Best salmon fishing excursion?

[azmaui]

I'm going on my first cruise to Alaska and would really like to go salmon fishing. Anyone has recommendations? Which port would be best for it (Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway)? Which company should we go with? There are several options in every port, hard to choose!

 

Thanks a lot!

[steelhead1]

I'm going on my first cruise to Alaska and would really like to go salmon fishing. Anyone has recommendations? Which port would be best for it (Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway)? Which company should we a couple otherswith? There are several options in every port, hard to choose!

 

Thanks a lot!

When are you going and which cruise line? we are on the Island Princess and will be in Ketchikan on June 6th and have a couple of charters in mind but need a couple others to book a fishing trip

[azmaui]

We are on Royal May 16. There are so many that cruise offers and independent ones - no clue where to start looking!

 

 

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[chipmaster]

Do your research as timing is critical for salmon.

 

We used Ken of Northen Lights in early July.

 

http://www.ketchikanfishing.net/ken/fishing.html

 

I'm going on my first cruise to Alaska and would really like to go salmon fishing. Anyone has recommendations? Which port would be best for it (Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway)? Which company should we go with? There are several options in every port, hard to choose!

 

Thanks a lot!

[slider728]

We are on Royal May 16. There are so many that cruise offers and independent ones - no clue where to start looking!

 

May 16th is going to be pretty early for salmon. You are going to pretty much be limited to King Salmon. King Salmon fishing can be real hit or miss. I've fished days around Juneau where they are biting two at a time. Other times, I've fished a full tide plus 2 hours every day for a week and never got as much as a bite. I'm not saying you shouldn't go, but King Salmon fishing might not be as "exciting" as a day out on the water when other species of salmon are running. If you catch a King, I think the taste can't be beat (especially a nice white King).

 

That being said.....

 

Given the geographical location and the timing of your trip, I would likely rule Skagway out. I'm not sure the Kings will be running there by May 16th. I'm thinking the Kings reach up there closer to the beginning of June.

 

In the middle of May, both Ketchikan and Juneau should start seeing some Kings. However, you really will have no idea until the fishing reports start coming in. The following is the link to the Alaska Fish and Game fishing reports:

 

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/FishingReports/index.cfm?ADFG=main.home

 

Pick the area and start looking at reports. This time of year, there isn't going to be much on there and typically, the reports are only just beginning by the time you go on vacation. You can look at 2013 reports to get an idea of what they contain, but the best advice I can give is look on here right before you go and see what the fish reports say.

 

As I said, I would pretty much rule out Skagway (the salmon have to run past Juneau to get to Skagway). If I had to choose between Juneau and Ketchikan, I would probably bet on Ketchikan, but I'm guessing fishing will still be spotty at best in either location.

 

Again, check the fishing reports as your vacation draws closer and see what is going on. However, if you were a close relative or friend, I would probably say that your chances of getting a fish in a 4 hour trip in the middle of May is not very good. I will not go as far as to say not to try because even if you don't catch a fish, seeing Alaska from a small boat is an awesome experience. Some of the most beautiful things that I have experienced in Alaska have been on a fishing boat.

 

As far as who to recommend, I cannot be of much help there. I fish out of Juneau and have access to my own boat up there. I don't use charter services. I just offer fishing advice when I can.

 

Good Luck!

Edited March 12, 2014 by slider728

[EatPrayCruise]

Do your research as timing is critical for salmon.

 

We used Ken of Northen Lights in early July.

 

http://www.ketchikanfishing.net/ken/fishing.html

 

We also used Ken in May 2011 near the end of the month. We wer very pleased with his service. He offered us the option of renting the boat for half a day for just my husband and myself instead of paying by the person and sharing the boat with others. Not to be selfish, we paid for 1/2 the day since he offered it up.

 

Unfortunately for us, there were no salmon at that time but we still had a fantastic time. We did fish for others and reeled in 5 fish between two of us. The biggest was my cod that was about 10lbs, along with rock fish and a couple of others (can't recall the names).

 

Ken asked before we even got into open water if we planned to send our catches home. We didn't want to process/ship any home so we let Ken keep them. He said that he donated those not wanted to a food bank/kitchen of some type I believe. We were happy that we could help feed others.

[queenteacher]

We just booked with Ken with Northern Lights for a fishing trip mid June. Talked with him on the phone and he was very nice. Told us in Mid June we will most likely be looking at only King Salmon.

 

Our kids are super excited for the trip!

[chipmaster]

:D Ken will treat you well, we had a blast with him when we did this a few years ago!

 

We just booked with Ken with Northern Lights for a fishing trip mid June. Talked with him on the phone and he was very nice. Told us in Mid June we will most likely be looking at only King Salmon.

 

Our kids are super excited for the trip!

[EatPrayCruise]

We just booked with Ken with Northern Lights for a fishing trip mid June. Talked with him on the phone and he was very nice. Told us in Mid June we will most likely be looking at only King Salmon.

 

Our kids are super excited for the trip!

 

Great choice!

[azmaui]

Thanks a lot for all the feedback - we will go with Ken in Ketchikan!

 

 

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