Salmon Fishing in Ketchikan | Alaska

Ketchikan is a top destination for sport fishermen looking to catch a wide variety of fish year round in Alaska. Five different types of Pacific salmon can be found here along with halibut, lingcod, rockfish and black bass.

Check out the Salmon Falls Fishing Resort fishing video that our crew created from footage during this amazing visit last September.

Salmon Falls Fishing Resort

Fully Guided Fishing Package

Waking up before sunrise usually means it’s going to be a full day of adventure. Our film crew grabbed a quick breakfast and coffee at The Timbers restaurant and headed down to the dock to meet up with our captains.

The team split up into two groups, each getting their own 27′, custom built, aluminum boat. Salmon Falls’ new boats hold up to six people comfortably and with the twin 200 honda motors, we were able to get to the fishing sites quicker than most other boats that morning. The boats were already prepped with bait, rods and reels and as soon as we got down to the dock and loaded up our camera equipment, we were off!

Ideal for both experienced fishermen and beginners just looking for some fishing fun out on the ocean, the Fully Guided Salmon Falls Fishing Trip promises an unforgettable time.

Captain Mike, our guide on the first boat, showed us how to navigate around the area, educating us on where the fish are and also helped bait all our equipment. Not only did he give us great tips, but he also gave us a run down on how to read the fish finder so we could start to get a feel for where our lines were resting.

My past fishing experience is pretty minimal – I go once or twice a year with our family and mainly fish for trout. Granted I at least knew the basics but being on a fully guided tour added a whole new level of interest to this experience.

The weather in the morning had started out cold! Too cold for me – I spent the first half of the day bundled up, but once we headed to the second spot on the other side of the island, the sky was clear and allowed for a time to relax up top and troll for some salmon.

A couple of my favorite Alaska outfit accessories:

• I’d recommend wearing boots while on the boat. The resort can provide some as well when they give you the gear. 
• My easily removable camera strap from Peak Designs
• Black REI Jacket from my fishing trip
• My lucky PFG hat

I never imagined I would get a chance reel in a 37lb fish like this. Thanks to our expert, Captain Mike, for getting us the chance to catch this massive Lingcod and teaching us the ropes when it comes to fishing here in Alaska. It felt pretty cool to be added to the dock white board for the biggest lingcod that season – go team!

After returning to the dock, the Salmon Falls team offloaded our catch and showed us how they process it – properly cutting, vacuum sealing and then freezing it. They stored the fish until the end of our trip and prior to leaving brought us our insulated boxes for the plane.

We were thrilled to be bringing home all this fish to our crew and families. We got pretty lucky in that we arrived the last week that the resort was open before the season closed and fishing was still really good.

The captains and Salmon Falls crew were spectacular, helping us in every way, and sharing their tips and tricks on how to properly fish Alaska’s vast waterways. We valued the expert advice and I hope that one day I will be able to bring family here to experience this fishing tour in Ketchikan.

Read more about the Salmon Falls the resort by reading that blog post!

Additionally, you can check out their website for all their packages and to find out more about the resort.

Overview

• Arrive to Salmon Falls Fishing Resort in Ketchikan Alaska via commercial plane or ship.

• There are 5 types of salmon in the area, as well as halibut, rockfish, lingcod and black bass.

• Great trip for a team building event or family vacation idea. Also a cool gift idea for a dad, boyfriend or husband!

• The resort offers half-day trips as well to accommodate cruise ship travelers looking for things to do when the ships stop in Ketchikan.

• Remember to bring sea sickness pills if you get a sensitive stomach, the fishing areas are about 40 min – 1 hr away from the resort.

• Be prepared and make sure dress in layers if it’s cold. Depending on what location you are fishing the weather can be different. The resort also provides full fishing foul weather gear and boots if needed in your package.

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