Halibut fishing in Ketchikan ?

[mlh0500]

I would like to hear feedback on anyone's experience halibut fishing while in Ketchikan. We are there from 7am - 1pm and the ship does offer a halibut fishing excursion however when doing some research there are a few fishing charters that state halibut charters are not feasible if you don't have at least 6 - 8 hours minimum of 'in port' time.  They state because of the distance it isn't a productive trip to go for 4-5 hours.  On the other hand, there are several charters that do offer halibut fishing ???

 

Any information is greatly appreciated !  Thank you.

[fishin' musician]

Went fishing in Ketchikan.  Most trolled for salmon, but I wanted to bottom fish... so we booked a 4 hour bottom fishing charter and sent home 20# of halibut, rockfish and cod filets. Halibut is wonderful and yellow eyed rockfish are a step above them!

[USCcruisecrazy]

Haven't done a halibut fishing excursion, but my 4 years in Alaska we did plenty of halibut fishing.  The reason they recommend longer fishing tours when fishing for halibut is because the larger halibut are in deeper waters and it takes more time to get there.  You can keep two halibut a day, so even fishing for smaller ones (20-30 pounds) could provide enough fillet for a decent shipment home.  Just for comparison purposes, our average halibut over those 4 years that we kept was around 60 pounds (largest I landed was 95 pounds).  So, if you are good with a smaller catch or mixing in some other types of fish, I say give it a shot.  I compare halibut to a flounder on steroids!! 🙂 

[Coffeeluvr05]

I don't know, but I do know that if you bring fish back the chef will prepare if for you for dinner.  We were in Club Class one time and a lady shared her bounty with us.  The presentation was beautiful!

[Rick&Jeannie]

We were on the second Majestic sailing after restart last year. We were dining on the last night and the gentleman at the next table had caught something (halibut maybe?) and it was prepared for he and his wife.  It looked delicious!  He offered but by the time they got their meal we were almost done so we passed...kind of wish I had tried a bite!

 

[USCcruisecrazy]

10 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

We were on the second Majestic sailing after restart last year. We were dining on the last night and the gentleman at the next table had caught something (halibut maybe?) and it was prepared for he and his wife.  It looked delicious!  He offered but by the time they got their meal we were almost done so we passed...kind of wish I had tried a bite!

 

That definitely looks like a little halibut.  Very delicious white meat fish if cooked correctly!

[mlh0500]

22 hours ago, fishin' musician said:

Went fishing in Ketchikan.  Most trolled for salmon, but I wanted to bottom fish... so we booked a 4 hour bottom fishing charter and sent home 20# of halibut, rockfish and cod filets. Halibut is wonderful and yellow eyed rockfish are a step above them!

Thank you so much for the info ! Sounds like you had a successful trip !  I really appreciate your feedback.

[mlh0500]

19 hours ago, USCcruisecrazy said:

That definitely looks like a little halibut.  Very delicious white meat fish if cooked correctly!

Thank you !  I will have to look into that also...  didn't realize they would cook it for you on the ship.  Thanks for taking the time to share !

[mlh0500]

20 hours ago, Coffeeluvr05 said:

I don't know, but I do know that if you bring fish back the chef will prepare if for you for dinner.  We were in Club Class one time and a lady shared her bounty with us.  The presentation was beautiful!

Great to know !   Thanks so much !!!

[mlh0500]

22 hours ago, fishin' musician said:

Went fishing in Ketchikan.  Most trolled for salmon, but I wanted to bottom fish... so we booked a 4 hour bottom fishing charter and sent home 20# of halibut, rockfish and cod filets. Halibut is wonderful and yellow eyed rockfish are a step above them!

Very interesting.  I've never heard of the yellow eyed rockfish. I can only hope we will have your luck !  Thank you for sharing.

[mlh0500]

A huge THANKS to everyone that took time to respond to my question. You convinced me and the excursion is now booked !  Hoping my husband's dream of catching a halibut comes true 🙂

 

[JF - retired RRT]

8 minutes ago, mlh0500 said:

Thank you !  I will have to look into that also...  didn't realize they would cook it for you on the ship.  Thanks for taking the time to share !

Yeah, but...what do you do with the leftovers?

[mlh0500]

19 hours ago, USCcruisecrazy said:

That definitely looks like a little halibut.  Very delicious white meat fish if cooked correctly!

Hopefully we will have some luck !  Thank you for your response !!

[PescadoAmarillo]

27 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Yeah, but...what do you do with the leftovers?

I know you’re joking, but DH twice did the Cook my Catch with salmon fishing in Ketchikan last August. I think he would return to Alaska just to do that again. We found there was very little leftover salmon. We shared with all of the adjacent tables and it was very enjoyable. 
 

But I wish I could have been a little selfish and saved some of that salmon for lunch the next day. It was the best I’ve ever eaten. 

[Rick&Jeannie]

1 hour ago, mlh0500 said:

Hopefully we will have some luck !  Thank you for your response !!

Well...unless you're going to take it back to your cabin (Hmmmm) just offer it up to surrounding tables.  That way many people get to enjoy and no waste!

[USCcruisecrazy]

1 hour ago, mlh0500 said:

Hopefully we will have some luck !  Thank you for your response !!

Just so you know, usually the company you fish with will pack the fillets on dry ice and ship them back to your home of record if you like.  It can be a little pricey, but not any more than if you tried to buy fresh Halibut or salmon in the lower 48 states.

[mlh0500]

22 hours ago, USCcruisecrazy said:

Just so you know, usually the company you fish with will pack the fillets on dry ice and ship them back to your home of record if you like.  It can be a little pricey, but not any more than if you tried to buy fresh Halibut or salmon in the lower 48 states.

I did notice that they would ship it and assumed it would be very pricey - especially to Florida where we live !  We will inquire for sure though.