Follow Us

Post

Alaskan Diary – Day 6 – Sitka (Blue Charters)

Alaska Fishing Articles, Regional Fishing, United States Fishing Articles |

I would be going out with Big Blue Charters today. Mike Keating the owner put me on his boat. He has 3 boats in total. It was foggy early in the morning but it was supposed to clear up in the day. The boat ride was pretty choppy on the way out and Mike kept giving me glances every time the boat hit a big swell. Like it was my fault.

If Mike wants to give me blame for the ride I will accept it as long as I get credit for the fishing. It was excellent as always. We started out for Kings and all had our limit within an hour. There were two other anglers on board. Eric Swanson of Utah and Jerry Smith of Newport Beach. Eric got the first King on board. He did a great job of getting the 25-pound fish to the boat. I released 3 about that size before settling on my 34 pounder.

After we had our limits of kings we went looking for cohos. Also known as silver salmon these feisty, tasty fish run about 8 to 15 pounds. Soon into our first drift, all reels on board were screaming. Mike had to start playing traffic cop as he directed us all up and over, left and right to keep all our lines from turning into one big mess. And as soon as you brought a fish up Mike would put another bait on and within minutes the reel would start to scream again.
It didn’t take long for all of us to get our limits of silvers. It was fun and chaotic while we were catching them. Mike handed me a knuckle buster reel to catch a few fish. Basically the drag is the palm of your hand. And when you go to put your hand on the spool to slow it down your knuckles get in the way of the handle. Thus the name knuckle buster. A well-deserved name I might add.

It was now time to go for halibut. Mike had told me that the last week or so the halibut were smaller than normal. They averaged 20 to 30 pounds. Awesome for southern California but substandard for Sitka.

Mike set us up at a spot around 225 feet deep. We were getting bit but lo and behold the fish were all around 20 pounds. Good for the barbeque but it would have been nice to get something a little bigger. It is a little hard to complain when you have just limited out on Kings, silvers, and halibut though.

If you ever go to Sitka I recommend that you hook up with Big Blue Charters. I have never gone to Sitka and not limited out on whatever species I was fishing for. They have their own fish processing plant so your fish is frozen and vacuum-sealed for your flight home. Their processing fee is nominal.

Linda took a 5-hour kayak ride while I fished. If you go to Sitka with a spouse that does not fish this is something to look into.

Unfortunately, I am going home tomorrow. I wish I had one more fishing day in Sitka.

Day 7: Time to go home. Leave the liquid sunshine of Alaska for the real sunshine of California. I now have plenty of time to start planning next year’s Alaskan vacation.

JUNEAU
Lodging:
Alexis Suites, Kitchens, Fully stocked, cable T.V., Very nice, Phone 907-789-7473, www.alexissuites.com

Fishing:
Access Alaska Charters. 907-780-2232 www.juneaucharterboats.com

Steve Weber – 907-463-2509

Things to do:
Taku Glacier Lodge
Take a float plane to salmon feast, 907-586-8258, www.takuglacierlodge.com

Sawyer Glacier Cruise
Full-day cruise with Adventure Bound Alaska
907-463-2509

Mt. Roberts Tram – in the center of town

Restaurants:
Fiddlehead restaurant -907-586-3150

Red Dog Saloon – In center of town, burgers, beer, fun

Rainforest – Top of the tram on Mt Roberts. Good food, great views.

Hanger on the Wharf – Need reservations on Friday or Saturday nights. On the water

SITKA
Fishing:
Big Blue Charters, 907-747-5161
www.bigbluecharters. com

Restaurants:
Raven dining room – At the Westmark SheeAtika Hotel

Channel Club: 3 miles from center of town. Courtesy van will pick you up.

Login leave a reply