Fishing. Halibut. Salmon. Crab.

Join us on one of our exciting Alaska sport fishing excursions. We'll experience life Alaskan-style fishing for halibut and salmon on the Outer Coast, in Chatham Strait, and Frederick Sound. You'll set out crab traps and shrimp traps in small coves and bays and retrieve them the following day. And if you're interested, bring your fly fishing or spin fishing gear! You'll have an opportunity to enjoy stream fishing for Cutthroat trout, Rainbow trout, Steelhead, and Dolly Varden in a great wilderness.

We'll watch Alaskan fishers at work on commercial fishing boats, observe an incredible array of wildlife, and take in the breathtaking scenery of the Inside Passage. You'll see charming harbors and fishing villages as the Captain guides us to unique places that no cruise ship sails to. Adventure travelers of all ages will enjoy a Sport Fishing Charter in the waters of the Inside Passage.

Schedule Your Trip

• Trip Dates: Custom Charter
• Starts: Juneau or Sitka
• Ends: Sitka or Juneau

• JUNEAU ITINERARY
• SITKA ITINERARY
• PHOTO GALLERY
• TRIP ROUTE

• Activities: Sport Fishing, Stream Fishing, Hiking, Kayaking, Paddleboard, Photography
• Photo Highlights: Fjords, Glaciers, Harbors, Icebergs, Landscapes, Wildlife

Crabbing

Toss out the crab traps in one of our many productive locations, and (with a bit of luck) we'll haul in a bounty of delectable Dungeness crab. All-you-can-eat crab dinners do not come any fresher or more delicious!

Shrimping

We've got a secret we'll be happy to share with you. We know where the Spot Prawns and Striped Prawns are! We'll set out shrimp traps on our way to a secluded anchorage for the evening. Then we'll haul up our catch in the morning. Prepared and elegantly by our Chef, Alaska's large and tender Spot and Striped Prawns are the best of the best!

Sport Fishing

Drop a line from the For Reel with one of our four professional-quality fishing rods and reels, and test your luck and skill at bringing in Halibut, King Salmon, or Rockfish. Your catch of the day will be fileted by our fishing guide and can be fresh-frozen or prepared by our Chef that evening for an unmatched culinary delight.

Alaska Salmon

King (Chinook). These are the largest Alaskan salmon and one of the most prized catches. Kings are rich in flavor and firm in texture. They usually weigh around 20 pounds; the record weight is 97 pounds. Kings are particularly prized because they are fattier, thanks to cold temperatures and a long migration. Kings are excellent smoked and taste great grilled, baked, poached, or any other way you can think to cook them up.

Sockeye (Red). Sockeye salmon is sometimes called red or blueback salmon due to its color. Sockeye is blue, tinged with silver while living in the ocean. Two distinguishing features are their long, serrated gill rakers ranging from 30 to 40 in number and their lack of a spot on their tail or back. Sockeye is not as large as King salmon, but they have a rich, deep color and a high oil content. Flavorful and beautiful, sockeye salmon presents well on the plate, and their density makes them a favorite for sushi. This fish also pairs well with other intense flavors.

Coho (Silver). Coho salmon are another favored wild salmon. Aggressive and fast, these smaller fish (averaging 10 pounds) congregate at the mouths of rivers to wait for fair weather or high tide. They are popular with sport fishers, and their meat is also prized. Coho salmon's flesh is more orange than red, and it has a mild flavor, with the firm flesh that is typical of the top three types of Alaska wild salmon. During their ocean phase, Coho salmon have silver sides and dark-blue backs. It is a favorite for grilling and canning.

Pink (Humpy). In the ocean, Pink salmon are bright silver. After returning to their spawning streams, their coloring changes to pale grey on the back with a yellowish-white belly (although some turn an overall dull green color). Pale in color and light in texture, pinks have a lower fat content than kings, reds, and silvers. They are the smallest of the five Pacific salmon, averaging 3 to 5 pounds. They are also the most abundant and are easily caught and processed. Pinks are usually canned and sold in Europe, the South, and China. Alaskans are notoriously snobby about their salmon and tend to stick to the three more popular varieties. Pinks are an excellent source of protein.

Chum (Dog). The least desirable of the five Pacific salmon, chum, have the lowest market value and are often sold to foreign markets. Though they are not as firm and rich as king, red or silver salmon, chum is an excellent source of protein and has enough oil to be versatile in cooking. Many believe that chum salmon have a bad rap. At the very least, chum is preferable to farmed salmon. If caught in the ocean and processed well, chum can make a tasty, lightly-flavored dish. Chum's roe (eggs) are the most valuable of all the Pacific salmon.

Alaska Sport Fish

Halibut.The Pacific halibut is the world's largest flatfish. In July 2014, 76-year-old Jack McGuire caught a 482-pound Pacific halibut in Glacier Bay, Alaska. Halibut are dark brown on the top side, with an off-white underbelly, and have tiny scales invisible to the naked eye embedded in their skin. Halibut are symmetrical at birth, with one eye on each side of the head. Then, about six months later, during larval metamorphosis, one eye migrates to the other side of the head. The eyes are permanent once the skull is fully ossified. At the same time, the stationary-eyed side darkens to match the top side, while the other side remains white. This color scheme disguises halibut from above and below and is known as countershading.

Yelloweye Rockfish.The yelloweye rockfish is one of the most prominent members of the genus. Its name derives from its coloration. Known to locals as "red snapper," it is not confused with the warm-water species that formally carry the name Red Snapper. The yelloweye is one of the world's longest-lived fish species and can live to a maximum of 114 to 120 years. As they grow older, they change in color, from reddish in youth to bright orange in adulthood to pale yellow in old age. Yelloweye live in rocky areas and feed on small fish and other rockfish. They range from Baja California to Dutch Harbor in Alaska. Yelloweye rockfish are prized for their meat and were declared overfished in 2002. Commercial fishing for yelloweye is not allowed.

Shellfish

Dungeness Crab.The Dungeness crab inhabits bays, estuaries, and the near-shore coast of Alaska. Dungeness is named for a shallow, sandy bay inside Dungeness Spit on the south shore of the Straits of Juan de Fuca. It is widely distributed, from the Aleutian Islands to Magdalena Bay, Mexico. The Dungeness crab is a decapod related to shrimp, lobster, and other crabs. It has a broad, oval body covered by a hard chitinous shell, four pairs of walking legs, and a pair of claws. This species can be distinguished from other commercially important crabs (King Crab and Tanner crab) because its legs are much smaller and shorter concerning its body size. The dorsal surface of its carapace is smooth and spineless.

Spot Prawns. Alaska Prawns are large shrimp found in the North Pacific, from Unalaska Island, Alaska, to San Diego. We catch these excellent shrimp in small pots in deep, cold water. These are the cleanest, purest shrimp in the world - there's no back vein to remove. Spot Prawns occur in sufficient numbers to support several small commercial and recreational fisheries. The retail spot prawn industry is considered sustainable.

Respect for the Resource

Many of our guests spend multiple days fishing. Generally, a couple of days of successful fishing for salmon and halibut provides all the frozen fish you'll need for home use. We'll be happy to clean and freeze your fish for you. When you arrive at your destination in Juneau or Sitka, there are excellent fish processors that can pack and ship your catch.

Cutthroat. Dolly Varden. Rainbow. Steelhead.

Fly Fishing and Spin Fishing

Fly Fishing. Fly fishing intends to trick a fish on an artificial fly made with pieces like feathers and fur. Most fly fishers challenge themselves with this more complex form of fishing and catch as many fish as possible during the experience. This concept is at the core of fly fishing. Arguably it is more peaceful and is a "pure" way to catch a fish. A trout will prefer insect imitations (most of the time), and using lures with spin fishing doesn't give you as many options to catch fish across trout waters. Today, fly fishers attempt to catch anything and everything on a fly rod and do so in most cases. To say that fly fishing is "trout fishing" is untrue. Spin Fishing. The goal of spin fishing is to catch lots of fish. It is a more versatile way to fish, especially if you're going for species other than trout, and it can produce incredible results. Though the angler's skill often trumps the approach when comparing an equally skilled spin fisherman or fly fisherman, spin fishing is consistently the better approach if the location is not on a river fishing for trout. The true intent of spin fishing is results-driven, and it is arguably easier than fly fishing.

Spin Fishing. The goal of spin fishing is to catch lots of fish. It is a more versatile way to fish, especially if you're going for species other than trout, and it can produce incredible results. Though the angler's skill often trumps the approach when comparing an equally skilled spin fisherman or fly fisherman, spin fishing is consistently the better approach if the location is not on a river fishing for trout. The true intent of spin fishing is results-driven, and it is arguably easier than fly fishing.

The fishing opportunities change in Alaska's streams as the spring and summer seasons unfold. From May through mid-June, we often find steelhead trout in the upper stretches of rivers. One of the ultimate freshwater fighting fish in the world, Steelhead can be a challenge to hook. Imagine a 20-pound fish leaping 4' out of the water and streaking away on a powerful run - putting you in hot pursuit to keep your line from being stripped!

Cutthroat trout and Dolly Varden can also provide good fun during this period. During May, most of the Dolly Varden move out of the upper reaches of rivers, into saltwater, and near the river mouths. There they feed on small ocean fish and invertebrates. We often find concentrations of Dolly Varden in the lower tidal areas of streams, where their primary food source is out-migrating salmon fry. If you get onto the correct presentation, you may experience some of the best catching of your life.

Salmon start moving into the streams on their spawning cycle in early July. By mid-July, Pink salmon offer abundant opportunities to catch 4- to 7-pound fighters. Mix in some Sockeye salmon and Chum salmon, including a few Dolly Vardens that have followed the salmon up rivers, and the streams can be "alive" with thousands of fish. In late August and early September, Silver salmon move into the rivers. You will get a hit, followed by a 7- to 15-pound silver clearing the water several times before settling into solid combat. Keep the drag loose! They will easily break the 10-lb line.

Six clients are the maximum on our stream fishing trips. On most days, we won't see any other visitors on the river, other than bears and eagles. If we do encounter another group, we can quickly move to a different location. Combat fishing is not in the works.

Novice or experienced—we'll make each day work for you. We often hike to get to the perfect location, but we have great flexibility to choose from several streams, reducing hiking distances.

There is excellent stream fishing on Admiralty Island, Baranof Island, Chichagof Island, and Kuiu Island, along many of the rivers which feed into Chatham Strait and Frederick Sound. Some of our clients have told us they have had the best fishing day of their lives here. We want to do our part to keep it that way.

Many of our guests spend multiple days fishing on our charters. Generally, a couple of days of successful fishing for salmon and halibut provides all the frozen fish you'll need for home use. We'll be happy to clean and freeze your fish for you. When you arrive at your destination in Juneau or Sitka, there are excellent fish processors that can pack and ship your catch.

What We Provide

We will help you maximize your experience on the rivers we fish. We'll provide boat transportation, either by the 28' For Reel or our 16' Lund boat, to several different streams. If you have your equipment (including fly fishing and spin fishing gear, boots, fishing vests, jackets, and waders), by all means, bring them. Alaska Wilderness Charters has a limited supply of waders, plus some essential fly fishing and spin fishing gear. We also carry a small first aid kit. We sometimes bring a pack raft up the river to transport extra equipment in dry bags with larger groups.

What You Need to Bring

Between the sunny days in Alaska, it can be cool and damp. You'll need to bring rain gear, rubber boots, and some warm clothing—see Recommended Gear. The stream waters are always chilly. We will be wearing waders when fishing, but long pants or long underwear bottoms beneath them can be a nice thing - especially if you choose to stand in the water much of the day. A small day pack is handy for your binoculars, camera (be sure to store it in a zip-lock bag), and some extra clothing. Anyone over the age of 12 will need an Alaska fishing license. The same license applies to saltwater fishing.

Adventure Fishing

The Tongass National Forest sees very few visitors and has no roads. The trip includes casting in streams where steelhead, cutthroat and rainbow trout, Dolly Varden (Arctic Char), and salmon thrive for fishers. If you don't like to fish (but your partner does), be sure to bring your binoculars and camera - the wilderness areas we go to are stunningly beautiful, and we usually see bears, eagles, and whales. This area is a photographer's dream, with orcas, sea otters, sea lions, harbor seals, and hundreds of shorebirds populating the rugged coastline.

Alaska Freshwater Fish

Artic Char. The Arctic char is closely related to both salmon and lake trout and has many characteristics of both. The fish is highly variable in color, depending on the time of year and the lake's environmental conditions where it lives. Anglers have taken record-sized fish, known as iqaluk or tariungmiutaq in Inuktitut, in northern Canada. The flesh color can range from a bright red to pale pink.

Cutthroat Trout. Throughout their native and introduced ranges, cutthroat trout vary widely in size, coloration, and habitat selection. Their coloration can range from golden to gray to green on the back. Cutthroat trout can generally be distinguished from rainbow trout by the presence of basibranchial teeth at the base of the tongue and a maxillary that extends beyond the posterior edge of the eye. Depending on subspecies, strain, and habitat, most have distinctive red, pink, or orange linear marks along the underside of their mandibles in the lower folds of the gill plates. These markings are responsible for the common name "cutthroat," first given to the trout by outdoor writer Charles Hallock in an 1884 article in The American Angler.

Dolly Varden. The back and sides of Dolly Varden are olive green or muddy gray, shading to white on the belly. The body has scattered pale yellow or pinkish-yellow spots and lacks black spots or wavy lines on the body or fins. Small red spots are present on the lower sides. These are frequently indistinct. The fins are plain and unmarked except for a few light spots on the base of the caudal fin rays. S. malma is remarkably similar in appearance to the Arctic char (S. alpinus), so much so that they are sometimes referred to as "native char" without a distinction.

Rainbow Trout. Rainbow and steelhead trout are the most widely known trout globally, and anglers highly prize them because of their strong fighting abilities. Freshwater resident rainbow trout usually inhabit and spawn in small to moderately large, well-oxygenated shallow rivers with gravel bottoms. They are native to the alluvial or freestone streams typical tributaries of the Pacific Basin but introduced rainbow trout have established wild, self-sustaining populations in other river types such as bedrock and spring creeks. Lake resident rainbow trout appear in moderately deep, calm lakes with adequate shallows and vegetation to support good food sources. Lake populations generally require access to gravelly bottomed streams to be self-sustaining.

Steelhead Trout. In Alaska, the two commonly recognized forms of Rainbow Trout are based primarily on where they spend their time feeding and maturing. The most common Rainbow trout in Alaska is the stream-resident form, known as Rainbow trout. The Rainbow trout lives its life entirely in freshwater, with perhaps short periods spent in estuarine or near-shore marine waters. The second form is commonly known as the Steelhead trout. These trout leave freshwater as juveniles and migrate long distances in the ocean, where they grow to maturity before migrating back to their original home waters.

Our Stream Fishing Guide

Master fishing guide Doug Ogilvy spent over twenty years as a full-time commercial salmon fisherman and bottom-fish long-liner and is now "semi-retired." With an additional twenty years of sport-fishing and stream-fishing experience on the ocean, streams, and Alaska's wilderness, Doug has extensive knowledge of fishing opportunities in this beautiful area.

Doug will give you a good day on one of the many rivers and creeks along our travel route. He's always happy to provide lessons on fly-casting or spin-casting equipment and technique.

One productive fishing area is the Goulding Lakes and Goulding River system, one of the largest drainages on Chichagof Island. An impressive waterfall is accessible by hiking a trail that starts near the remains of an old mule-drawn mining-cart rail line. The trail continues into open muskeg toward the shore of the first lake. Where the waterfall blocks passage of salmon runs into the lake. There is over a mile of challenging stream we can fish below the falls. Steelhead, Cutthroat, and Dolly Varden can be found here in May and June.

Stream Fishing Opportunities

Day 1: We will explore the waters and island shorelines near our first anchorage. Those interested in stream fishing can try their luck in nearby short outlet streams, or they can fish for saltwater species in the surrounding kelp beds.

Days 2–4: Several outlet streams offer narrow, fast-moving water. Conditions permitting, we will hike up these streams to small lakes. These lakes hold Cutthroat, Rainbows, and Dolly Varden, and we may find Steelhead in the outlet stream or one of several of the inlet streams. It is a beautiful and calm area and a wonderful place to spend part of the day fishing. We'll explore a narrow estuarine entrance and then hike through the muskeg to another small lake. This pristine wilderness lake has a waterfall on the outlet, which blocks fish from the ocean. The surrounding area is rich salmon bay.

Days 5–7: Each day of our trip will offer an opportunity for exploration, with good fishing and hiking. The group may split into sport fishing or stream fishing sub-groups, depending upon each individuals' preference. We travel through an area of relatively protected waters, with dozens of islands to explore and several intriguing river systems.

Day 8: We will pack up our fly-casting and spin-casting gear and arrive at our destination.

Our Guests Speak Highly Of Us!

I just wanted to send a note of thanks for giving me several great days of fishing. The places were outstanding, and it was an experience I will treasure and long remember. I especially appreciated your help and patience with me—considering that I am such a novice fisherman. With a little help, I actually caught several fish, which I never expected. Thanks!

— Vicki Fielder, Colorado

Doug was very easy to work with. We described what we were interested in seeing and doing, and Doug took our group to some great locations. We thoroughly enjoyed our days on the river, and got some great fish—which we were happy to release.  

— Scot Barker, California