Our Story

We kept our mission clear and simple: First-class salt water guiding on the North Pacific. We emphasized hands on methods, the finest light tackle, learning, and conservation of the resource. We flushed the traditional limit out and race to the dock approach and replaced it with a full day of fishing. We practiced catch and release. It worked and we earned a long list of devoted customers.

Still, by 1992 our future grew bleak. Resource problems in Washington forced short unstable fishing seasons. Faced with the unthinkable, a non-fishing job, we launched a search for a new location. My outdoor writing assignments had taken me to the finest fishing destinations from Oregon to Alaska. Our charter business had introduced us to fanatical fishermen who left no rock unturned searching for the best of the best places. All signs pointed to Sitka.

In 1993, on a wing and prayer, Angling Unlimited shifted operations to this ocean front jewel in Southeast Alaska. A 19-year old Minnesotan, Chuck McNamee, became our first employee and we freelanced for a lodge in Sitka. The fishing exceeded the stories. It was spectacular. We never looked back.

In 1995 we began operating independently in Sitka. Chuck’s future wife Jenny signed on as our second employee. We broadened our mission to include the finest service on land: a complete no worries experience from the time you step off the plane until you step back on. It worked.

Twelve years later, we run eight custom-designed Almar boats and own two buildings that house our guests. Chuck, who for more than a dozen years has shouldered every job and every responsibility with excellence, is a partner. We have a terrific group of skippers who bring the best in fishing, boating, and people skills. Our staff is friendly, energetic and willing to serve your needs. We have a single marketing strategy: word of mouth. Reputation is everything.

And, we have Sitka. On any day from May to September these waters hold the possibility of a white-hot bite that will give you stories for the rest of your life. But, one great day of fishing does not make a great destination, especially if you fly in the day after. When you step off that plane, one thing is for certain: You can’t be here yesterday.

It’s the day in, day out high level of fishing and our excellent standards of service that keep our customers coming back season after season. With Angling Unlimited, you don’t need to be here yesterday. From May until September, today will do just fine.

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