HEATING UP OFF KETCHIKAN, ALASKA

Alaska fishing season started off with a bang for anglers visiting Ketchikan, Alaska. Halibut fishing charters produced great catches of halibut, pacific cod, lingcod and rockfish. Salmon fishing trips resulted in big king salmon while we awaited the arrival of silver salmon and pink salmon.

Early season typically is more inconsistent than the deep summer months of July, August and September. With that being said, our guests enjoyed better than average fishing to start off the 2023 Alaska fishing summer.

Fishing tours for cruise ship guests and flyin anglers spent the majority of May bottom fishing. These fisheries consist of fishing near and offshore waters for halibut, cod and rockfish. Deep-water jigging for halibut had guests reeling in keeper-sized halibut as well as oversized halibut ranging from 10 pounds to 120 pounds. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of hooking into these deep sea dwellers, and the delicious white meat holds up well when frozen and shipped back home to the lower 48.

By Capt. Lukas Brickweg

Halibut weren’t the only species caught during our halibut fishing charters. Pacific cod were a staple while bottom fishing for halibut. Cod were concentrated in large numbers on the sandy flats eating a variety of bottom rigs. Traditional halibut fishing rigs with glow-inthe-dark squid and cut herring caught the majority of Pacific cod. We also found great success jigging for cod with metal jigs and soft plastic swimbaits.

Following up halibut fishing with rockfish and lingcod jigging made for a combination catch that had everyone smiling. We do this in shallower water with light tackle. While catching pelagic rockfish such as yellowtails and duskies, we also caught big lingcod. With such a phenomenal bottom fishing area, you’re never quite sure what will grab the end of the line. Giant lingcod make a trophy catch for anyone visiting Alaskan waters.

King salmon fishing opened June 1. Everyone rejoiced at the opportunity to pursue this iconic fish. Big king salmon catches came in throughout the entire southeast Alaska region. Ketchikan is known as the salmon capital of the world, and it didn’t disappoint. Herring Cove and Mountain Point were the first areas to open up. This resulted in large numbers of anglers trolling for prized king salmon. As we look forward for the entirety of the region to open, these were the first areas where big catches came in.

Over the next couple months, the fishing will continue to heat up! Halibut will continue to show up in larger numbers as the water temperatures increase. In addition, the salmon fishing will see a big burst of silver salmon and pink salmon to combine with the larger king salmon. It’s all happening now!

For more information, visit www.ketchikanfishingtrips.com or call (907) 617-4717.