DIY fishing Alaska

[shanna135]

Will be in several ports end of August early September.  Anyone have any stories of going out and catching some fish on their own?  We just went on our first cruise in the Eastern Caribbean and I caught fish at all six ports.  Thanks for any help

[wolfie11]

Shore fishing is possible in some ports when the salmon are running but you will need to bring your own gear, buy a license and salmon tag, and be aware of all the local fishing regulations.  

[diesel1973]

If you spend some time in Anchorage, you can fish downtown in Ships creek. You can rent fishing equipment there. Of course you need to catch the salmon runs which occur in the summer months.

[karatemom2]

We rented a boat in Sitka and had a great day fishing. Caught lots of rockfish and one ginormous halibut. It was amazing. 
 

This is not for everyone- my DH is a commercial fisherman with 40 years of experience running boats and fishing, so the vendor was comfortable renting to him without a guide. The waters around Sitka have a lot of shallow rocks so care and experience is needed. 
 

I believe there is also a boat and tackle rental in Ketchikan and you can fish off Creek Street there as well. We have fished at Ward Lake in Ketchikan too. 

[AKJonesy]

Depending on your ports, you might try getting on Trip Advisor Forum and asking the locals for that area.  Yes, it's possible to fish without a guide but you need some local information.  

[Ileneilene123]

On 3/30/2024 at 8:11 AM, shanna135 said:

Will be in several ports end of August early September.  Anyone have any stories of going out and catching some fish on their own?  We just went on our first cruise in the Eastern Caribbean and I caught fish at all six ports.  Thanks for any help

(ETA: oops I see your original post was not actually asking about FLY fishing — sorry if I hijacked your post. I don’t know how to delete.)  
 

I was just about to post a question about fly fishing in July. Not for DIY, but looking for recommendations and feedback on guides, such as Fly Guides in Haines/Skagway and Family Air & Hook Up Fly Shop in Ketchikan. 

Edited April 5 by Ileneilene123