As you may already know, fishing for Kings has been on and off for several years. Due to the fragility of their numbers, we don't even bother with them anymore. We fish out of Cooper Landing during July in the odd-numbered years, fishing the Kenai River. Shout out to our guides, Dave and Jeff, at Cooper Landing Fishing Guides! Of course, we love "fishing" the run. Let's be honest: you're not fishing during the run. You're catching, even with your fly-rod, and almost as easy as dip netting. Almost. Last year, we shipped our catch of 170 pounds of salmon back to Missouri and enjoyed many salmon dinners with friends and family. We enjoy the Soldotna area, too, fishing the Kasilof. (Side note: unless you're an Alaska resident, you may not dip net during the run.)

 

So, we will NOT be fishing during a salmon run, given that we will be in Haines in JUNE. While possible, not our target. We are planning on Dolly Vardens and Cutthroat. We do not troll or downrigger for any fish. It's not our style. We enjoy river and stream fishing. Our guide will meet us at the Haines ferry, and we will probably head to the Chilkoot.

 

Back to my question and decision: We will take the 3 pm fast ferry back to Skagway.

 

Tight lines!

Edited January 28 by LizzieBee
clarifying

[SightCRR]

With that additional info sounds to me like it will work and likely have other OoSeas people on the fast ferry back. I don't know if Grayling are available but they would be a treat to catch and release. 

[Ileneilene123]

On 1/28/2024 at 7:22 AM, LizzieBee said:

Our guide will meet us at the Haines ferry, and we will probably head to the Chilkoot.

May I ask which fly fishing guide you are using? We want to try this in July. Thank you. 

[wolfie11]

On 1/28/2024 at 5:22 PM, LizzieBee said:

@Aquahound @wolfie11 We don't fish for Kings. As you may already know, fishing for Kings has been on and off for several years. Due to the fragility of their numbers, we don't even bother with them anymore. We fish out of Cooper Landing during July in the odd-numbered years, fishing the Kenai River. Shout out to our guides, Dave and Jeff, at Cooper Landing Fishing Guides! Of course, we love "fishing" the run. Let's be honest: you're not fishing during the run. You're catching, even with your fly-rod, and almost as easy as dip netting. Almost. Last year, we shipped our catch of 170 pounds of salmon back to Missouri and enjoyed many salmon dinners with friends and family. We enjoy the Soldotna area, too, fishing the Kasilof. (Side note: unless you're an Alaska resident, you may not dip net during the run.)

 

So, we will NOT be fishing during a salmon run, given that we will be in Haines in JUNE. While possible, not our target. We are planning on Dolly Vardens and Cutthroat. We do not troll or downrigger for any fish. It's not our style. We enjoy river and stream fishing. Our guide will meet us at the Haines ferry, and we will probably head to the Chilkoot.

 

Back to my question and decision: We will take the 3 pm fast ferry back to Skagway.

 

Tight lines!

Wow! Did you catch your 170 pounds of salmon on rod and reel or did you dip net?

[LizzieBee]

6 minutes ago, wolfie11 said:

Wow! Did you catch your 170 pounds of salmon on rod and reel or did you dip net?

Fly rod. Only residents of Alaska are permitted to use the dip net method. We fished the Kenai Peninsula using drift boats to get from one hot spot to another for several days, usually catching our limit within 2 to 4 hours each day. It was wild!

[LizzieBee]

5 hours ago, Ileneilene123 said:

May I ask which fly fishing guide you are using? We want to try this in July. Thank you. 

https://www.hainesflyfishing.com/

JoAnn is our contact. 🙂

[Ileneilene123]

5 hours ago, LizzieBee said:

https://www.hainesflyfishing.com/

JoAnn is our contact. 🙂

Thank you so much!