Sitka Fishing Report 5/31: May Kings

Captain Bo says, “It is on!”

The king fishing has indeed picked up since our last report. Most captains are favoring our southern spots for kings. Anglers who spend their entire day targeting salmon, tend to get their limit or get very close. Anglers who choose a multi-species approach, find all their halibut, rockfish, occasional lingcod, and a handful of kings. The bite is steady south and if you’re anchored, you have the chance to catch a little bit of everything. Pam and Jim Anderson teamed up to catch 27-pound and 28-pound kings with Captain Bo – an amazing double. While, Randal Mansell boated a 30-plus pounder with Captain Eric. Big fish are mixed in amongst the average 20-pounders, which is an encouraging sign this time of year.

Other captains reported similar fishing and breathtaking wildlife sightings. This May, many groups will attest to seeing humpbacks, orcas, deer, otters, sea lions, and eagles – sometimes all in the same day! Humpbacks are feeding near the fishing grounds where a lot of bait is present, which is great for photos.

Weather has been back and forth with days of rolling water and flat. It’s all been fishable, but if weather does flare up, we have protected spots to the south that have been productive this spring.

Stay tuned to hear how the kings pick up even more as we enter June. In the meantime, check out these highlight photos from the past two weeks.