salmon fishing

[sillysoup]

Hello,

I have two teenager boys,14 and 16. We will be going on an NCL Pearl cruise in the end of August. What kind of fishing tour would you reccommend? Is their any kind of fishing near the ship off a dock? I am concerned with the fishing trips that last 5 hours, are the boats rocky? My husband and kids aren't concerned but I am a mother and of course I worry. Thank you for your repsonses.

[JustCase]

First of all, if you book a fishing charter via the cruise ship, the "5 hours" advertised is less than 4 hours on the water aboard the fishing boat. The rest of the time you're riding a shuttle to/from the ship.

 

There is fishing from a dock/shore (with a rental rod/tackle and fishing license for the 16 y/o) in Juneau and Ketchikan. I never recommend this method, however, because the fish you're likely to catch that time of year are NOT good eating (and you can't bring fish back on most cruise ships anyway.) I've always taught my kids that we fish for food, and we eat what we catch. I don't see the fun in disturbing actively spawning salmon and preventing them from reproducing during their dying hours.

 

Now, on to the charter part. I can name just about every charter boat in Juneau, as I've been fishing with all of them many times over the past few summers. Hi-Time, Lucky Dog, Denali Dancer, Islander (run by Ole and Sandy, not the other Islander in town) and Fissues all stand out as boats I would try to book again if I wanted to book a charter. I would get back out with the rest of the boats in town too. (Except Alaska Trophy Fishing, but I'll leave that story out for now since it seems to generate hate mail whenever I post about my bad experiences with them.)

 

As for the boat being "rocky"... not really. Out of a whole summer season, there is maybe 5 or 6 days that are truly un-fishable where a good captain can't find anywhere to fish in relatively sheltered water. A good captain will also let you know if the weather is "questionable" and offer the chance to cancel or go later if it's not going to be a fun outing. (Ship's tours don't get an option to cancel due to weather... they ALWAYS fish!)

 

If you book a ship's fishing tour, you won't likely know what boat you'll be on until after you're on it. I always prefer to find a few well-recommended boats and book my charters directly. This also gives the worrying mother a chance to check the safety ratings of the boats and ask the captain plenty of questions instead of being "placed" on whatever boat has room for your party by a broker at the last minute.

 

Happy Alaska Travels!

-Case

[kellywhitehills]

First of all, if you book a fishing charter via the cruise ship, the "5 hours" advertised is less than 4 hours on the water aboard the fishing boat. The rest of the time you're riding a shuttle to/from the ship.

 

There is fishing from a dock/shore (with a rental rod/tackle and fishing license for the 16 y/o) in Juneau and Ketchikan. I never recommend this method, however, because the fish you're likely to catch that time of year are NOT good eating (and you can't bring fish back on most cruise ships anyway.) I've always taught my kids that we fish for food, and we eat what we catch. I don't see the fun in disturbing actively spawning salmon and preventing them from reproducing during their dying hours.

 

Happy Alaska Travels!

-Case

 

Why are the salmon not good eating in August??We caught some lovely 18 pound Silver Salmon(least I think thats what they called them) in Sept that were VERY TASTY!..At least compared to what we get in the grocery stores down here..:)

 

Kelly

[JustCase]

Why are the salmon not good eating in August??We caught some lovely 18 pound Silver Salmon(least I think thats what they called them) in Sept that were VERY TASTY!..At least compared to what we get in the grocery stores down here..:)

 

Kelly

 

Sorry... I should have been more clear. The fish you can catch FROM SHORE in late August will all be very dark, necrotic, and generally unpleasant to eat.

 

Kelly, the fish you all caught were caught in the ocean, rather than near a river or road, so they were in prime eating condition (see the nice "dime bright" silver color?)

 

If a fish isn't shiny and bright, I'm not interested in eating it at all...

 

-Case

[kellywhitehills]

Sorry... I should have been more clear. The fish you can catch FROM SHORE in late August will all be very dark, necrotic, and generally unpleasant to eat.

 

Kelly, the fish you all caught were caught in the ocean, rather than near a river or road, so they were in prime eating condition (see the nice "dime bright" silver color?)

 

If a fish isn't shiny and bright, I'm not interested in eating it at all...

 

-Case

 

GOOD POINT!..I wouldnt want to eat old fish either..:)..Thank you for answering my question!