For non-residents
Daily limit: 1 King per person
Annual limit: 3
Timing: May 1 – September 10. The peak of the run will mid-May through mid-August.
Size: Average size 16-25 pounds. 40 pounds earns bragging rights. 50 pounds considered trophy.
Daily limit: 6 per person
Annual limit: none
Timing: Late June/early July – mid September
Size: Average size 6-10 pounds in June through late July, 8-12 pounds August and September. Silvers gain weight rapidly throughout the summer. By mid-August silvers of 12- 15 pounds are fairly common and the elusive 20 pound hooknose is possible.
Daily limit: 1 per person either under 44″ (38-43 pounds) or over 80 inches (276.5 pounds)
Annual limit: None
Timing: All season. We have had great success catching halibut very close to the 44 inch maximum – especially in May and June. Expect fast halibut action all season.
Size: 10-450 pounds. We see halibut of all sizes in Sitka. Best fishing is on the ocean, so as long as weather permits, we’ll get them!
For non-residents
Daily limit: 1 per person
Annual limit: 2 (1 can be 30-35″, the other must be over 55″ trophy)
Timing: All season
Size: 30-35 inches or 55 inches and longer.
Daily limit: 3 per person
Annual limit: None
Timing: All season
Size: 3-8 pounds
For non-residents
Daily limit: 1 per person
Annual limit: 1 per person for yelloweye rockfish. No annual limit on other non-pelagic species.
Timing: Open all season with the exception of a closure for August 1 – August 21
Size: 3-12 pounds
Daily limit: 4 per person
Annual limit: None
Timing: Available in deep water – in excess of 600 feet all season long.
Size: Most are 5-10 pounds, occasionally up to 25 pounds.
Daily limit: 1 per person
Annual limit: 2 per person
Timing: Tend to show up mostly in July through September.
Size: Range from 60 – 300 pounds.
We seldom target Salmon Sharks and their presence in our waters seems highly variable, ranging from seeing them on an off to not seeing them at all.
After a couple years of unusually high king salmon abundance, kings are at a level we’d call a low normal with an abundance index (AI) of 1.27. We’ve seen the AI higher and we’ve seen it lower. After decades of experience, we can tell you two things.
This year’s limits:
Explanation: The best way to manage fish is to link harvest levels to forecast abundance levels – better known as abundance based management. The AI is a number used to estimate abundance, but it’s far from precise. Still, it’s the currently accepted best method and used to set harvest regulations. The number of kings available to both sport and commercial harvest are regulated by the AI. The lower AI for 2017 results in tighter limits for sport fishermen as well as substantially decreased quotas for the commercial fleet.
The reasons why the AI doesn’t directly correlate to the quality of the fishing are many. First and foremost, the number isn’t always spot on, meaning there may be more fish out there than we’ve guessed. Also, with the sport and commercial harvests cut way back, fewer fish are taken out of the ocean leaving more to bite your herring. Lastly, these fish concentrate in areas of high ocean productivity. Sitka happens to be in a sweet spot in the ocean and we see a lot of kings regardless of the AI.
Experience: This is our 25th year operating in Sitka and we’ve seen 30 seasons of king fishing that has ranged from good to lights out regardless of forecasts. We expect the same for 2017. We also know where to find these fish. If they aren’t everywhere, they’re still somewhere and we’ll find them.
Expectations: The kings will arrive in early to mid-May and remain until the middle of August. The king fishing will be the best you can find anywhere in the North Pacific. The scenery will be spectacular, the wildlife inspiring, and the experience like nothing you can find in the “civilized” world. Fishing the salt water wilderness of Southeast Alaska remains an experience like no other, one that lives with you long after you’ve returned home.
– Captain Tom Ohaus