It's no secret that the waters around Sitka Alaska are home to some giant lingcod. Part of what I like best about the first few weeks of the season is the abundance of huge lings, and how easy they are to fish for and hook into. Because lingcod season opens May 16 (only catch and release before that), they have been left alone all winter. That leads to these fish really stacking up on rock piles and reefs on the outer coast of Southeast Alaska.

The 2019 season is off to a great start! We've been going strong since May 15, and so far the fishing and weather have been excellent. Daily limits of Alaskan king salmon and halibut have been the norm, with a lot of lingcod, rockfish, and sablefish in the mix as well. We've been finding the kings in good numbers in the shallows near Vitskari rocks, and in the 100 to 200 foot depths off Cape Edgecumbe. The halibut fishing has been strong in the traditional spots in Sitka Sound, and well as off the Cape. We'll be running through mid-September, and the forecast for silver salmon for the second half of this summer is strong. The 2019 season is shaping up to be an ideal time to visit our ...

Trolling for King Salmon in Southeast Alaska in May and June often requires a different approach from later summer. Although you'll often use the same terminal tackle: flashers with hoochies, choked herring, or spoons; you'll often troll significantly deeper than you would when targeting kings in late July or August.

It's hard for me to believe, but next month we'll be attending the Fred Hall Fishing Tackle and Boat show in Long Beach, CA for the 28th year in a row! We always have a great time visiting with friends and clients in the So Cal area, and spreading the word about the fantastic fishing in Sitka, Alaska. And of course, getting out of chilly Alaska in late winter to warm up in the sun is always appreciated!

The show itself is amazing. It's the largest fishing and boat show that we've ever seen, and has everything you can imagine that's associated with fishing, boating, sportsman travel. If you live in Southern CA, we'd love to see you and chat about Alaska fishing and everything related to ...

The Sitka area is home to a prolific fishery for many species of bottomfish. While salmon and halibut are the most famous target species in Alaska, and certainly plentiful near Sitka, the other bottom dwelling fish deserve attention. From the thrill of hooking into a monster ling (see the last blog post), to the joy of eating incredibly delicious sablefish, nearly all of the bottom fish around Sitka are worth spending time to target.

Black rockfish are a near shore species that can be fun and easy to target on light tackle. When you're in a school of these voracious pelagic rockfish, hook-ups occur as fast as you can get your jig back in the water. They're fun to catch, delicious to eat (esp...

Fishing for huge lingcod in the Sitka Alaska area can be incredibly enjoyable and productive. To target lings, we drift over rocky bottom, preferably a reef or high spot offshore. The depth can be as shallow as 100 feet or as deep as 400 feet. I prefer a lead head jig in the 12-16 ounce range with a scampi rubber tail (no bait necessary for these toothy monsters!).

Send the jig to the bottom, raise and lower the rod around 2 feet per raise, and be ready! The strike is normally not subtle, but you do need to set the hook and keep constant tension on the line to avoid the ling spitting the hook as it shakes its head. In my experience, the strike and first few seconds hooked up is when the fis...

This summer fishing season has been outstanding so far here in Sitka! Our guests have been catching limits of kings and halibut most days, with lots of rockfish and a few lingcod in the mix. The silvers have also started showing up in good numbers recently, so it should be a good silver run mid through late summer.

A nice Sitka Alaska king salmon

The fishing this early September has been nothing less than spectacular! Limits of big silvers and even kings has been the daily norm. Halibut, lings, and rockfish have been strong as well.

More than half way through the season, it’s safe to say this is an epic salmon season! May and June saw incredible king fishing, and this has held up into mid-season. The silvers started showing in late June, and have been running strong ever since. Limits on both kings and silvers daily (along with halibut) has been the norm for our boats since early July.

The fishing for halibut, lings, and rockfish has also been strong, as usual.