Sitka, Alaska fishing can best be described with just one word: Amazing.
The reason is simple: Location. Sitka is at “ground zero,” the epicenter of West Coast salmon, halibut and bottomfishing. There is a reason so many commercial fishing boats are based out of Sitka: Fishing here is astonishingly productive.
Runs of all five species of Pacific salmon native to North America pass by Sitka while feeding and migrating to their natal streams in southeast Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. Massive numbers of salmon migrate through all summer long, from May through September, making Sitka, Alaska fishing one of the longest running, most productive saltwater salmon fisheries on the planet.
Chinook (AKA king) salmon are present year-round in Sitka waters. May and June are the best months to target them. Though Chinook salmon are present all year, Sitka fishing regulations dictate if and when Chinook salmon may be harvested.
Fishing for coho (silver) salmon picks up in mid-July. Coho are present until the season wraps up in late September. The daily bag limit for both residents and nonresidents is six coho per person per day, with no annual limit. You can really load some fish boxes during Sitka’s productive silver salmon season, especially if you mix in a day or two of bottomfishing.
Other salmon frequently encountered by the Sitka, Alaska fishing fleet include pink (humpy) and chum (dog) salmon. Both are present at the same time as coho, and often are numerous enough that an angler could easily fill their six-fish daily bag limit with these species.
- Chinook salmon: May through September
- Coho salmon: Mid-July through September
- Pink salmon: August through September
- Chum salmon: August
Sitka fishing isn’t just about salmon. It is one of the best Alaska fishing ports for halibut, lingcod, Pacific cod, various species of rockfish, and even sablefish (also known as black cod). Sitka fishing waters aren’t too far from the continental shelf, so it doesn’t take halibut long to migrate to nearshore waters in the spring. Sitka Alaska fishing for all species of bottomfish is productive from May through September. Many anglers believe the halibut fishing gets better every month during this timeframe.
Sitka is among the most productive salmon and bottomfish destinations anywhere in Alaska, or the West Coast, for that matter. The Tongass National Forest borders the productive saltwater. Mount Edgecumbe stands watch and is visible on nearby Kruzof Island on clear day. Stunning scenery, and truly outstanding fishing for king salmon, silver salmon, pink salmon, chum salmon, various rockfish, lingcod, and halibut make Sitka, Alaska fishing every angler’s dream.
