What are we fishing for today?
Saltwater Fishing
Icy Strait is home to some of Alaska's finest fishing with a wide range of species and areas to target. Primarily fishing in Icy Strait, most halibut and salmon fishing "holes" are ten to twenty minutes from the Gustavus dock. One hour journeys to Cross Sound and the Pacific Ocean to fish for rockfish, lingcod and salmon add scenic diversity to your fishing adventure. All five species of Pacific salmon are available at different times of the year and will be tempted with different fishing methods depending on the conditions and your preference. Trolling, jigging, casting, and mooching with artificials and herring will all produce salmon. Halibut are often caught in the same general location we fish for salmon. Primary methods are jigging with artificials and drifting or anchoring with bait. We will fish for halibut in water depths between 25 and 150 feet deep. I rarely fish deeper - it just isn't as much fun! Fishing for Lingcod and Rockfish on the outer coast will require jigging with artificials in depths between the surface for Black Rockfish down to 200 feet for giant Lingcod and Yelloweye Rockfish.
Chinook Salmon
Chinook (King) Salmon are Alaska's most prized sport fish. Chinook Salmon are the largest and strongest fighting of the Pacific salmon. In our vicinity, Chinooks average between 20 and 30 pounds with a few exceeding 50 pounds each season. The Alaska state record is 97 pounds! Chinook salmon are famous for their long line burning runs and swimming in line breaking circles under the boat. In my opinion, they are the finest eating salmon swimming. Chinook Salmon yield thick firm fillets rich in fatty oils that are perfect for the barbeque, baking or steaming.
The peak season for Chinook salmon is May and June when they migrate through Icy Strait heading for their inland spawning rivers in Southeast Alaska and British Columbia. The spring Chinooks tend to be in shallow water along shoreline kelp beds feeding heavily to pack on fat for their July spawning runs. Chinooks are sporadically caught throughout the summer while fishing for other salmon or halibut. These fish tend to be strays from the coastal runs or "feeders," fish that will not be spawning for another year. Chinooks are available all season on the outer coast where a southward migration to Canada, Washington, and Oregon occurs into September. Current Alaska Fish & Game regulations allow anglers to retain one Chinook salmon per day and four per year except in May when two per day may be retained. An Alaska King Salmon Stamp is required to retain any Chinook salmon. These are available on my boat.
