King
Salmon: May thru mid-August
Sitka sits at a major migratory crossroads for chinook (king)
salmon. Our waters abound with kings from rivers and hatcheries
in Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska. Why do these
fish migrate north to Sitka? In a word—food. The Gulf of
Alaska is enormously productive, abounding in krill, herring,
and Pacific sandlance (a.k.a. needlefish). Kings gorge themselves
in the Gulf twelve months of the year. The main runs pass Sitka
from May through mid-August. Our kings move through in huge schools
with multiple hook-ups commonplace. Sitka fish are mint bright
and aggressive feeders—not spawners. They fight harder than
salmon close to the home river and those you keep for the table
will taste better. Expect the kings to average close to 25-pounds
with fish over 30 fairly common. Kings in the 50, 60, and even
70-pound class are possible from the beginning to the end of our
season. In a nutshell, this is the best saltwater chinook fishing
in the world. Try it. We know you'll agree.
King
Salmon Photo Gallery
(click image to open)
Coho
Salmon: July, August, September
Fast, wildly aggressive, and acrobatic, coho (silver) salmon swarm
into Sitka's saltwater wilderness beginning in late June or early
July most years. Expect early season coho to average around 7-pounds.
By late July the average creeps closer to 10. We regularly catch
coho in the 15-pound class with fish pushing 20-pounds possible.
What silvers give up to kings in size, they more than make up
for in numbers. Quadruple-headers, four on at the same time, are
anything but rare. You'll see free-swimming silvers moving past
the boat or chasing your hooked fish. Huge schools can move in
providing a hook-up on every drop. The sheer abundance of coho
makes them an ideal for light tackle. The aggressive nature and
surface orientation of silvers make them an odds-on favorite for
the saltwater fly fishermen.
Silver
Salmon Photo Gallery
(click image to open)
Halibut:
May thru September
The open ocean waters outside of Sitka abound in halibut ranging
from 20-pound "chickens" to barn doors over 300 pounds.
Halibut fishing in May and June produces a lot of good size fish.
We generally have to wait an hour or so for our baits to chum
the fish in, then it lights up. July, August, and September see
the greatest number of halibut and even faster action with short
waits for hot bites. Throughout most of the season, the fish range
from 20 to 70 pounds. Halibut over 100 pounds aren't uncommon.
We encourage the release of the biggest halibut. They are big
females that lay a lot of eggs. We target halibut with stand-up
tuna rods, 4/0 reels, and 80 pound Spectra line. The baits include
salmon guts, salmon strips, herring, octopus, and artificial squids.
Halibut fishing is weather dependent—if the ocean isn't
too rough, we'll get them most days of the season.
Halibut
Photo Gallery
(click image to open)
Sitka
