Catch up with what's happening at Alaska Sportfishing Expeditions in Ketchikan, Alaska. Highlights from the week of August 8, 2021.
Welcome back to another edition of the Ketchikan fishing minute for the week of August 8, 2021.
This past week all of Ketchikan and even some cruise ship guests had the pleasure of celebrating the 46th annual Ketchikan blueberry festival.
The blueberry festival is held each summer on the first Saturday in August which offers people the opportunity to shop local arts and crafts, enjoy tasty treats, and support local nonprofits charities and individuals selling their wares.
It was certainly nice to see a large community event take place again.
We were happy to cheer on three of our ASE staff members who participated in fun runs that take place as part of the event.
Congrats to Braxton, Kelton, and Nick for making a strong ASE showing.
Fishing this last week seemed to taper off just a bit from the week before although not so significantly that guests were struggling to find fish.
The second week of August traditionally marks the peak of the pink salmon run and from here on out we should start seeing fewer and fewer pinks and more and more fall coho.
Due to the number of summer coho we saw this year, we're hopeful that the strong run was the result of good rearing and ocean conditions that will also transfer into the fall road.
Like we've mentioned previously the summer coho run this year was one of the strongest we've seen in the recent past.
Fingers crossed that the fall coho run is the same.
Because our guided anglers are running further south and finding the fall coho before they make their way to the inside waters, the charters are seeing a lot more coho than pink salmon.
The self-guided fishermen on the inside have continued to see a few more pinks than silvers which is pretty common for this time of year.
Those who have spent time bottom fishing have also been able to generally find a few halibut.
Speaking of halibut, captain Jim Hayden hosted guest Nadar Shushtari who landed this beautiful 140 pounder.
Guests fishing with a guide are allowed either one fish under 50 inches or one fish over 72 inches this year.
The 72-inch upper slot is designed to allow an angler to keep a trophy fish if they happen upon one.
Although they are rare, it's always fun for guests when they realize what's on the other end.
Nader's fishing partner Cody landed his halibut on the bottom end of the slot limit but still managed to find one just under the 50-inch mark maximizing his catch.
Looking to find a way to get some fishing in after a long work day a few of the clover pass crew snuck out one evening last week for a little squid fishing.
Squid are pretty plentiful in the waters around clover pass resort and are attracted to jigging hooks using lights catching them can be a little tricky but when you finally get it figured out and land a few it can be a lot of fun.
We can hardly believe we are barreling towards the middle of August and before.
We know the summer will be winding down but between now and the end of September we know there is still a lot of fishing to do.
We promise to bring you all the details on the next Ketchikan fishing minute.