Best Region For Salmon/Halibut Charter

[Cougfan]

I am planning a trip to Alaska for the entire Month of August in 2012. We will drive up and will be in the Anchorage and Kenai peninsula area. Can be in the Valdez area. We will be taking the ferry back down from Haines and could stop most anywhere in the southeast. We will defintiely be stopping in Ketchikan.

My wife and I want to do a one day charter sometime during our trip. An ideal charter would include the following. A good chance to catch both Coho and Halibut. A smaller boat with no more than 6 people. 4 would be even better. Can access without taking a float plane. Would have access to a place where I could get the fish flash frozen and shipped back home to the Seattle area. If I had to chose, I would lean towards a location with more restrictive limits if I could have fun catching lots of fish there, than one with more liberal limits if the fishing was not as good, if that makes sense. In other word, I would rather catch 8 salmon and keep 3/release 5, than catch 5 salmon and keep 5 salmon ( actually with my luck, the limit often is not relevant. Does not really matter what the limit is if one does not catch any). Of course, both good limits and good fishing a would be the ideal.

Any reccomendations on the best location for a charter with what I have in mind?

 

[tcman]

Crackerjack charters in Seward. Book a combo trip on their 6 pack boat.

 

[Cap'n Ron]

It's about a 6 1/2 hour drive from Anchorage to Valdez, but your fishing goals could certainly be met there, lovely town, EZ-Freeze can take care of processing and shipping your fish, and you can catch the ferry there. Lot's of good charters there, mostly the 6-pak and almost all do combos, although some will be restricted from halibut due to the new permit required. If you want to take a couple of days, you can do self or guided fishing out of www.ravencroftlodge.com. A couple of the charters also take you way out for the halibut and then overnight at that lodge www.pacificmountainguides.com/Alaska-Fishing.aspx , or I think seaclusion or some other charter also has a lodge out a ways in the sound.

Lots of threads on Charters in Valdez, you should check them out....and if you don't want to take that drive to Valdez, I've never been out with them, but have heard nothing but good things about the recommendation of Crackerjack out of Seward...

 

[Gerberman]

GO TO SEWARD, The place to go for Coho and halibut that time of year, there are a lot of charters and the processing and freezing, packaging and shipping of you fish can be done right at the J dock. Have Fun, on one trip out of Seward it took us 18 minutes to catch 18 coho in the boat, we lost an equal amount because the fish were fighting for the bait and hook from each other.

 

[0321Tony]

Seward is the place to be to catch silvers and halibut. There is also great rock fishing out of Seward as well. August is my favorite time to fish out of there lots of silvers and really good fishing ant the weather is usually good that time of year too. And I will second The crackerjack six pack boat as well.

 

[TS]

It's about a 6 1/2 hour drive from Anchorage to Valdez, but your fishing goals could certainly be met there, lovely town, EZ-Freeze can take care of processing and shipping your fish, and you can catch the ferry there. Lot's of good charters there, mostly the 6-pak and almost all do combos,.

I don't know of one charter in Valdez that does combo's,

 

[captaindd]

I agree with Captain T. I do not know anyone that does both Halibut and Salmon on a day charter.

 

[Cougfan]

Seward

Seward

Thanks for the advice, including the Valdez idea. Seward sounds great though and in an area I planned to explore anyway. Now I just have to wait forever....

 

[jrogers]

Cougfan,

Stay tuned to your thread. I predict that it is just a matter of time before things heat up here. You see, there is a pretty diverse set of opinions on where they better place is to fish, the main contenders will be Seward and Homer, with Valdez another option that will not be as hevily promoted. You can seach past threads here. Some of the guides actually post here on a reular basis. AKCAPTN is Crackerjack charter in Seward, Captiandd is a charter out of Valdez, and then there is also Muttley, who is a charter operator out of Homer.

My personal choice for a charter would be Seward. All three are nice towns to visit and you will have a good to great experience based on the luck of the day and the weather.

Have a great trip.

 

[redleader]

I vote for Homer, unless you like congested end of the road cruise ship towns, Homer is the real deal and the bonus is feeder kings all year, try Norms Saltwater adventures, my boat is harbored behind his and I see nice combo catches regularly or Mike on the arctic addiction and you can't go wrong.

 

[MGH55]

Dont judge Homer by what on person does or posts on here. Some should think before they speak. Homer is great fishing.

 

[Cap'n Ron]

I agree with Captain T. I do not know anyone that does both Halibut and Salmon on a day charter.

I've only chartered once out of Valdez and that was on the Silver Lining and we did a combo. I have my own boat and do my own fishing without going on charters now. However, I spend a lot of time at the Valdez harbor and watch the charters come in and unload their tubs of fish and in August see a lot of salmon/halibut together from the same boat. I agree that much of the season, there is a mix of halibut, lingcod, rockfish. It takes a lot of time to go out to the entrance where most of the halibut charters go, so maybe there isn't time or interest in doing the combo, but I sure see a lot of fish combos at the fish cleaning stations.

However these two captains seem to really know the fleet well, so I wouldn't argue against that. Was mainly basing my post of what I see coming into the harbor.