Anticipation for the 2021 Fishing Season

Fishing Season is Almost Here!

The Sitka sun tracks higher in the sky each day and stays up later each evening. The northern latitudes go from last to first in the race for daylight. The ocean settles from the rough winter and comes alive. The first schools of king salmon show up. By the second week in May, we’ll have the boats launched, the lodge spiffed, the client cars lined up in the parking lot, and a crew that’s champing at the bit to chase kings, halibut, and assorted bottomfish.

The beginning of the 2021 season is little more than a month away. We’re full of anticipation. We can’t wait to get out of the house and into the clean open air of the North Pacific. We trust all who have booked feel the same. We have a very full dance card this season, but there are a few great openings in May for those who want to join in the adventure and anticipation.

Every season in Sitka stokes great anticipation, but coming on the heels of 2020, this season bursts with it. We’re ready to rumble.

Regulations Recap

Halibut and King regulations change from season to season – most others remain the same. Stay up to date on all regulations here.

Halibut: The U50/O72 reverse slot limit for 2021 means our guests can keep halibut up to 50 inches or over 72 inches. This provides a daily opportunity to retain halibut approaching 60 pounds and a more realistic shot at a keeper trophy fish than an 84-inch mark of recent years offered.

King Salmon: The 2021 regulation of 1 per day and 4 per year looks good to us given what we’ve seen over the years other than 2020. The word on the street from sport fishers up and down the coast, as well as commercial trollers, is the kings are bigger in 2021. We’ll have to go out there and find out, which sounds like a whole lot of fun.

Note: The king regulations in 2020 were liberalized beyond recognition because COVID mandates and concerns drastically reduced the number of anglers traveling to Southeast Alaska. We don’t expect to see that in 2021. If more anglers show up this season than currently projected, it is possible that both king and halibut regulations will tighten up.

COVID-19 Updates

We can’t wait for the day we don’t have to mention this. As of now, there are no mandatory mandates for entering Alaska, but there are recommendations. We carefully track developments on this front and will do our best to keep you up to date via our website and social media. We encourage our guests to get fully vaccinated prior to travel. If you can’t vaccinate, please get a COVID test less than 72 hours prior to travel in order to help us operate safely and provide protection for your fellow guests.

AU is working hard to get our entire crew vaccinated by the time we start operations. We will be cleaning our suites, cars, and boats to provide the greatest safety. We will limit indoor social gatherings until we get the green light from the State of Alaska. We encourage mask-wearing in closed spaces – like our office and in the cabin of the boats.