Really does depend on what type of fish (salmon, halibut, rockfish, trout, grayling, etc) you want to focus on as well as what time of year (assuming a summer month) and which part of the state you want to visit (Kenai peninsula, SE, Bristol Bay drainages, interior, Kodiak and Aleutians, etc) for other things such as sightseeing, tours, hiking, hunting, etc. And also method of getting to Alaska (plane or cruise ship, etc).
This is perfect advice. The only thing I would add is in some places you can always do both. Id recommend staying at a lodge of some sort, booking the very first day of your trip as a charter, learning what to use and how to fish, this will give you a big advantage the rest of your trip when youre doing DIY.2 very different options there. One is fully guided and the other is self guided. Fully guided will likely have several other clients on the same boat. You will have the comfort and security of the guides and their experience, but will have almost no say in what you do or where you go on a daily basis. On the self guided they give you the boat, fishing gear and bait, but the rest is up to you. It will only be you group on the boat. You are in control of your own destiny, for better or worse. Self guided typically have much more generous limits if bringing lots of fish home is a priority. Both can be a fantastic experience. I much prefer the self guided trips, but for the less experienced fishermen they can be intimidating.
The 2 recommendations shared above both look like great options. This is another good outfit to check out.
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www.watersedgealaska.com
YOU WANT TO SEND HOME FISH BOXES OR YOU OK WITH FIX BOX SOUP?! CHICKENS FILL THE BOXES!!
Tongue in cheek—I’ve never been (yet). One of my best friends has a charter business in Ketchikan so I need to get up there asap.LOL!
Sometimes The Limit Is Down To 1 HALIBUT Per Day,Depends On The Year!
One Fish At The Chicken Patch Equals Some Small Boxes!
The Choice Is Yours!
I Don't Really Care If You Go To The Chicken Patch Or Not!
Just Trying To Pass On Some Info!
If You Haven't Been To Alaska Before & Are Planning On Catching Big Fish & Lots Of Them You Might Consider A Guide!
Maybe You Don't Care?
Maybe The Chicken Patch Is For You?
Maybe You're A Pro That's Done It Many Times?
Post # 10 Wasn't Directed At You Or Anybody-else!
If You're Not A Pro,Check What dvolmer Posted Above!
And Best Of Luck On The Alaska Trip!
We have at times fished off of the docks with spinners and have caught saltwater Dolly Varden before. CML is located in Point Baker Alaska at the tip of Prince of Whales Island. Its sister city is Port Protection (Nat Geo Reality show). My buddy has a place in Port Protection and I go up there 2-3 times a year. Bill Miller owns CML and we have stayed there a time or two with him. It’s nice because it’s far enough out there that you can fish for lings and seabass along with great halibut and all kinds of salmon. A lot of the places close to Petersburg, Wrangle, and Ketchikan have good salmon and halibut but no access to lings and seabass.
Not to sure how good the dollys are to eat. We never mess with them that much. We have bigger fish to contend with and target. Standard CML boat is 18 foot with 60 hp Yamaha’s. For a slight fee upgrade you can get the 20 foot covered boat with the 90hp Yamaha’s. That is what I would recommend. It’s all on their web page. 2-4 people in a boat. I think three is all you want for salmon trolling. 2-4 is fine for bottom fishing. When the eleven of us went they gave us 4 boats. If two guys go by themselves they will get their own boat. You are never forced to fish in different boats with anyone that isn’t in your party. What’s nice about CML is that it’s out where the fish are. You don’t have long boat rides to get to the fish. Best fishing is right in front of the lodge 5 minutes from the dock.
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That’s my papa-Smurf suit!!!!
