Rugged landforms make Southeast Alaska a beautiful place to fish, and the deep, cold waters of the Alexander Archipelago are home to enormous halibut and schools of salmon. Inland waters feature rainbow trout, and rivers often have Dolly Varden and steelhead.
Here's a look at what's available near Southeast towns each summer:
Angoon -- This village on Admiralty Island has kings and halibut, plus lake fishing for trout. The fishing in Admiralty Island National Monument is so-so, mostly for Dolly Varden. Fishing charters are available, as is air taxi service from Sitka.
Craig and Klawock -- These towns on Prince of Wales island share a king run in May and April. Fishing charters and air taxi service are available.
Coffman Cove -- Prince of Wales Island has Alaska's largest oyster farm, and fresh lobsters are available on the island. Anglers can rent a car in Craig and drive to Coffman Cove.
Gustavus -- Gustavus, the gateway to Glacier Bay National Park, is known also for its salmon and halibut angling in Icy Strait. Fishing charters and air taxi service are available in Gustavus and Juneau.
Haines -- Haines has a king salmon derby. Also there is good fishing for halibut and red, silver and pink salmon in Chilkat, Lutak and Chilkoot inlets. Charter boats might be needed, as winds and currents can make the waters inhospitable to smaller craft. Fishing charters and air taxi service are available.
Hoonah -- This Chichagof Island area has halibut and trolling for salmon. Fishing charters and air taxi service from Juneau are available.
Juneau -- Kings run in May and June, pinks from mid-July through August, silvers from August through mid-September. There also are Dolly Varden. Fishing charters and air taxi service are available.
Ketchikan -- Revillagegido Island waters are host to salmon, halibut, steelhead, Dolly Varden, rainbow trout, grayling, as well as Dungeness crab. Although the fishing is still good, it's but a shadow of the booming 1930s, when Ketchikan called itself the "salmon capital of the world" and a dozen canneries put up the catch. Overfishing tempered the fishing fever in the 1940s. Fishing charters and air taxi service are available.
Pelican -- Pelican sits along a narrow fjord on the northern end of Chichagof Island. It features salmon trolling. Fishing charters are available, as is air taxi service from Juneau.
Petersburg -- This Norwegian-influenced town has salmon, and there is good fishing also at Falls Creek, Blind Slough, Scow Bay and Petersburg Creek. Fishing charters and air taxi service are available.
Prince of Wales Island -- Prince of Wales Island is the nation's third largest island, and it has lots of fishing territory. The Klawock River has salmon runs and trout. Anglers have good luck with trout, steelhead and salmon near the Klawock River hatchery. The Thorne and Sarkar rivers harbor Dolly Varden, salmon and trout. There are offshore charters for salmon, halibut, ling cod and red snapper. Fishing charters and air taxi service are available in Craig, the largest town on the large island. Thorne Bay also has air taxi service.
Sitka -- Sitka has a king run in late May and early June, plus good fishing on Baranof Island's Katlian River and Rezanof Lake. Fishing charters and air taxi service is available.
Skagway -- Skagway, at the top of the Inside Passage, has Dolly Varden in the harbor, in Long Bay and in Taiya Inlet. There are also kings, pinks, silvers and chums. Some anglers intent on brook trout hike to Upper and Lower Dewey lakes and to Lost Lake for rainbows. Fishing charters and air taxi service are available.
Wrangell -- Wrangell has runs of salmon. Creeks flowing into the Stikine River provide rainbow trout. Fishing charters and air taxi service are available.
Yakutat -- Yakutat Bay has big kings (May and June) and silvers (August through September). The Situk River, which can be reached by road, is one of the state's best for steelhead (April-May and October-November), reds (June through August), kings (mid-June through July), silvers (mid-August through September), and pinks (August). Fishing charters and air taxi service are available.
