Family trip around Admiralty Island AUG 10-20th need fishing advice.

[ryan christensen]

Hello all,

Me and my family are renting a small tug boat and cruising around Admiralty Island. I am just looking for some fishing advice for this trip. We have gone in the past and had some luck with halibut, but it was a different season, and the salmon weren't on. Any advice for any fish would be great.

Thanks,
Ry

[Tsiutoo]

Your timing is excellent for just about everything. In the salt, there will be cohos everywhere; feeder kings will be available too. Halibut fishing will be at it's peak; rockfish will be so plentiful in some places they'll be a nuisance. Every creek will be full of spawning salmon and Dollies will be right in there with them.

Seriously, if you have any fishing know-how you can't go wrong. Get some marine charts and the likely-looking reefs and offshore humps will probably produce fish for you. Troll and mooch the prominent points of land and tidal eddies wherever you find them. Watch your depth finder for signs of deep herring. If you have downriggers, go deep and you'll find king salmon.

[CanCanCase]

Which direction are you traveling? Bottom fishing is better on the West coast of the island, and the salmon will be all over (there are some very well known coho drags to the East of the island.)

Remember bag and posession limits too... only 2-days' worth in possession. If you have halibut, you have to keep the carcasses whole, and you can't skin or fletch up the fillets. Salmon and some bottom fish (if they're state managed) can be frozen and then not counted in posession, but any raw fish will be counted as part of your possession limits.

The folks at the lodge in Pybus are quite friendly, as are the hosts at Favorite Bay lodge in Angoon (stop into Favorite Bay if you don't want to cook lunch or dinner... best meals ever!) Oh, be sure to stop by 5-Finger and say "hello" to Ed and the puppies!

If you've got time/fuel/range, be sure to run up Seymour Canal to Windfall Island and Pack Creek. You'll have to plan for permits in advance, but that's also prime viewing time at the Stan Prince sanctuary.

Happy Alaska Travels!
-Case

[alaskabowhunter]

be mindful of bears on Admiralty at all times. Stop by Pybus Point Lodge and see if Alan can give you some pointers, it is a good bay to layover in as well.

[JKD]

Take Chartreuse With You

At that point in August you should have plenty of opportunities for coho on both sides of the Island (you may have swarms of humpies to deal with, too). If you have experience with using them, see if you can arrange for a pair of downriggers to be included with the equipment on the tug.

I wouldn't bother with bait on a trip like you have planned - I'd go with bright "artificials". I suggest you pick up a selection of #5 Canadian spoons, some Coyote spoons, and some 3-1/4" Krocodile spoons in various color versions that include chartreuse. If they come with treble hooks - remove them and put on #5 Mustad 9510 siwash-style hooks so you can easily release undersized Kings if you run into some (they can be a real bother around Pt. Gardner and Eliza Harbor). If you decide you would like to troll with flashers and hootchies - take along some 4" hootchies (e.g., Golden Bait brand #YX14R and OG139R for cohos and the O111R and/or OA12R for Kings).

Watch for balls of bait fish near prominent points or tide-rips and fish as close to those feed concentrations as possible. Make a point of being at a likely spot through both high and low tide changes. Have fun, Ryan, and have a great trip around Admiralty.