Catch & release fishing in Alaska?

Is there such a thing? I know my boys & DH would like to do some fishing on our vacation, but I am the only one that eats fish.

So is there a place in or around the Seward area that offers this? Or is there a place where after you catch them you can give them away so then can be consumed and not wasted?

I have an open day in my tentative itinerary and I thought fishing might be fun to do.

Catch and release is a pretty common practise here - much more so than anywhere else in the States, according to F&W surveys. You generally just use barbless hooks so you injure the fish as little as possible - makes bringing them in tougher, too.

Murray

Thanks Yukon... I'll have to look into it!

Seward has great fishing,even from the shore depending on when your here. End of May and June we get king salmon,August and Sept there's a fantastic silver run. They jump everywhere and are easy to catch by snagging or casting. You can rent a pole from the Fish House and walk over to the culvert,a popular place that we call combat fishing. August is the silver salmon derby with cash and prizes over $100,000.

You can also go on a boat but if you don't plan on keeping the fish $180 pp is kinda spendy but halibut is alot of fun to catch and very good eating.My favorite fishing. :) Your allowed to keep two halibut per person,per day.They can get up in the 400# range which are called barn doors, the smaller are called chickens.It is common practice to toss back smaller in hopes of bigger.Good chance at seeing various wildlife too!

GlacierLady - that sounds like EXACTLY what I am looking for! Renting a few poles, spending a few hours on the shore and having a fun, relaxing day.

Thanks!

Just remember a fishing license too. Anyone 16 and over has to have one, even it you're only planning to do catch and release. Wouldn't want to have to pay the price of the ticket :eek:

Susan in Anchorage :)

AKSusan,

Here's a funny question. My 72 yr old mother is an avid fisherman/woman and wants to keep her fish!

What are her options on that? The place we are going with mentioned packing and processing, then shipping - any idea what that might cost? She is still enjoying her salmon and halibut from her Alaskan fishing trip last year, but she had it flash frozen and brought it straight home last year.

wa.mama,

Are you guys fishing during your cruise so she can't bring it home with her this time? If that's the case, yes a lot of your places will process, pack and ship but it can be rather expensive according to how much and how far because most of the time it gets shipped next day, like FedEx. So keep in mind about the shipping dates too and having someone to receive it.

I went in and googled and found a site in Homer that does this service, so here's the web site to just give you an idea of what they charge - http://halibutcharters.com/seafood-processing.html and here's another place in Homer too so you can see some price difference between the 2 companies http://www.welovefish.com/seafood-processing.htm

Otherwise, I'd just contact whoever you're going with and just ask them for a rough estimate that way you'll know how much it could end up costing. Of course it's all weight based.

Susan in Anchorage :)

wa.mama,

 

Are you guys fishing during your cruise so she can't bring it home with her this time? If that's the case, yes a lot of your places will process, pack and ship but it can be rather expensive according to how much and how far because most of the time it gets shipped next day, like FedEx. So keep in mind about the shipping dates too and having someone to receive it.

 

I went in and googled and found a site in Homer that does this service, so here's the web site to just give you an idea of what they charge - http://halibutcharters.com/seafood-processing.html and here's another place in Homer too so you can see some price difference between the 2 companies http://www.welovefish.com/seafood-processing.htm

 

Otherwise, I'd just contact whoever you're going with and just ask them for a rough estimate that way you'll know how much it could end up costing. Of course it's all weight based.

 

Susan in Anchorage :)

I could be mistaken, but since we go to Homer every year in August/September for salmon fishing, I believe the welovefish.com website (Coalpoint processing) is the only processor in Homer open for the general public. It appears that the halibut charter company copied CoalPoint's web page and will merely take your fish to CoalPoint for processing.

Coal Point does an EXCELLENT job and their processing price is reasonable. HOWEVER, FEDEX shipping to the US runs about $100.00 (in addition to processing) for the smallest package (about 20 pounds). These packages require special hazmat shipping, due to the dry ice in the boxes.

If at all possible, have a processor freeze and package your fish with gel ice and take the fish home with you on the plane. Even if you have to pay excess luggage fees, it will still be much cheaper than shipping fish home FedEX AND you will know that your fish is safe. Enjoy!!!