King Salmon: The first 10 days of June '19 have been awesome, especially after 2 ('17 & '18) consecutive years of "slower" King salmon fishing to start off the season. Lots of activity on the ocean, marking tons of feed on the depth finders. Lots of diving birds and whales working the water column. And lots of Kings! The boats have been getting limits of King salmon on most days, and it's only been taking an hour or two to get it done (especially the last few days). The feed is what drives the enormous King salmon schools to Sitka, and it's definitely here this season. It's starting to heat up & it's about to get hot!!! Don't miss out on an adventure of a lifetime.
The 64th annual Sitka Salmon Derby ended Sunday (6/2/19) at 7 PM with some excitement. One minute prior to ending, the last fish turned in tied the leader at 31.2 pounds. But because it was turned in second, they had to settle for second place. A fun tournament to participate in and non-residents can join in on the fun. This is a 5 day derby, starting the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend (first 3 days) and then ends the following weekend (last 2 days). Let us know if you are interested in participating next year.
Because of the slower starts to King Salmon fishing the last couple of years, we reduced the rates for May & early June in anticipation of another slow start. Those who booked with us during this time this year have been rewarded with lower prices and great King salmon fishing. We already have our May 2020 prices & early June (June 1-10) 2020 prices posted on our website. Take a look at these and give us a call. We expect a busy 2020 and these are some awesome dates at a reduced price.
Speaking of feed... Herring is one of the most important resources we have in the waters surrounding Sitka. It's the reason salmon travel here year after year. It's the reason you travel thousands of miles to visit Sitka. Sitka is the only town left that has a herring fishery in all of Southeast Alaska - all of the other towns got fished out. For decades, large commercial boats (mostly from Washington & Oregon) travel here every Spring (March - April) to take several tons of herring out of the waters near and around the Sitka Sound. They are allowed to do this because the Alaska Department of Fish & Game classify herring as a predatory fish, & not a bait fish! The herring get electrocuted, the eggs are extracted and shipped to Japan, China, etc for a lot of money. There was no herring fishery this Spring due to the low percentage of mature roe while sampling - only the second time in 4 decades. Could this have a bigger impact on the very good early King salmon fishing this year than initially thought? It makes sense. Several tons of herring being left in the Sitka Sounds means more bait in the water for the Kings to stay in Sitka and feed... The Sitka Tribe of Alaska are fighting to stop this commercial herring fishery and we are in favor of protecting this vital resource. It just doesn't make sense for them to continue harvesting several tons of the primary baitfish salmon feed on. You can donate here if you would like.
Silver (Coho) salmon: We caught 1 a few days ago. Too early to see them consistently, but stay tuned.
Halibut: Very consistent halibut fishing has been found off Cape Edgecumbe, as well as North of there. We have been getting limits everyday thus far. As long as we have time and half decent weather conditions, we have no trouble finding a limit of halibut.
Blackcod (Sablefish): We have been doing pretty good on these lately. Tyler caught 15 in 2 hours the other day. Wow! Check out the pictures. Learn more about Black Cod and why you need to catch one for yourself.
Lingcod: We have been catching a few out halibut fishing, but they were in the 35 - 45 inch range (they need to be 30-35 inches or over 55 inches to retain them for non-residents). We caught a keeper on the halibut grounds the other day and one while jigging for rockfish. Delicious!!!
Shortraker Rockfish: We caught a 32 lb Shortraker rockfish while doing our deepsea fishing! Incredible!
Pelagic Rockfish (Black, Dusky & Yellowtail): Seems like the rockfish population is back. Gotta love some fish tacos. Think bass fishing, but with more action.
Wildlife: Humpback whales. Brown bear. Bald eagles. Sealions. Seaotters. Seals. We got it all here in Sitka, Alaska.
Things to do in Sitka: Went up Gavin Hill the other day, this is connected to Harbor Mountain. Not the views like Verstovia but still very beautiful. Great for exercise!
Summary: Early June (June 1-10) is a great time to visit Sitka, AK. Come check us out next year at this time.