“Butch- just re-book me on this fishing trip every year — for the rest of my life!” Dave Crispens
Prince of Wales Island is a pristine sportsmen’s paradise in southeast Alaska. It is reached by flying from Seattle to Ketchikan, and then via a half hour floatplane ride to the Island, or go by ferry. A FISHERMAN COULD FISH HIS WHOLE LIFE HERE AND NEVER BEGIN TO SAMPLE ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES. The options and variety are truly mind boggling. Rivers, ponds, lakes, streams, bays – the list is a long one, and hundreds of miles of inland and ocean water await you. We have been to this location ten times and plan to keep returning. Hunt Nation founders, Butch and his wife Joan Manasse, spent their 49th anniversary there, fishing with 6 good friends in August several years ago. On their three best days, they probably caught 12 to 20 pink salmon per person per hour! In other words, they fought 3- to 6-pound fish most of each hour! Sore arms and wrists. Then switched to silvers for some 7- to 14-pounders, then pulled the crab and shrimp pots to eat! Tough life! In 2019 they held their 54th anniversary party here and had good fishing, but lack of rain made it tougher – they averaged maybe 6 to 15 fish per person per day, but had a couple better days when rains came. Cost varies with the building you choose and party size, but a group of 4, expect approx. $1600 to $1800 per person with your own boat, your own vehicle and your own cabin!! Best deal in Alaska!
Butch has seen much of Alaska, and he has come to love this Island for many reasons, but one chief reason is ACCESS! Many Alaskan coastal towns have wonderful saltwater fishing, but they have no road system so you cannot reach the nearby streams. You can try taking a boat, and then try to safely dismount in waves into a smaller boat, then going to shore, then walk half a mile or more to get out of the tidal areas to reach the stream. Here you just park your 4wd truck and go!!
And a hunter also could also spend his entire life here, and never begin to touch all the opportunities. This is a hunter’s nirvana; the limit is THREE Sitka blacktail deer (subject to change), and you can also hunt for the giant Island Class of black bear. The bears here equal those on Vancouver Island, but you pay about 25% of a Vancouver hunt to hunt them here! So, if you can put the fishing rod down, the hunting is spectacular. Very unpopulated Island, the second biggest in the U.S.; 150 miles long and 50 miles wide, and you’re rarely in competition with others and quite often you’ll never see another human. Also no brown bears, so no threats to your well-being, which is a plus.
If you take the short bush plane flight to the Island from Ketchikan (which is the route most clients prefer), at a cost of about $450-$550 round trip, you’ll will land at the dock, be met and be escorted to your cabin, along with your luggage. The plane flight is mind boggling! Incredibly scenic a never to be forgotten ride. The cabins (really they are much more like nice apartments) are just five minutes away. It doesn’t get any easier. You are briefed during an orientation, given maps, given a detailed list of places and directions to fish, are loaned a vehicle for your use, and provided with a boat and motor, and crab traps and shrimp pots. All you pay for is the gas. Dungeness crab makes a wonderful dinner! Or take the ferry which is less weather dependent; or one of the regular commercial flights to the island – commercial flights are more costly but less weather-dependent. ASK US FOR OUR TRAVEL INFO SHEETS ONCE YOU BOOK!!!!!
Buy your food on arrival. There’s a store within a 5-minute drive, although there is a much larger grocery store in Klawock with better pricing. The dock where your boat is moored is a 5-minute walk from your cabins.
Your reservation includes:
• EXCELLENT lodging
• 4WD vehicle (see picture below)
• boat with a 25 HP outboard docked in walking distance of the lodging
• boat trailer
• fish-finder with chart plotter
• crab pots and maps
• hot tub
• fish processing
• large barbecue
• recreation room
• free loan of tackle – they leave a full selection of saltwater and freshwater rods on your porch!
• fish smoker
All for a very reasonable price. Hunt and/or fish to your heart’s content! We have brought back 100 pounds of delicious halibut on our trip. Halibut currently sells for $19-$25 per pound! That’s $1,900 worth of halibut which paid for the trip! And this doesn’t count the awesome seafood consumed on premises. Our friends brought back 40 pounds of smoked salmon, and about 60 pounds of salmon, halibut, crab and shrimp each! The lodging is first class, very nice, clean and comfortable. The layout includes a covered front porch, kitchen area, living room area, separate bedrooms (two-bedroom units per cabin) and a private bathroom. There are 9 units in all and they routinely book a year in advance usually! Do not procrastinate!!
FISHING – Salmon/Trout/Halibut:
It is common to stand on a bridge in July and August, look over the side and see thousands of salmon! If you don’t see fish, move! If the fish are non-responsive, move upstream or down or try another stream! There are a hundred!
Freshwater species include steelhead, silver (Coho) salmon, chum, pinks (Butch’s favorite to wear you out), sockeye salmon, Dolly Varden and cutthroat trout. Saltwater species include halibut, king (Chinook) salmon (June and July), silvers and pinks (July-September), ling cod, yellow-eyed rockfish, black rockfish, regular codfish and much more. In general, salmon fishing starts in saltwater in May and June, then moves into the streams as the season progresses. But saltwater produces all season long. There is good stream fishing from April through November. Steelhead run November through May.
SILVERS (Coho) are best in August and September, but we know of a secret place we will share with you where there are huge runs of feisty silvers in July! One of our all-time favorites, especially for less experienced stream anglers, is the pink salmon that run beginning July through August. Catching 50-100 pink salmon of 3 to 6 pounds in a day on light tackle is routine! Silvers are available on the north end of the island at the same time. Sockeyes run in June and July.
CHUM salmon are available from mid-July through August. Halibut is best from May to September and trout are waiting almost anytime.
SOCKEYE are a blast and they are there from early June to early July, however, they are tough to catch in the Thorne River. The best streams for fishing them are not as easy to access as the lower Thorne so you may need to work to find them. They do bite (most people in other places “floss” them – floating hooks into their mouths as they breathe…a form of cheating to a purist). That being said, a day fishing them is one to remember, and you’ll want to focus on the first week or two of July, that way you can add some other species for a variety. This way you do not have to access the tougher rivers every day… you can mix it up with some easier access places as well. We highly recommend a guide for the sockeye as well, at least for the first day. Guides might want to take people in via canoe so you can get to some great places higher up the river. There are some other rivers that are great for sockeye as well.
PINK SALMON ARE A PERSONAL FAVORITE. Mostly because with a few simple techniques, you can catch all you want. We like to fly fish them with purple egg sucking leeches and a strike indicator. Others prefer a small bobber with purple and pink small jigs or egg sucking leeches and a split shot. Spinners snag too many fish and gets to be a pain! Want to have fun with kids, wives and friends? Catch 50 pinks a day weighing 4 to 8 pounds, jumping all over – man, we call that fun! And use the entrails to bait your crab pots!
SALTWATER: SILVERS in the saltwater is good from the beginning of July. KINGS do not generally run the POW rivers, so you fish them in salt. Prime time is late June and July. Also Rockfish, cod, ling cod and more!
Cast and blast: You can easily combine spring bear hunting with steelhead and trout fishing. In the fall, add salmon, trout, steelhead and deer (deer opens August 15; September 1 for bear) to the fishing.
The housing accommodations are very clean, modern and are comfortable set-ups with one or two bedrooms and individual bathrooms for each unit.
FISHING: Just to give you an idea of the fishing, in August a few years ago, Butch and Joan and three other couples fished here. They took a charter the first day from the lodge. The group boated 250 pounds of halibut in a half day of fishing! Best was a 155-pound brute landed by Butch. Next day, Butch and several others stream fished. Once the right combination was found, they caught about 10 to 20 pink salmon per angler per hour on light fly tackle! They repeated that every day! Silvers required you to work a bit more, but once you found the right combination and the right lure drift, they were equally cooperative. The other half of the party jumped in the new 16-foot Lunds powered by smooth-running 25-hp Yamaha four-strokes, sped out to the saltwater and caught halibut, lingcod, rockfish, silvers and pinks. Then it was time to pull the shrimp pots. With each lift they were rewarded with 10 -15 pounds of giant shrimp that made for incredible hors d’oeuvres for the night’s meal. The crab pots were equally full. The first night’s menu included fried halibut soaked in beer and rolled in pancake mix. The next night was fresh salmon. Salmon were on the menu next night too, with an appetizer of boiled shrimp. Lastly, Dungeness crab dipped in butter completed our seafood binge. It doesn’t get any better! Butch and his wife and friends are returning again in Sept of 2024.
You can regularly see thousands of spawning salmon cruising under any bridge and often there is not one person fishing! From past trips, we also know that there are many secluded ponds within a short hike that are teeming with a variety of trout. All this can be had for a party of 4 for under $1,500 per person! Unbelievable! If kings are your target of choice, target the saltwater in June and July. All this with a backdrop of gorgeous seaside and mountain scenery. On return trips in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013, and 2016, the results were similar and Butch discovered some new silver salmon streams with a lot of feisty silvers of 6 to 14 pounds. (Those ya gotta find yourself!)
Other Info/Features
There is also a hot tub with adjacent bar-b-cue at the main lodge. There is a common area for use by large groups for socializing and cookouts. There are crab boilers and a fish smoker. Recently they have added laundry facilities to each unit. Clothing-wise, expect temperatures from 40 to 65 degrees. Two sets of shirts and pants will do, along with a good set of rain gear and a warm sweater and/or jacket. A small tackle shop is available at the lodge, complete with free use of the freshwater spinning rods and conventional rods and reels and some downrigger rods. Pay only for tackle lost or used up. An honor system applies in the tackle shop – just write it down, settle up at the end! Wonderful.
The lodge has meat and fish processing and freezing facilities including stainless and fiberglass counters. Freezing and vacuum packing can be provided for about $1.00-$1.50 per pound (or bring your own sealer). Or they will simply freeze it to save you a few bucks. Advice is free, just walk over to the office and ask. Guides for stream or charter-boat fishing are available on request, but be sure to reserve their services well in advance of when you’ll need them.
You may want to add a charter for saltwater fishing for a day. The cost is approximately $1,000 per day, which is very affordable when split among four anglers. Taking home 30 to 50 pounds of fresh halibut fillets and tasty rockfish is a real treat that you’ll be able to savor for months after your trip. The halibut limit is one fish per person when on a charter, but two if you fish from your own boat. You will also catch cod, various rockfish and lingcod, a ferocious fighter that grows to 50 pounds.
It’s a given that you’ll see seals, maybe killer whales, sea otters, bald eagles and snow-covered mountains. Based along the famed Inside Passage, this is some of the world’s most scenic country. An unbeatable experience! We also suggest you consider adding extra days. The cost is negligible and once you’re there you’ll want to extend your visit. Personally, we prefer at least seven nights and six days and, even then, a week seems to fly by.
THE HUNTING- Black Bears and Sitka Blacktails
ISLAND BLACK BEARS: We have taken some giant black bears here, but the bears here get hunted so they normally fear people, and there are no brownies. There are also a large number of blacktail deer, and you can harvest 4 per season! Ask us for the separate writeup on the hunting at this location
To get an idea of what the island looks like, Google this address: Click This Prince of Wales Island
2024 PRICES (subject to change without notice until deposit received)
INVOICES HAVE TWO PAYMENTS, FIRST THE INITIAL DEPOSIT; THEN THE FINAL BALANCE. THE FINAL BALANCE IS PAID DIRECTLY TO THE OUTFITTER AND MUST BE RECEIVED BY THEM NO LATER THAN 60 DAYS PRE-ARRIVAL.
INITIAL Invoices do NOT reflect local and Alaska taxes that are due on your arrival. THOSE APPEAR ON YOUR FINAL INVOICE FROM THE OUTFITTER. Those taxes are a 6% community tax on the trip price, a $35 vehicle rental tax, and a $28 transient occupancy tax. You will pay those with your final balance, directly to the outfitter. Extras that you may incur during the trip are tips, tackle purchased in their tackle shop and vacuum sealing and packing of fish.
REFUNDS & CANCELLATIONS: NONE ARE GIVEN, REGARDLESS OF YOUR PERSONAL SITUATION. ACCORDINGLY, IF YOU HAVE ANY CHANCE OF A LOVED ONE GETTING ILL, OR A BUSINESS SITUATION CHANGE, OR ANY OTHER EVENT, WE SUGGEST YOU BUY THE TRAVEL INSURANCE THAT IS AVAILABLE. COST IS MODERATE. NO INSURANCE MEANS YOU MUST SUFFER THE LOSS.
UNGUIDED TRIPS:
You have two BASIC options – Choose either 6 nights or 7 nights. We recommend 7 nights as you will need some time to just get oriented and make plans. Friday noon for all arrivals! Once you decide which time option you want, then decide on whether you want to hunt, or fish or do both. More on that below.
STEP ONE: CHOOSE THE NUMBER OF DAYS YOU WANT:
6 NIGHTS AND 5 DAYS – Arrive on a Friday, depart on Thursday A.M.
7 NIGHTS AND 6 DAYS (OUR FAVORITE) – Friday arrival and Friday departure.
STEP TWO: CHOOSE THE COTTAGE AND PRICE LEVEL YOU WANT:
EXPLANATION: You are paying for the cottage, so fewer folks ups the per person price, while more folks reduces it! In all there are 9 units, and sizes vary widely.
Standard One Bedroom
The Eagle & Wolf Cottages are one bedroom with a full living room, dining area, kitchen and a large covered front porch. The bedding arrangement is a twin over full bunk in the bedroom as well as a pullout couch in the living room making them comfortable for 3 people or more if there is a couple in the party. The Wolf and Eagle Cottages connect with a door that locks on each side, as well as a private exterior door of course. If you are a large party getting two cottages so you can be nearby each other rather than being spread across the Lodge, this might be a good plan. Perhaps if you have teenagers, you might want two cottages so they have more room, and you will have two of everything…TVs, Kitchens, bathrooms, etc. but you will be able to supervise the kids and make sure they’re tucked in safe and sound. This would also be good for a group that wants to be closer so they can share meals and have more living space. Whatever the case, these two cottages can be used separate or together.
weekly rates PER Person
April 1 to Sept 30
2 Guests $2,750
3 Guests $2,100
Deluxe One Bedroom
The Trout & Salmon cottages are roomy one bedrooms with a full living room, dining area, large kitchen and laundry. The large kitchen layout is great for preparing meals and there is plenty of space in the living room. The bedding arrangement is two full beds in the bedroom as well as twin bunks in the nook area. (please see diagram) making the Trout & Salmon Cottages comfortable for 4 people or more if there is a couple in the party. While we are not located waterfront, there is a view of the bay from the windows as well as the front porch.
weekly rates PER Person
April 1 to Sept 30
2 Guests $2,480
3 Guests $1,920
4 Guests $1,650
Two Bedroom
The Bear & Steelhead cottages are roomy two bedrooms with a full living room, dining area, large kitchen and laundry. Each bedroom has a twin over full bunk. The large kitchen layout is great for preparing meals and there is plenty of space in the living room. There is a pullout couch in the living room making this cottage comfortable for up to 5 people and more if there are couples. While we are not located waterfront there is a view of the bay from the Steelhead Cottage windows as well as front porch.
weekly rates PER Person
April 1 to Sept 30
2 Guests $3,080
3 Guests $2,050
4 Guests $1,740
5 Guests $1,550
Two Bedroom House Package (The Residence)
The Residence HOUSE has two bedrooms with a huge living room, dining area, large kitchen with bar, dishwasher, washer & dryer and covered front & rear porch. The kitchen layout is great for preparing meals. One bedroom has both a twin and full bed. The second bedroom has two full beds making this cottage comfortable for up to 4 people and more if there are couples.
weekly rates PER Person
April 1 to Sept 30
2 Guests $3,580
3 Guests $2,390
4 Guests $1,800
5 Guests $1,600
6 Guests $1,470
Two Bedroom (The Chalet)
The Woods Cabin is a chalet style 2 bedroom, two bathroom cabin with loft. There are two full beds in each room and two full beds in the loft. (6 total) full kitchen including dishwasher, washer & dryer. It has a great view of the woods and is located next to a creek and hot tub.
weekly rates PER Person
April 1 to Sept 30
2 Guests $5,020
3 Guests $3,340
4 Guests $2,520
5 Guests $2,020
6 Guests $1,670
7 Guests $1,550
8 Guests $1,460
NOT INCLUDED:
- Six per cent (6%) Sales Tax on package –PAYABLE ON DEPARTURE AT LODGE.
- Transient tax and motor vehicle rental tax – about $65 total per living unit
- Transportation to lodge on Prince of Wales Island and return ( float plane -about $300).
- If you want the float plane, contact the lodge and they will make your flight reservations. (ferry is about $100 but there is a pickup charge by the lodge – still a bit cheaper then plane but wastes most of a day. But the ferry is a fun ride among the islands. Buy a cheeseburger, sip coffee, watch scenery – gorgeous!)
- Hunting/fishing licenses. Fish license 7 days $55; King salmon stamp 1 day is $10.00 Bear $225 (check current rules/regs).
- Your groceries.
- Vacuum sealing. Pricing varies- ask on arrival or just wrap and freeze them yourself.
- Stream Guiding. (Fishing only.) Subject to availability. Must be contracted for and paid for in advance.
Add-ons for your consideration:
- SALTWATER CHARTER FISHING: Halibut, salmon, lingcod and more. $295/person/day, min. 4 and max. 6 people. Trip includes full day charter, professional guide, rods, tackle, bait, fish cleaning, freezing, boxing and lunch. Vacuum sealing is also available for $1.50 per pound. NOTE: Limit on charter is ONE halibut per person so they fish for the big ones, and also will fish rockfish, lingcod and troll or mooch for salmon. Usually plenty of action.
• (NOTE: You can also fish halibut, salmon and rockfish from your own boat that comes free as part of the cottage rental)
• BOAT UPGRADE – They have several different ones available, but they book up fast. They are great if you want to do some really serious saltwater fishing and trolling on a DIY basis. These upgraded boats were inspected by Butch – very new, very classy with downriggers, chart plotter and fish finder; motors and all are just top notch! If you prefer saltwater, this upgrade is highly suggested! Ask for our MISCELLANEOUS INFO sheets on this trip. Cost is $2,300 or $2,875 per week, depending up the boat. A viable alternative to a charter.
GUIDED STREAM FISHING FOR STEELHEAD: Five nights, 4 days fishing and lodging $2,990; or 7 nights, 5 days guided fishing plus 1 day of fishing on your own or sightsee – $3,420. Meals are not included.
SPRING REPORT FROM CLIENT KRIS Z:
BUTCH: Just got back from the trip. Wow! That was awesome. Can’t thank you enough for leading us in the right direction. Everything about the outfitter exceeded our expectations. Fishing was great with 50# ling cod and a 100# halibut. Bear hunting was challenging but we got our bears. It took us a while to figure out what we were doing. Thanks again and I will be rebooking next month along with some very jealous friends that couldn’t go this year!!
TRAVEL PLANNING:
FLIGHTS: Plane tickets and hunting and fishing licenses –not included in price! Alaska Airlines out of Seattle is the only airline that provides service to Ketchikan from the lower 48. Alaska Airlines phone: 800-445-4435. From Ketchikan you have 3 choices of ways to get to POW. Most commonly we use the floatplanes. A second method is the inter-island ferry. Third is a commercial land based plane service. Each has pros and cons.
Typically we use one of the several floatplane outfits THAT FLY RIGHT FROM THE MAIN AIRPORT in Ketchikan into POW. But make your float plane reservations far in advance! Simply contact the lodge and they will make the reservation for you. Email them your itinerary so they can coordinate it. You usually pay the float plane operator on arrival in Ketchikan or earlier. It is a very scenic flight!
In lieu of the float plane, you can also take a local ferry to access POW from Ketchikan. It is less weather dependent than the float planes, but it is about a 3-hour mini cruise to Hollis on POW. Cost is about $50/person each way, plus a $75 per person round trip pickup fee charged by the lodge for a shuttle. To arrange: reservations@interislandferry.com. Fun little boat trip – sip coffee in the window lounge, eat a cheeseburger or a hearty breakfast, watch the scenery and take video or pictures!
And if you are having problems with making connections work out, consider using a land-based flight company called Island Air. They fly instruments whereas float planes are VFR (visual). This means they have fewer weather issues, and they also offer 3 flights a day between Ketchikan and Klawock on POW. But you do have to make arrangements for pickup by the lodge, in Klawock. For info go to: https://islandair.trekres.com. About $150 each way. It is the most reliable way to avoid weather issues and delays.
FROM THE LOWER 48: Another route to Ketchikan is to take a ferry out of the city of Bellingham, Washington. You have to book both a cabin and then your passenger fares. Cost for a 2 berth room plus two passengers is around $800. For the ferry cruise from Bellingham, WA to Ketchikan, go to: (Click this). That is the Alaska Marine Highway System. See also: (Click this)
IMPORTANT!! OUR SUGGESTIONS/THOUGHTS AND TRAVEL PLANS/ARRANGEMENTS
Before arriving in Ketchikan you should have already sent us or the outfitter your itinerary, so the outfitter can make your reservations for the float plane. Again, the Lodge will make the reservation for you, you pay for it though. The float plane counter is right by your luggage pickup area. The float plane will take you to Thorne Bay. Cost is about $300/ person, round trip from Ketch to POW and back. Normally it is Pacific Air that is used, but it can vary. There are several floatplanes that fly to Thorne Bay, POW. Pacific Airways (877-360-3500).Another is Pro-Mech (800-860-3845). Cost is about $250/person, round trip.
You normally will fly out on the float planes to the Lodge the same day you fly into Ketch. Or- you may prefer to overnight in Ketchikan, (we always do this!) — where you can also see the Indian museum (a must see as it shows you just how unique the area really is), buy maps or licenses or tackle, tour the many neat little shops lining the River walk (walk behind them and see the salmon runs!), and get some great meals. We stayed at the older Gilmore (907) 225-9423) – awesome food and a great bar- with the best local sporting goods store in town right across the street– buy your licenses right there! We also have stayed at the Best Western (Landings) in Ketchikan (800-423-8304). Wherever you stay, make sure they will shuttle you down to the ferry or floatplane. You may NOT arrive at lodge before 1PM. You Must depart lodge by 10AM!
BUTCH’S HINTS FOR YOUR OUTDOOR SUCCESS
SALTWATER FISHERS: For kings- June and, July out in the boats is great. Silvers start in June, best saltwater is in August before they run streams in Sept. Halibut- May-October- same with other bottom fish. Halibut spawn AUG/SEPT-biggest fish then. Work the mouth of the Bay and all high spots (high meaning 200 feet or less surrounded by much deeper water. Bring some Vike jigs or Crippled herring jigs in the 12 to 16 ounce size.(Buy them on line by looking up their web sites—or buy them on POW and save the excess baggage charges)! Chrome seems best, white is good. Add some salmon belly or herring for smell-jig it 2-3 turns off bottom. Or troll flashers or spoons on flat lines and off downriggers for salmon. Sweeten with some meat -helps. Mooching works well with herring. Herring can be purchased locally for around $5 per dozen. The lodge has an excellent 26’ charter boat. We strongly suggest contacting us to book at least day with him!! They will box your catch too. And vacuum seal it for a fee.
FRESHWATER FISHERS: See chart below this write up for general best dates. Be aware that different streams have runs at different times- peak in one stream may not be peak elsewhere! And some streams are noted for early runs, others for late runs. If fishing is slow, try a different stream system!! Silvers are strongest from Late Aug thru out Sept. – Sept is best. But one stream- Neck Lake Outlet has strong runs starting in July! Pinks (Humpies) are awesome in July/August- 3 to 6 pound scrappers- we prefer a bobber or strike indicator with a size 6 or 8 weighted purple or black egg sucking leech 20-24” below the dropper. That is THE lure and fly! If spinning- use a bubble and the same rig and fly. Flies to be lightly weighted- fish it like a worm and a bobber- avoids snagging fish every cast!!
Also good for silvers are Size 3,4 and 5 Blue Fox (super vibrax) spinners in shiny silver and fluorescent colors; Mepps the same colors and sizes. Pixee spoons good. Most streams are not real deep- 2’ to 6’- size lures accordingly. We suggest spin reels with top notch drags- no crap. Use 10 to 14 pound line, run some fluorocarbon 3’ long leaders in 8 to 12 pound. Tie a ball bearing swivel to main line, then tie in the leader. On end of leader use a BALL BEARING swivel-fail to do that and line will twist miserably with spinners! For pinks- both fly fishers and spin fishers- fish purple egg sucking leeches in sizes 4, 6 and 8. Fish with a bobber or float indicators-2’ of line below bobber or indicator in most streams-but experiment.. Weighted flies or add shot. Steelhead-all the usual flies, egg patterns, skunks, leeches etc in fluorescent and dark colors-most of these will work on silvers, although silvers like contrasting colors on their patterns. Size 5 or 6 wt. rods for pinks, 6 to 8 weight for silvers and steelies. Floating lines best, bring a sink tip. Bring these flies: black and purple egg sucking leeches in sizes 4-8 )–other colors will work- this works best!); glo-bugs in sizes 6 to 10; a glo bug with white maribou); green butt skunk in sizes 2-6; flesh fly in sizes 2-6; some muddlers in yellow marabou and some with coneheads in sizes 2-4; deer hair mouse for big rainbows in sizes 2-4; gold ribbed hares ear in 10-16 for trout and grayling; same sizes in an Adams dry fly. Beads work well too as an egg type fly or lure.
PEAK FISHING TIMES:
King Salmon (20-60 lbs), June – July (Kings do not run POW streams-salt water fishery best done with a charter or you can try your own boat.)
Silver Salmon (6-15 lbs), July – September- first in saltwater, then into freshwater
Chum Salmon (8 – 18 lbs), July – August
Sockeye Salmon (6 – 12 lbs), July -August
Pink Salmon (2-5 lbs), July – Aug. – incredible numbers of fish!!
Rainbow Trout (12 – 30″), June – Sept
Steelhead- April-May; Oct-Dec. These fish can exceed 20 pounds!!
Halibut – May-Sept (biggest fish will come on charters-chickens in shallower water w/your boats.
Trout- There are dolly vardens, cuts, brookies, grayling and rainbows in many lake, ponds and streams-excellent fishing if you will walk a half-mile or more!
Butch’s Update And Report:
We found the usual places in Staney Creek full of pinks and silvers. We found great silvers and pinks in Hatchery Creek, Gravelly Creek, Harris river and Log Jam Creek; also in Neck Lake/Whale Pass (awesome early run silvers); also in the Klawock River; big numbers; in Ratz Creek; in the nearby Thorne River and in other places. Move around!! Water conditions and fish runs vary greatly over this big island! We saw plenty of deer; and we think the northern half of POW up toward Whale Pass looks to offer some great bear and deer hunting and fishing. Red Bay had some good looking flats for bear. Small boats did well on August silvers off of Tolstoi Point; with both bait and lures and downriggers and deep diving lures. Crabs were tasty and reasonably plentiful and a meal of fresh Dungeness crab and fresh salmon is hard to beat!!!
