Alaska fishing trip

[gabenzeke]

My brother and I want to get my dad a fishing trip in Alaska as a retirement gift in the coming year to 18 months. I'd like to do a bit of everything in saltwater. Halibut, rockfish, shrimp/crabs/octopus. Can anyone recommend a good outfit to get us on fish?

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[PNWGATOR]

Alaska Wide Open Charters: Craig Alaska Fishing Charter

Craig Alaska Fishing Charter King Salmon, Coho Salmon, Halibut, Lingcod, and Yellow Eye. Prince of Wales Lodge. Craig has the best and most exciting fishing.

www.alaskawideopen.com

 

[NorCal Mixed bag]

Shelter Cove Lodge - Craig, AK. Been with them on 3 management retreats, so they accommodated a very large group well; great equipment, food was 1st class, nice accommodations. And most importantly, fishing was always stellar. Good captains. Limits all-around of silvers/kings, Rocks, Lings, Halibut - for those on the trip that wanna fish hard! I’d always recommend going end of July/1st week of Aug., traditionally when the silvers are best best. Most everyone wants to go to AK to catch a 50lb King; it happens, but rarely. In my experience, a helluva lot more fun to catch 20+ acrobatic silvers on a 4pk during a mixed-bag day. Overall, I’d say stay in the SE island chain, somewhere between Ketchikan and Craig - it’s nice to be “inland” in the islands when it gets snotty on the outside. Further up the coast you go, you lose that opportunity. But definitely go, somewhere! Everyone needs to do it at least once in a lifetime - AK is amazing. Wanna plan a hunt there next…..

 

[gabenzeke]

Shelter Cove Lodge - Craig, AK. Been with them on 3 management retreats, so they accommodated a very large group well; great equipment, food was 1st class, nice accommodations. And most importantly, fishing was always stellar. Good captains. Limits all-around of silvers/kings, Rocks, Lings, Halibut - for those on the trip that wanna fish hard! I’d always recommend going end of July/1st week of Aug., traditionally when the silvers are best best. Most everyone wants to go to AK to catch a 50lb King; it happens, but rarely. In my experience, a helluva lot more fun to catch 20+ acrobatic silvers on a 4pk during a mixed-bag day. Overall, I’d say stay in the SE island chain, somewhere between Ketchikan and Craig - it’s nice to be “inland” in the islands when it gets snotty on the outside. Further up the coast you go, you lose that opportunity. But definitely go, somewhere! Everyone needs to do it at least once in a lifetime - AK is amazing. Wanna plan a hunt there next…..

Yeah this will ultimately cost me more than this one trip, I'm sure. This website is going to break me eventually.

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[NorCal Mixed bag]

Yeah this will ultimately cost me more than this one trip, I'm sure. This website is going to break me eventually.

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Usually one of my main concerns too, but ironically my wife tells me not to worry about it when it comes to planning a trip to Europe, the Med, or Greece, or some such trip! But fishing, in AK? That’s too expensive! Meh, YOLO - and as long as you’re healthy and hardy, you can always make more $. Just go.

 

[Uncle Bill]

I shouldn’t have looked at those web sites. I’m gonna be in trouble.

 

[grossklw]

My buddy has a couple boats out of Homer, AK. I was up there for 10 days in June this year and had a blast. You really do need to go. I usually book him out a couple days.

 

[LostArra]

Look around in Coffman Cove on Prince of Wales.
Mike Warren has a very nice operation (Coffman Cove Adventures).

 

[kwackkillncrew]

if you want shrimp/crab your best bet is to go to south east. No crabbing open in the summer in homer, seward, whittier. I believe a few of the places on prince of wales do guiding as well as rent out boats for diy type of stuff and generally come with GPS that has spots on there to try. We keep our boat in homer most of the summer and the best fishing generally July/August. If you decide on homer i would check out brooks alaskan adventures especially if fishing for big halibut with milk jugs with bobbers in 50 feet of water sounds fun to you. They are also top notch for salmon fishing as well and will do longer range trips if you want to get on some ling cod (ling cod season opens July 1) Out of homer you can get salmon, halibut and a few different types of rock fish. feel free to pm me if you have any questions.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Definitely a thread I want to stay in touch with. I have a good friend who I want to take fishing somewhere in Alaska in '22. The criteria is superb fishing for multiple species, great scenery and no rough water. The town of Craig is sounding good.

 

[oldman]

if you want shrimp/crab your best bet is to go to south east. No crabbing open in the summer in homer, seward, whittier. I believe a few of the places on prince of wales do guiding as well as rent out boats for diy type of stuff and generally come with GPS that has spots on there to try. We keep our boat in homer most of the summer and the best fishing generally July/August. If you decide on homer i would check out brooks alaskan adventures especially if fishing for big halibut with milk jugs with bobbers in 50 feet of water sounds fun to you. They are also top notch for salmon fishing as well and will do longer range trips if you want to get on some ling cod (ling cod season opens July 1) Out of homer you can get salmon, halibut and a few different types of rock fish. feel free to pm me if you have any questions.

Shelter Cove is very good BUT I think Dave is booked for 2022. He took 600 people fishing this year. If he is available talk to him and work out your schedule. He is very helpful.

Sam Dalin is also very good out of Ketchikan...Dalin Charters & Guiding. He will work with you on your desires BUT he books really early also.

West Coast Fishing Club...The Out Post is another very good experience. They are a little pricey but absolute first class.

 

[gabenzeke]

Keep em coming guys. Love all these websites. One part that is important to me, even if it sounds stupid is the octopus. Ever since rinella talked about smoked octopus, I have wanted some bad. I understand it's more of an incidental harvest, but is this something that can generally be had on a charter where crabs are caught?

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[kwackkillncrew]

I am not sure if charters run crab pots for their clients or not. Generally if people get ocotos in their pots they move them a ways away. If you get an octo you wont have any shrimp or crab in that pot other then shells. If your fishing rock piles for halibut i know they will grab the bait some times, seems i see a few every year at buttwackers in homer getting processed. Unless you are really dead set on trying to get them which i think they would be tough to specifically target, you can always buy some smoked canned bearing sea octopus from salmon sisters. Comes in small cans we bought some this year and it was really good.

 

[gabenzeke]

I am not sure if charters run crab pots for their clients or not. Generally if people get ocotos in their pots they move them a ways away. If you get an octo you wont have any shrimp or crab in that pot other then shells. If your fishing rock piles for halibut i know they will grab the bait some times, seems i see a few every year at buttwackers in homer getting processed. Unless you are really dead set on trying to get them which i think they would be tough to specifically target, you can always buy some smoked canned bearing sea octopus from salmon sisters. Comes in small cans we bought some this year and it was really good.

Maybe I'll just go that route. I don't want to sacrifice our take just to try something that might not produce.

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[LightManSA]

I had a great trip with O'Fish'ial Charters out of Homer at the end of August. I caught Halibut, Multiple species of Rockfish, Lingcod, King Salmon, and Silver Salmon. Big Halibut . com.

The weather really cooperated with us, and the seas were really flat.. While most anglers hang out on the rail waiting for something to come along and sniff out their bait, I get bored doing that. Instead, the boat crew stuck a jigging rod in my hand, with a Heavy "Megabite" Paddle tail jig. That lure is so effective, It was practically murderous.

I'd go with them again next year, but will be Moose Hunting Instead!

 

[MountainMuley]

Another vote for Prince of Whales Island, if you time your trip right you can head inland for some great steelhead fishing as well. I spent 7 days there catching steelhead all over the island. Lots of bears and deer to be see as well…we based out of Thorne Bay.

 

[Clarktar]

Another vote for Prince of Whales Island, if you time your trip right you can head inland for some great steelhead fishing as well. I spent 7 days there catching steelhead all over the island. Lots of bears and deer to be see as well…we based out of Thorne Bay.

This has my attention. I'm likely losing a bet this winter and the wager was loser takes other guy on a fishing trip (costs covered). You based out of Thorne Bay. Did you rent a vehicle for all the steelhead fishing? Or a skiff and hike up from mouths of rivers etc?

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[MountainMuley]

This has my attention. I'm likely losing a bet this winter and the wager was loser takes other guy on a fishing trip (costs covered). You based out of Thorne Bay. Did you rent a vehicle for all the steelhead fishing? Or a skiff and hike up from mouths of rivers etc?

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We did a package with Thorne Bay outfitters, basically they toss you the keys to a superduty and let you have at it. They were very willing to share info on where to go and what to use, also were available to pay additional per day for guided trips with them, but we were all pretty decent steelheaders and did well on our own and saved the cash. It was very affordable, you stay at their cabins and are on your own for food but each lodge area had its own kitchen. We probably put 1,000 miles on that truck that week and fished nearly every river there.
Word of warning though if you go that route….there is no radio reception on the island (at least back than) and they only gave you a handful of CD’s to listen to. Still get nostalgic when I hear some of those songs on the radio we listened to over and over driving around the island!
No idea on if they are still in business. If you end up planning a trip, get ahold of me, it took us awhile to figure out how to fish the steelhead there as they were different than the coastal fish we were used to in the lower 48. But man those fish were hot and a blast to catch. Actually broke a rod in half trying to stop a 15+lb fish from screaming into a log jamb in thick current!
Anyway, happy to share more if interested.