Trivia Tuesday: Sitka’s Islands
Trivia Tuesday: How many islands are within a 20-mile radius of Sitka? Get it right and win an AU prize!
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A Family Vacation to Southeast Alaska
Every 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…
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First Half Fishing Grades for 2015
The 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…
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Sitka Fishing Report 7/1: McLean Party
The 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…
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Revised King Salmon Regulation for Remainder of 2015
King 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…
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Trivia Tuesday: Fish ID
Here’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!
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Tufted Puffin
Last 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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Sitka Fishing Report 6/27: Pepin Party
Longtime AU anglers Greg Pepin and Bart Nelson returned for another amazing late June trip with family and friends. The two groups fished with Captain Bo and Bryan and couldn’t have started their trip with better fishing. The first day of their trip was also the first day of the year we saw limits of silvers.…
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Sitka Fishing Report 6/24: Olsen Party
The past three days encapsulated everything late June is supposed to be. Aboard Captain Spencer’s boat, the Olsen’s found limits of kings each day, with some days being exceptionally fast. Schools of kings swam under their boat resulting in double and triple hook-ups. The group caught their fish and had numerous opportunities for catch and release.…
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Trivia Tuesday: Tufted Puffin
Trivia Tuesday: How fast can a puffin fly and how many times can they flap their wings per minute? Get it right and win an AU prize!
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Collin’s Big King
On a recent day off, the sun was shining and the ocean calm. The few crew who had a day off couldn’t pass up a chance to fish. Captain Tom took Captain Bo, Deckhands Jack and Collin, and his daughter Evelyn to the Cape for an afternoon of king fishing. Not only did they catch their limit, but Collin bagged this 52-pound monster! It took his bait on the way down and once Collin tightened up to it, it screamed off 300 feet of line on the first run. He battled the fish for a half hour before Captain Bo scooped it into the net. To top it off, once they cut the first fillet, they discovered that it was a white-king! It was a memorable day on the water and we’re fairly certain that Collin still has a grin on his face.
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Halibut Migration
Last week we asked the question of how far a halibut travels for their winter spawning migration. The furthest distance on record that a halibut migrated was 2,500 miles! That halibut was tagged near Atka Island in the Aleutian Islands and recaptured at Coos Bay, Oregon. Typically, halibut don’t travel this far. They have summer feeding grounds in…
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Sitka Fishing Report 6/21: Hofto Party
The story the last few weeks resembles that of 2014 – a reliable salmon bite at the Cape. The ocean has no doubt helped our fishing. It’s been calm and flat, which allows us to drift through the areas holding the fish. When conditions require us to anchor, there can be limited space when many…
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Sport Fishing Magazine’s 25 Dream Boats
Our popular boat design was included in Sport Fishing Magazine’s list of 25 Dream Boats. These boats belong to charters and guides from every corner of the United States. Each one built to be the ideal fishing vessel for their waters and catch. Albatross, our newest boat was featured on the list, because of it’s latest technological…
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Sitka Fishing Report 6/17: Brantigan and Boyd Parties
What an incredible stretch of weather the last few days! Sunday and Monday had clear and sunny skies with near record high temperatures. The ocean was flat with barely a breath of wind, too. There were more shorts and sandals than we’ve ever seen at a tent event. The Brantigans fished with Captain Tom during their trip and were…
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Trivia Tuesday: Halibut Migration
Trivia Tuesday: How far do halibut travel during their winter spawning migration? Get it right and win an AU prize!
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Sitka Fishing Report 6/14: Bullock Party
The king numbers are increasing with numerous spots along the coast producing fish. Captain Chuck’s latest group, the Bullock’s, fished north during their three days with great success. Other boats in our fleet had similar results fishing south off the Cape. Chuck’s anglers dominated the Bowl during the trip, catching the majority of their salmon…
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Sitka Fishing Report 6/10: Zuck Party
For the past week, we’ve been fishing north of town to avoid the rough weather that blew in on Wednesday when the wind changed from a northwest to a southerly wind. We found shelter in the Shark Hole, where our boats motor-mooched their way to limits of kings, which was an all-day effort. Fortunately that storm only…
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Sitka Fishing Report 6/3: Bush Party
The father and sons team of Blake, TJ, and Tim Bush just finished their first fishing trip in Sitka and were blown away by the experience. They had amazing fishing and the best three consecutive days of weather this year. Each day was flat-calm, which not only allowed them to venture to the deep for halibut,…
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Sitka Fishing Report 5/31: Blissenbach Party
With the king fishing picking up the last few days, Tom and Colleen Blissenbach of Woodbury, MN experienced better fishing with each day of their trip. They started every day of their trip anchored at The Cape in search of kings. Most of the Sitka charter fleet had the same idea. The gravel area was crowded…
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Sitka Fishing Report 5/27: Nordlund Party
The Nordlund party of Bryan Nordlund, Mike Delarm, and Rick Hoag wrapped up their three-day trip with Captain David yesterday. During their trip, they averaged 4 kings per day. The first and last days were the best, with The Cape and The Shark Hole producing most of their salmon. Bryan also caught the first coho…
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Sitka Fishing Report 5/23: Chuck’s #1 Fans
Captain Chuck just wrapped up a three-day trip with his #1 fans, Ann Delahanty, Mark Fenn, Mark Woods, and Steve Barton of Washington. Clients for many years, this group has experienced a lot in Sitka, but nothing like they did on this trip. Since last week, king fishing has slowed. Chuck’s group landed nine kings…
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Sitka Fishing Report 5/11: Hooley Party
Stan and Loni Hooley of Wasilla visited Sitka for a few days on business. They decided that since they were here, they might as well do some fishing. The king run hasn’t begun in Southcentral quite yet, so they wanted to get an early start on their kings for the year by fishing Sitka. The pair…
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