Raised in the plains of North Dakota, Eric “Viking” Melland was drawn to the allure of adventuring Alaska from his parents Russ and Nancy. They told him stories of their days exploring the last frontier and Eric knew he wanted to be a part of it. When he spent his summers at his family cabin…
DetailsWhat is “normal”? We often hear that question relative to sea conditions, fishing, and weather. It’s tough to answer in a world of endless variability. It’s much easier to identify “not normal” and the 2015 season qualified. We enjoyed good king fishing in early May when it’s normally scratchy. That was followed by very challenging…
DetailsPlan your fishing adventure early and save money. Fall specials at Alaska Air and Delta make fall the time of year to book and reserve your flights. We’ve found incredibly low rates from all over the country. Booking early not only reserves you ideal dates for 2016, but also helps you save on airfare! Check out these great round-trip deals! $212…
DetailsThe final week of our season was the best it’s ever been. We ran six boats on September 9 for the first time in our history and ended on the 10th with three boats. We were fortunate to hit a favorable stretch of weather that allowed us to fish the open ocean wherever we pleased. Most groups experienced…
DetailsIn our last report, we announced the arrival of big cohos. Since then, the fishing only picked up and the cohos grew to trophy size. The average size coho is above ten pounds and we’ve seen some as high as 18! Over the past two weeks, we’ve only been pushed to inside waters a couple days because…
DetailsThe three day groups who just finished fishing with us had a sample of the common weather conditions of 2015 – from a sunny day on the ocean to a windy, rainy day tucked away in inside waters. Fortunately, when weather rolls in, we find sanctuary in protected waters that still hold fish – a huge benefit to fishing…
DetailsFirst timers Ralph Noyes, Dennis Owsley, Fred Stahlbush, and Scott Brunsdon came to Sitka after Ralph’s thorough research revealed it to be the best fishery in Alaska. They chose Angling Unlimited after learning from our website what their experience would be like. They were blown away. During their three-day fishing trip, Captain Bo took them to our…
DetailsOur silver success continues to be the most productive to the north. Over the weekend, most of the fleet went to Hoonah Sound and enjoyed amazing weather and great coho fishing. The water was flat and with nothing but current to push the boats around, many of the captains chose to motor-mooch around Emmons Island. Most…
DetailsJim Klaustermeyer returned for his second trip of 2015 bringing Loren Kramer and H.Paul and Dorothy Fountain with him. Jim visited in June for the kings and returned this time to fish for acrobatic silvers. Every day of the trip, Captain Spencer took the crew north. He mainly fished in Hoonah Sound, where the silver fishing…
DetailsDick, Jerman, Bob, and Russ have fished with AU for 15 seasons and even after all those trips, they still experienced something new. The trip began with the long scenic drive to Hoonah Sound. This route takes a right turn at Icy Queen and follows the ferry track towards Juneau. Weaving through islands and strong rapids, it’s untouched…
DetailsThe Kennedy party began their trip at the Cape with Captain Chuck and Captain Tom. They bounced around from the gravel to the hourglass to deep west structure to locate their salmon. Although they found silvers at each spot, the bite slowed down, so Chuck took his group halibut fishing offshore to change the energy. They…
DetailsCaptain DJ and the McCoys just wrapped up a four-day trip where they fished as far north as Emmons Island and as far south as Biorka – covering a wide range of water in their pursuit for their favorite Sitka fish. Their trip started with days to the north to avoid rough seas from a southerly wind. Sheltered in…
DetailsTrivia Tuesday: can you name some of our favorite fishing spots? Name 5 to win an AU prize!
DetailsAs this amazing run of trophy kings continues to roll, the Crisman party made sure to leave their mark. Fishing in calm water to the North for the majority of their trip, they enjoyed the new scenery, wildlife, and of course the fishing. With the open ocean building to tall swells, most of the fleet ran…
DetailsDuring the last week, our anglers experienced the best trophy king fishing in recent memory! The Daggs party fished with Captain Ryan and Bryan to kick off trophy week. The men on Ryan’s boat caught king limits two of their three days. Two of those fish were 30-plus pounds – each caught by Irving Mathews.…
DetailsThe last three days of fishing have been full of big catches. The first day of fishing for the Bullis party with Captain Bo was a memorable one. They went to a spot west of the gravel that has been extremely “sharky” lately. Many anglers have experienced heavy bites, only to reel up frayed leaders…
DetailsTrivia Tuesday: Orcas are the fastest members of the dolphin family – how fast can they swim? Get it right and win an AU prize!
DetailsDuring their trip, the Nechiporenko party of ten anglers caught big kings, lots of cohos, and witnessed rarely seen wildlife while fishing with Captain Chuck and Captain Spencer. With each passing day, the fishing ramped up with near limits of everything on day three. The weather was a mix of rain and sun, but that…
DetailsTrivia Tuesday: How many islands are within a 20-mile radius of Sitka? Get it right and win an AU prize!
DetailsEvery one of our client experiences is a unique story. Some visit every year, others periodically, then there’s some who only visit once. We know that each group visits expecting the best, which is why we always strive to make theirs the trip of a lifetime. Steve O’Donnell and ten of his family members from Hawaii, North…
DetailsThe 2015 season kicked off early with the Bill Donwen group fishing May 4, 5, and 6 with Captain David (DJ). Although we were a bit cautious with what to expect from the beginning of May, they ended up with limits of kings and halibut on day one. That was followed by decent king fishing…
DetailsThe McClean party of 12 anglers filled three boats at the end of June. Captain David fished with Blake Bethards, Bill Bethards, Al Kitchel, and Jason Kitchel. In search of their kings, they began each day to the north. They stopped at the Shark Hole, Point Amelia, and the Parking Lot. Each spot had kings, but the action…
DetailsKing salmon in Southeast Alaska are managed under an international treaty between the United States and Canada that is intended to fairly distribute the fish while ensuring long term sustainability of the stocks. The abundance index, a number that is derived from hundreds of data points, determines allowable catch in Southeast Alaska and, subsequently, the…
DetailsHere’s a deck-full of groundfish from a recent trip on Captain James’ boat. Identify all the fish species in this photo and win an AU prize!
DetailsLast week, we asked the question of how fast a puffin can fly and how many times they can flap their wings per minute. These birds aren’t built for speed, but surprisingly, these little birds top out at 55 miles per hour. They also flap their wings at a rate of 400 times per minute.
To put their flying ability into perspective, the average duck reaches flight speeds of 70 miles per hour, but only needs to flap its wings 180 times a minute to do so.
A puffin’s main talent is swimming. These birds can dive to depths of 200 feet, holding their breathe for nearly a minute, and fit over 10 little fish in their mouth at once!
Here’s a video of their swimming talent in action. Thanks to everyone who participated in last week’s trivia. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s question to test your fish identification knowledge.
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