Kings in Alaska

[Eddy C]

Robbo
How many kings can non residents retain in Alaska

[Robbo]

In Southeast Alaska it's 5 king salmon for the year, two per day in May until the possession limit is reached, and one per day June-September. I've heard tell of some pretty good king salmon fishing offshore already. Hope that helps Eddy

[Canyon Man]

Do tell of what you have heard Robbo...inquiring minds want to know. The countdown has begun!

CM

[Bucket]

Canyon Man--No retention of Chinook Salmon. Don't quote me, just what I heard.

[Robbo]

Seiner buddy called last week and said there was a hand troll opener and they whacked'em pretty good outside of Noyes Island. Something about 10,000 pounds and Noyes Island smokehouse couldn't take any more fish. Third generation report though...but I'm hopeful for some good-old-days king salmon fishing around Craig this summer

[Eddy C]

I'm hopeful for some good-old-days king salmon fishing around Craig this summer

What would just the regular run-of-the-mill-days around Craig be ?
Compared to Puget Sound say? 2010 was a really good year I thought, for around here, for me any way.
So Craig would be 3 times as good? Yes? No? Maybe? Run-of-the-mill-days that is?

[Robbo]

Fishing is fishing Eddy and daily numbers can span from working for limits every day to totally wide open king salmon fishing. When I say "wide open" I mean doubles, triples, and quad hookups mooching cut plug herring and multiples of each. Last year in early June it was nothing to hook double digit kings just screwing around and then a huge storm came thru and scattered the fish. During the storm it was tough, of course, and for a week or so afterwards we were getting 6 to 8 bites a day before it went full steam again.

The thing about king salmon fishing in SE Alaska is that any fish can be "the one"...a fish in the 50, 60, and even 70 pound class. And on good years when we've targetted nothing but king salmon all day long (my dream) we've put up some truly stupid numbers.

Another side of this coin is whether we go for numbers or big fish. The schooly fish in the 18 to 25 pound range tend to hang in the offshore highway drifts and the trophy fish are generally found tight to the beach at spots like Cape Ulitka, Pineapple, Granite, etc.. I can personally sit at those spots all day long and grind away for a limit of big kings, but that's not for everyone.

The last time we saw a king salmon forecast like this one was 2007 and I would rate the king salmon fishing that year as "stupid". Happy to chat with you over the phone too Eddy if ya want...my cell is 360-961-2116 and our toll free number, 888-943-4746 also rings into my cell phone.

Dang...you got me all fired up for king salmon fishing

[Nelly]

We had much the same experience in Sitka.
When that rare, June gale that Tobeck brought up with him came whuppin' in the fishing was never quite the same. The day before the storm was lights out, wide open chinook fishing. The day of he storm we were on the beach and the day after the storm? Scratchy Von Scratcherson!
Thanks a lot Tobeck!
If we get close to the numbers forecast, the weather cooperates and Tobeck stays home, we'll be in business!

[AkKings]

Fishing is fishing Eddy and daily numbers can span from working for limits every day to totally wide open king salmon fishing. When I say "wide open" I mean doubles, triples, and quad hookups mooching cut plug herring and multiples of each. Last year in early June it was nothing to hook double digit kings just screwing around and then a huge storm came thru and scattered the fish. During the storm it was tough, of course, and for a week or so afterwards we were getting 6 to 8 bites a day before it went full steam again.

The thing about king salmon fishing in SE Alaska is that any fish can be "the one"...a fish in the 50, 60, and even 70 pound class. And on good years when we've targetted nothing but king salmon all day long (my dream) we've put up some truly stupid numbers.

Another side of this coin is whether we go for numbers or big fish. The schooly fish in the 18 to 25 pound range tend to hang in the offshore highway drifts and the trophy fish are generally found tight to the beach at spots like Cape Ulitka, Pineapple, Granite, etc.. I can personally sit at those spots all day long and grind away for a limit of big kings, but that's not for everyone.

The last time we saw a king salmon forecast like this one was 2007 and I would rate the king salmon fishing that year as "stupid". Happy to chat with you over the phone too Eddy if ya want...my cell is 360-961-2116 and our toll free number, 888-943-4746 also rings into my cell phone.

Dang...you got me all fired up for king salmon fishing

Rob, did you fish this area in the mid 90's? my first 3 years, 95, 96, 97 at WF were the best years I saw and can't think of a year since maybe 99 thats even come close. 1st month of the season you could almost always count on either Felix or Bart for kings and usually limits and thats when the limits were 2 kings a day for everyone. At times the kings were so thick it was hard to get to the bottom to get halibut. Wasn't uncommon on our half and half days to bring in 8 kings, 8 halibut in the morning then go back out in the afternoon and do it with the next group.
Then there's the stories I hear from the old timers (Devin, Cary, Kenny) about all the hawgs caught in 89, unreal, and that was before anyone knew about Pineapple!

[Robbo]

After fishing there a couple of times in 2000 I shipped up a boat in 2001 and have been there ever since. I spent half the 90's burning gas in the San Juans and while that was a great experience it was no Southeast Alaska. I can just imagine what Pineapple was like 25 years ago...hell it's awesome now!

I gots a good feeling about this summer!