Dillingham, Alaska Fishing
Photo from www.bearclawlodge.com
The fishing in Dillingham, Alaska is known for its annual spawning runs of salmon. The Nushagek river is famous for its king salmon, silver salmon, sockeye salmon, pink salmon, chum salmon and all of its other species as well such as rainbow trout, arctic char, grayling, dolly varden and even northern pike.
You will find plenty of resorts and lodges as well as fishing guides that can get you on some of these fish.
For more information on planning a trip here, take a look at our tourism links for the area:
Alaska Salmon Fishing
Nice Alaska Salmon. Photo from http://www.reelaffair.com/
Alaska offers some of the finest salmon fishing in the entire world. Not only can you come here and catch good numbers of salmon, you can also catch some absolute monsters. Giant king salmon, coho, sockeye, chum and pink salmon are available throughout the state of Alaska.
Chinook or King Salmon: Average 10 to 20 pounds with some tipping the scales over 100 pounds. 100 pounds fish are very rare, but it is common to see 50 pounders landed every year in Alaska.
Sockeye or Red Salmon: Average 5 to 8 pounds with some up to 15 pounds.
Coho or Silver Salmon: Average 6 to 10 pounds with some up over 20 pounds.
Chum or Dog Salmon: Average size of 10 to 15 pounds with some fish above 20 pounds.
Pink or Humpback Salmon: Average 3 to 5 pounds with some fish up to 10 pounds or more.
Check out some of the top salmon fishing destinations in Alaska. You will find plenty of information on Alaska’s finest fishing trips, lodges, guides and charters. Some of the top destinations to fish in Alaska are:
Southwest Alaska
The Inside Passage
Southern Region
Northern Region
South Central Alaska
Kenai Peninsula
Prince William Sound
August Door County Fishing
August can be an exciting month for fishing in Door County. You still have plenty of options for bass, walleye and northern pike fishing. Earlier in the month, expect to fish deeper water for all 3 species of fish, but you will be able to target these fish a little shallower at the end of the month. The closer you get to September, the better the fishing will get for bass, walleye and northern pike.
The salmon and trout fishing stays good throughout all of Door County for the month of August and you can expect to start seeing some fish come in shallower at the end of the month. Keep up with the fishing charters latest reports and you’ll have a good idea of what depths to troll for salmon and trout. Once the fish come in shallow, you’ll see a lot more recreational anglers get out to fish because they can stay close to shore where it is safer for their smaller boats.
For more information on visiting Door County, take a look at our tourism links.
- Door County, Wisconsin
- Door County Fishing Charters
- Door County Lodging
- Door County Bait Shops
- Door County Marinas
- Door County Boat Rentals
July Door County Fishing
July is the month for salmon and trout fishing in Door County. Anglers can still fish for northern pike, walleye, smallmouth bass and perch, but the salmon & trout fishing is so good than many anglers prefer to tackle these fish instead.
Fishing charters are very busy during July as they troll for chinook salmon, brown trout, rainbow trout and lake trout. The salmon fishing can be incredible at times with limits occuring regularly.
July is also a good time to visit Door County because there is so much to in the area. Besides the recreational fishing, anglers can participate in the annual Kewaunee/Door County Salmon Tournament. Boating, swimming and golf are just a few of the other things you can experience in Door County.
For more information on visiting Door County, take a look at our tourism links.
- Door County, Wisconsin
- Door County Fishing Charters
- Door County Lodging
- Door County Bait Shops
- Door County Marinas
- Door County Boat Rentals
June Door County Fishing
June is the month to come to Door County if you want to experience the outstanding smallmouth bass fishing. Early June is when the smallmouth bass fishing typically hits its peak, although the weather changes will dictate how shallow or deep the fish are going to be when you are visiting the Door County area. The Mink River has some excellent smallmouth bass fishing during the first couple weeks of June as well as Sturgeon Bay. Sawyer Harbor, located within Sturgeon Bay is also a hot spot for catching these smallmouth bass in shallow water. Anglers flock to Sturgeon Bay to experience some of the finest shallow water smallmouth bass fishing anywhere. You will find the bass in shallower water along the rocky shorelines as they spawn and you can catch them with soft plastics, small jigs, minnow baits, crankbaits, spinners and live bait. If you find them, it’s not that difficult to get plenty of strikes. A skilled angler that times it right can experience a 20 to 50 bass day if they time it right. Other fish that are caught in Sturgeon Bay during the month of June are perch, lake trout, rainbow trout and chinook salmon.
Lake trout and chinook salmon are starting to show up throughout the county, which gets the trollers out on the water. This is the time when a lot of big lake trout are caught with some surpassing the 20 pound mark.
For more information on visiting Door County, take a look at our tourism links.
- Door County, Wisconsin
- Door County Fishing Charters
- Door County Lodging
- Door County Bait Shops
- Door County Marinas
- Door County Boat Rentals
Trophy Chinooks - Best Time, Lure, Location - Milwaukee
allows you to fish any depth you want and is a killer for huge kings.
Captain Jim Hirt
www.bluemaxcharters.com
Trolling Tips For More Fish In The Cooler - Milwaukee
- This article wraps up with more ideas and gives a summary of ways to boat more salmon and trout. All of these tips will work for all trolling applications. Some days you can do everything wrong and still end up with a decent number in the cooler. Aggressive fish hammer the lures and stick well. There are also days when most of the fish are off by the time you get to the rod. Several things I do will put more fish in the cooler for you.
- The number one most important change to make to keep the fish on the line is good quality hooks. This may sound obvious, although some anglers do not pay attention to this detail. I look for 1x, 2x, and 3x or in some cases 4 extra strong hooks. Strong sharp hooks are a simple answer with immediate results. Most manufactures of fishing lures cut costs by using a cheap hook. Your time and other expenses are large compared to replacement hooks. All hook manufactures offer standard and premium grade hooks. Look for the best extra strong extra sharp they have to offer.
- Correctly set reel drags are a close second. I always hear stories of the big one that got away. The line breaks, a snap opens or some other failure of the terminal tackle. Please allow me to explain how to correctly set and maintain your drag on your reels. The correct amount of drag is measured in pounds. You find the correct number by dividing the test weight of your line by four or 25% of the line breaking value. All line sold will have the line weight marked on the package. An example would be 20-pound test divided by four would have a drag setting of 5 pounds. To get this setting run the line through all the rod eyes as you normally would and connect the line to a spring scale. The other end of the scale should be connected to a fixed object. Pull on the line with the rod bent over and adjust the reel drag to allow it to slip as a 5-pound measurement is obtained on the scale. Where this may feel a little light to some anglers, it will allow the fish to be played without pulling the hook out of the fish. The rod should play the fish and not the reel. Do not crank up the drag to pull the fish in with the reel.
This will only lead to lost fish and disappointment. To me there is nothing more vital to my success on the lake and satisfaction of my customers than a high ratio of fish on to fish in. I am sure there are some that will disagree with a procedure I use. I pull my lines and stop
the boat on all of the fish over ten pounds or at least that’s my goal. Occasionally, in the heat of the battle, a larger fish will end up close to the boat before we can clear lines. Then I will take the boat down as slow as we can to avoid getting the fish around my other lines. The longer you drag the fish around the more time they have to get off. Over the years I have found that the harder you pull on the fish the harder they fight and more likely they will come off. This also allows me to run smaller terminal tackle and lighter lines both of which improve
presentation. - I will wrap this up with one more of many small details that help to put the fish in the cooler. How you play the fish is an art of which, when done correctly, will go a long way to your success. I am a firm believer in not pumping the rod to high or too fast. As you remove the rod from the rod holder it is your option to set the hook or not. I personally don’t do it. When you have twenty pounds of salmon tearing line off the reel and you pull to set the hook something has to give. Bend a hook, open a snap, break a line or rip the hook out of his mouth all of which are not good. Just maintain the bend in the rod and use a moderate pumping motion raising the rod to the one o’clock position and lowering it to the three o’clock position. On the down stroke reel in the line on the reel. When the fish is running there is nothing you can do just enjoy the fight. During this time reduce your boat speed and or pull lines to reduce the pressure on the tackle. Good Luck!!
Captain Jim Hirt
www.bluemaxcharters.com
Trophy Salmon and Trout Fishing Variables - Milwaukee
- Several factors determine the size and quantity of your catch. If you are a member of a fishing club, you probably noticed the same persons seem to place very well for the biggest fish every year. I believe there are many components that go into their success. Yes they pay their dues by being on the water more than most. This affords them an opportunity to try a variety of presentations in all seasons and weather. Unfortunately all of us cannot break away and get out on the water as often as we would like to.
- This starts a series of five articles that goes into some of the variables that will allow you to land a fish of a lifetime. Timing is undoubtedly the number one variable. By timing I mean to fish when the big ones are biting. This includes weather, time of day and time of the year. If I were a Musky angler, the window for this opportunity would be very small. The good news is salmon and trout fishing is much broader in scope, with greater chances to boat your trophy. You can boat a twenty plus pound Salmon, Brown, Rainbow or Lake Trout from the start of
the Lake Michigan season in April to late October. Let’s narrow that down by species and time of year. Chinook Salmon live four and a half years and it makes sense that they will be the biggest at the end of their life cycle. These monsters will be the most aggressive and
easiest to get in the months of late June thru September. Brown Trout love the warm water. To catch the biggest look for a heavy thermo cline with a radical shift in temp from sixty to fifty in just a few feet of water. This is definitely a mid summer pattern during the months of July and August. Huge Rainbows are most accessible in the month of June. The reason for this is as Lake Michigan or any large body of water warms up the temperature near shore warms first. As this warm water pushes out it meets the cold surface water. This is a magnet for big Rainbows. Fishing the surface temp breaks yields the big bows every season. Lake Trout are a real treat and trophies can be caught all season long. The best scenario is when the temperature breaks sharply from sixty to the forty-five degrees below one hundred feet of water. This concentrates the baitfish and the big Lakers are easy pickings.- This should help you with the best time of year, now shall we consider the time of day. You may find some surprises here because all species are not created equal. Most anglers know that the time period from one hour before sunrise to one hour after is key to hot action. This is also true for the last hour of the day. Your best numbers of fish can come early and late although usually not the trophies. My theory is in a hot bite the best tackle and presentations are not in the water. Specialized tackle and presentation is key when you are on a trophy hunt. Monster Kings or Chinooks are the least particular when it comes to time of the day. I will say I have boated some of my biggest fish year after year during the hours of eleven to one in the afternoon. Brown Trout are another story they definitely like low light. First light or last, heavy overcast and foggy days are killers for huge Browns. I wouldn’t even go after them mid day in sunny conditions. Rainbows love light and lots of it. Pound these tail walkers from ten in the morning to three in the afternoon. I will go into a great mid day presentation for non-stop action in a future article. Lake Trout in general are very seldom found near the
surface and the biggest ones are never there. They hang on the bottom in more than one hundred feet of water. Look for them well after the sun comes up on clear sunny days.Captain Jim Hirt
www.bluemaxcharters.com
- This should help you with the best time of year, now shall we consider the time of day. You may find some surprises here because all species are not created equal. Most anglers know that the time period from one hour before sunrise to one hour after is key to hot action. This is also true for the last hour of the day. Your best numbers of fish can come early and late although usually not the trophies. My theory is in a hot bite the best tackle and presentations are not in the water. Specialized tackle and presentation is key when you are on a trophy hunt. Monster Kings or Chinooks are the least particular when it comes to time of the day. I will say I have boated some of my biggest fish year after year during the hours of eleven to one in the afternoon. Brown Trout are another story they definitely like low light. First light or last, heavy overcast and foggy days are killers for huge Browns. I wouldn’t even go after them mid day in sunny conditions. Rainbows love light and lots of it. Pound these tail walkers from ten in the morning to three in the afternoon. I will go into a great mid day presentation for non-stop action in a future article. Lake Trout in general are very seldom found near the
