If you’ve been thinking about fishing in Ketchikan, let me tell you—you picked the right time, and you’re looking in the right place. This is Lukas Brickweg with Ketchikan’s Finest Fishing Charters, and the bite right now is exactly what we wait all year for. We’re seeing strong numbers of king salmon pushing through, with consistent action on the troll. Early mornings have been especially productive, with fish staging in all the usual lanes and a few surprises showing up where you might not expect them. If you like that heavy rod bend and the sound of a reel getting tested, this is your window. The silver salmon are starting to show signs of life too, and once they fully arrive, it’s going to turn into fast-paced, high-energy fishing that’s perfect whether you’re experienced or brand new. Add in steady bottom fishing—halibut, rockfish, and lingcod—and you’ve got the kind of trip where every drop counts and every angler stays busy. Now, here’s the difference when you fish with us. At Ketchikan’s Finest, we don’t just run trips—we run targeted trips. We’re on the water every day, adjusting to tides, weather, and fish movement in real time. That means you’re not guessing where the fish are—you’re going where they are. Our boats are dialed in, our gear is top-tier, and we keep groups small so you’re not fighting for space or missing opportunities. Whether you want a relaxed day enjoying Alaska’s scenery or you’re here to fill the box and chase trophies, we tailor the trip to you. No cookie-cutter runs. No wasted time. And let’s be honest—anyone can take you fishing. Not everyone can put you on fish consistently while making it a trip you’ll actually remember. That’s what we do. So if you’re coming to Ketchikan and you want the full experience—productive water, professional guidance, and a crew that’s as invested in your catch as you are—book with Ketchikan’s Finest Fishing Charters. We’ll see you on the water. —Lukas

Ketchikan produced huge catches for the 2024 season. Giant halibut and salmon topped the list for trophy catches. In additional, monster lingcod and rockfish delighted anglers with light action jigging techniques. Ketchikan cruise ship visitors enjoyed the 5hr combo salmon and halibut charters. While our full day in town clients typically booked mulitple 8hr fullday combo charters. The 2025 season is shaping up to be a huge run of fish. Don’t wait to long to get in on the action! The calendar is filling up fast with a few prime dates still remaining.

Halibut fishing in Ketchikan with daily limits of halibut. The halibut fishing this entire 2024 season has been nothing short of phenomenal. Bottomfishing for pacifc cod also was extremely productive. Catching double digit cod as we caught limits of halibut. Silver salmon and pink salmon catches were slighlty below average for the season. This resulted in more bottomfishing and less salmon trolling.

King salmon fishing charters produced red hot action for the months pf June, July and into August. King salmon ranging from 12-25lbs were the average size fish caught. Silver salmon fishing did not perform as was expected. Meaning, the silver salmon run did not hit the peak of years prior. With that being said, we caught beautiful salmon ranging from 6-12lbs.

King salmon season continues its red hot bite for cruise ship passengers salmon fishing in Ketchikan. Not only for cruise ship passenger, but locals and fly in clients alike. June marks the official beginning of the salmon runs here in Alaska. From here on out it’s just got to get better as the months progress. Halibut Fishing Ketchikan The halibut fishing charters produce good catches of chicken size halibut ranging from 12-25 pounds. These fish are great fighting fish when pulling them up from the depths of 200-300 feet of water. Not only are they a great fighting fish, but make for amazing table fare. Anglers from around the world flock to Ketchikan, Alaska every year to partake in the halibut fishery. Simply put its world class!! Halibut and Salmon Combo Charter Fishing Our halibut and salmon combo sports fishing charters by far are the most popular. On a typical combo charter during the month of June here’s what one can expect. First we start out bottom fishing for halibut on the richest fishing areas. Typically we will catch halibut, pacific cod and rockfish during these bottom fishing times. Once we’ve caught our boat limit of halibut we switch gears to catch king salmon. This entails trolling for king salmon with separate equipment, rigging and strategy. Your captain will put out a specific set of lures and bait covering a wide variety of color combinations and depths. Then we troll the lures through the larger concentrations of king salmon running. Once you get a bite from a giant king salmon the action starts! The line comes zipping off the reel as the king salmon tries to escape. While your pulling with all your might to keep the rod bent and turn the handle to retrieve line. It truly is a knock down drag out fight to capture and land one of Alaska’s most iconic fish. With your captain explaining specific instructions to swim the fish to the boat and net the king salmon. Once secured on the deck of the boat everyone rejoices! Book your trip today to experience the thrill of this world class Alaska fishery.

Ketchikan, Alaska Fishing Report Alaska fishing season started off with a bang for anglers visiting Ketchikan, Alaska. Halibut fishing charters produced great catches of halibut, pacific cod, lingcod and rockfish. Salmon fishing trips resulted in big king salmon while we awaited the arrival of silver salmon and pink salmon. Early season typically is more inconsistent then mid to late summer months including July, August and September. With that being said, our guests enjoyed better then average fishing to start off the 2023 Alaska fishing summer. Ketchikan Fishing Tours Fishing tours for cruise ship guests and fly in anglers spent the majority of May bottom fishing. These fisheries consist of fishing near and offshore waters for halibut, cod and rockfish. Deep water jigging for halibut had guests reeling in keeper size halibut as well as oversized halibut ranging from 10 pounds to 120 pounds. There’s nothing quite like the thrill of hooking into these deep sea dwellers. Not to mention the delicious meat that our guests were able to ship home for enjoyable table fare back in the lower 48. Ketchikan Halibut Fishing Furthermore halibut weren’t the only species caught during our halibut fishing charters. Pacific cod were a main staple while bottom fishing for halibut. Cod were concentrated in large numbers on the sandy flats eating a variety of bottom rigs presented. Traditional halibut fishing rigs with glow in the dark squid and cut herring caught the majority of Pacific cod. Not to mention we found great success jigging for cod with metal jigs and soft plastic swim baits. Following up halibut fishing with rockfish and lingcod jigging made for a combination catch that had everyone smiling. In contrast to halibut fishing, rockfish jigging consists of shallower waters and light action tackle. While catching pelagic rockfish such as yellowtail’s and dusky’s we had the opportunity to catch big lingcod. With such a phenomenal bottom fishing area you’re never quite sure what will grab the end of one line. These giant lingcod make a trophy catch for anyone visiting Alaskan waters. Salmon Fishing Excursions Ketchikan King salmon fishing season opener begin June 1st. Everyone rejoiced at the opportunity to pursue this iconic fish. Big king salmon catches came in throughout the entire southeast Alaska region. Ketchikan, Alaska known as the salmon capital of the world didn’t disappoint. Areas comprised of Herring Cove and Mountain Point were the first areas to open up. This resulted in large numbers of anglers trolling for prized king salmon in a restricted area. As we look forward for the entirety of the region to open up, these were the first areas where big catches came in. As we progress into the mid summer months the fishing will continue to heat up! Halibut will continue to show up in larger numbers as the water temperatures increase. In addition, the salmon fishing will see a big burst of silver salmon and pink salmon to combine with the larger king salmon. It’s all happening now, what a fishery we get to celebrate in Alaska! For further information on planning your Alaska fishing trip, please inquire from the contact information below.