The CNB party with a great mix of fish!
We saw a bit of rain at the beginning of the past week, then finished with four days of sunshine and calm seas. Heading down the homestretch of the 2026 season, our guests have landed some big halibut, an abundance of large silvers, and a fair number of king salmon, especially for late season. The salmon variability from day to day and boat to boat – the trademark of 2026 continued. Still, the numbers average out to excellent results for all over the 3 or 4 days of fishing.
Father-Daughter duo Joey and Jess with a big silver salmon!
Silvers will be entering their home rivers in the next few weeks and they feed like there’s no tomorrow. Attaining maximum size and strength yields higher survival rates and more successful spawning. If there’s enough food available, they pack on a pound a week. Many of the silvers our guests are catching weigh over 10 pounds and a fair number tip the scales in the low to mid-teens. Big silvers excite with long runs, big jumps, and stubborn resistance. Catches over the past week have ranged from half to full limits.
Triple Ricks from the Hoag party with a beautiful late season King salmon
By late August, catching a king is a bonus you can’t count on. That said, we’ve seen more than a few kings hit the dock in the past three or four days. There’s no explaining the king run in 2026 and this minor late surge is both unexpected and appreciated.
Thankfully the pinks have thinned out and lost their feeding response so they are no longer a nuisance. Chums numbers continue on the wane, still our guests are landing a few bright strong specimens.
The past week brought excellent GAF halibut landings with Dan Greene’s 164 pounder topping the charts. The fishing for “charter” halibut has been lights out – massive numbers, quick limits, just the right size.
The yelloweye fishing remained excellent until the end date of their season on August 25. Black rockfish (aka seabass) aim to please everyday.
Dan Greene and his 164 lb GAF halibut
We’ve seen some good catches of blackcod, but with silver fishing so much fun inshore, few groups are opting to make the long trip offshore and allocate the time. Pursuing blackcod requires calm weather and devoting roughly 4 hours of your fishing day.
Of Note: The Kulseth/Zalewski party fishing with Captain Spencer were treated to a rare sighting of an ocean sunfish (mola mola) which have the distinction of being the largest bony skeleton fish on the planet. They aren’t a fish we try to catch, but they are fun to see.
Part of the Gordon party with beautiful regulation halibut
Last Minute but Why Not!
We still have openings in September. If you’re looking for the holy grail of the 20 pound silver, this is the time. Halibut catches remain excellent, the rockfish never cease to please and lingcod will reopen on September 1. It’s the last chance to fish Sitka in 2026. A long winter lies ahead.