Many Alaska-bound anglers travel much farther than needed in their search for salmon, halibut, steelhead, trout and rockfish.  Farther usually means more money, time, and perfect trip timing.  Since all five species of salmon swarm throughout Southeast Alaska from spring through fall, anglers need only book a short 2 ½ hour flight from Seattle to land in the heart of great Alaska fishing.

Places like Sitka Alaska attract southeast Alaska loyalists because the area lies within an area filthy rich with bait-invested waters on the Pacific Ocean’s prime salmon feeding grounds. Add towering trees, remote inlets, coves, breathtaking mountains, lots of protected water and almost guaranteed salmon limits and you begin to realize why Sitka Alaska has such a loyal following of anglers.

Sitka sits at the edge of the open Pacific Ocean, on the west side of Baranof Island, inside the protected waters of Sitka Sound. During summer months, anglers can usually fish the incredibly fertile waters of the open ocean, in front of Kruzof Island. If the wind does blow beyond safety standards, miles of shoreline on the lee side of Kruzof Island can be safely accessed and fished successfully.

During June Sitka Sound and the offshore waters, become the feeding grounds for tens of thousands of chinook salmon bulking up on plentiful feed. Anglers typically catch chinook ranging in size from 20 to 30-pounds with the occasional 30 to 50-pounder. Anglers head to Southeast Alaska’s Sitka in late May too intercept the first migrating chinook salmon of the year.  The kings average from 20 to 35-pounds, but fight like bigger fish. May also provides the first chance at consistent 30 to 100-pound halibut action and improves as the season progresses.  During June through July, king fishing peaks as they feed their way southward.

Just about any traditional fishing method works because these fish aren’t shy.  Mooching and jigging with quality light tackle is by far the most sporting, hands on method of catching Sitka’s chinook and coho salmon. Kain’s Fishing Adventures specializes in these techniques and consistently provide world-class fishing and more importantly, catching for their sport fishing clients. Coho enter the catch in July along with a mix of chums and sockeye.  You’ll find pink salmon here too – but in larger numbers during odd years.

Most anglers targeting chinook will limit easily in June and July. Most, in fact, will have to catch and release chinook because they will catch numerous fish during a morning tide. Sitka is considered one of the best chinook fishing locales in the world among hard-core king anglers. When you experience a fish after fish bite you will likely agree.

Mooching cut-plug herring with 15 to 20-pound rated equipment is the preferred method to catch chinook in Sitka area waters. Jigging and trolling works too, and offers anglers a nice variety of action to add to their experience. In July the coho arrive in unimaginable numbers. Local coho limits of six coho per day reflect the total numbers of fish in the area. Two nearby hatcheries put out millions of fish with returns expected to number about two million annually. Guide boats drift mooch with cut-plug herring or they anchor and wait for schools of coho to swim past. Both methods works great – you seldom have to wait more than a few minutes between bites.

Once anglers have their limits of salmon, the guides will move onto one of the constantly productive halibut hideouts. There is a saying among Sitka halibut anglers, “if you don’t catch a limit of halibut you didn’t go fishing.” Sizes range from 30 to 100-pounds. Catch and release is strongly encouraged on halibut weighing over 100-pounds.

You can contact us via e-mail email@kainsfishingadventures.com or call us toll free at: 1-800-926-7932