Salmon fishing in open water is something every east coast angler should try at least once. It is unlike most fishing found up and down the Atlantic Seaboard. From the outrageous scenery to the unfamiliar variety of fish, it is a welcome change of pace from what could be called an ordinary trip.
King salmon, one of the five recognized species of salmon, is the most sought after salmon by sports fishermen. It grows to over 100 pounds in weight and according to Captain Dan is available to catch almost year ‘round, although it probably would not be a good choice to go after these hard fighters in January!
With the blue sky and mountains as a backdrop, we began fishing with the “fleet” a few miles off of Sitka in about 300 feet of water. Some forty to fifty other boats – mostly charters – were slow trolling an area off the outer islands. Chatter on the VHF indicated that the fish were there, and the cooperative fleet welcomed any and all boats to politely join in on the catch.
Most king salmon are caught fishing deeper than 100 feet down, and downriggers are the tool of choice to get a bait that deep. Captain Dan hooked up a frozen herring, his bait of choice, and sent it down on the downrigger to 150 feet. The herring was hooked through the nose with a circle hook, and through the back below the dorsal fin with another circle hook on a six-inch stinger rig. I call it a stinger because it closely resembles the east coast version of this double hook tackle.
Interestingly, Dan made no attempt to check that his bait was not going to spin. It turns out that spinning is exactly what he wanted his bait to do! How many hours have we spent making sure the rigging on a trolled bait is just right, preventing any twisting? The twisting herring attracts the salmon, and terminal tackle specifically designed to make the bait twist is sold up and down the Pacific Northwest.
One rod was on the downrigger, and as Dan prepared the second rod, the first rod got hit. A short fight ended with a pulled hook, but that pulled hook meant more fish were down there. Over the course of the next few hours we caught, released and kept a number of king and Coho (silver) salmon.
An occasional rockfish came up and popped our trolled baits. There are some 31 species of rockfish along the Pacific Northwest coast according to local sources. We caught several different ones on this trip. As aggressively as they bit, an argument could be made by east coast anglers to make trip specifically targeting rockfish!
The trolling is relatively easy. Short of staying a safe distance from other trollers, charter anglers need only sit back and watch the rods.
Strikes usually do not pull the line off the downrigger for several seconds. Once a rod tip shows a strike, the angler has to wait for the line to pull free, and then quickly reel the slack line until the fish is felt on the other end. At that point, the fight depends on the size of the fish. From a five-pound coho to a fifty-pound king, anglers never know what the strike will bring.
Fishing this day was awesome by any standards. We didn't break any records either for numbers or weight, but we steadily caught fish amidst the most wonderful scenery in the world! It's something you truly have to experience to understand!
If you are planning a trip to Southeast Alaska, there are several ports from which you can fish. They include Skagway, Ketchikan, and Juneau. The closest port to the ocean however, is Sitka, and the fishing there is simply outstanding. In all these ports, a fly in is required because there are, with the exception of Skagway, no roads connecting these ports to the mainland.
Many charters offer complete packages for anglers. In Sitka, Big Blue Charters has an exceptional package deal for from two to five days of fishing, and the price includes literally everything except your airfare and gratuities. Non-refundable airfare, round trip from the east coast can be very reasonable – actually cheap - if booked far enough in advance.
Contact Mike or Karen Keating at their website,www.bigbluecharters.com. They are professionals at this folks, and you will not be disappointed! They own the charter boats, the waterfront lodge, and the fish processing plant that prepares your catch for the return trip home – all included in their one price. This charter is one of the very few I will personally recommend. You need to head to Alaska this summer!
