Ketchikan, Alaska Fish Finder Charters

Ketchikan Fishing Reports



Promising Start to the 2024 Fishing Season in Ketchikan!

Date: June 4, 2024

The salmon and halibut fishing in Ketchikan has started out great! We’ve been out scouting and making sure the fish are where they should be, we have found some area with very productive bottoms, lots of halibut and pacific cod, even a few black cod as well. Salmon fishing in Ketchikan opened on June 1st, … Continue reading “Promising Start to the 2024 Fishing Season in Ketchikan!”

Things are Looking Great!

Date: April 18, 2022

Got the boat in the water yesterday and headed right out to start scouting for halibut. The first place we anchored up was just like it’s supposed to be this time of year. Picked up 4 perfect sized halibut quickly and then jigged up a couple rock fish on the way back to the dock. … Continue reading “Things are Looking Great!”

September Cohos

Date: April 4, 2022

The fall cohos that return to the streams around Ketchikan in august and September are some of the biggest in the world. They are a hard fighting acrobatic salmon. They average 8-20 pounds with many in the high teens! Halibut fishing is still great in august and September. If you’re looking to catch a trophy … Continue reading “September Cohos”

May Halibut Fishing

Date: March 8, 2022

May might just be my favorite month to fish for halibut. The large biomass of halibut start migrating into the inside passage around Ketchikan and tend to feed heavily. The pacific cod come with them as well. If you’re looking to go halibut fishing in Ketchikan Alaska give us a call. See you soon!

Peak of the best Silver fall silver fishing in Alaska

Date: February 7, 2022

The second half of august through september in Ketchikan is the peak of the best silver fall silver fishing in Alaska. The silvers (coho) salmon in September are some of the biggest in the world with lots of fish over the 15 pound mark and a handful a year pushing 20 pounds. They are hard … Continue reading “Peak of the best Silver fall silver fishing in Alaska”

Who’s ready for the 2022 fishing season?!?

Date: January 12, 2022

Who’s ready for the 2022 fishing season?!? We sure are!! It’s been a long winter and I’m ready to get back out there chasing king salmon and halibut out of Ketchikan Alaska!! The forecasts and abundance indexes look amazing for 2022 Ketchikan Alaska fishing season!! Time slots are limited for the season so if you … Continue reading “Who’s ready for the 2022 fishing season?!?”

The Salmon Slam

Date: July 13, 2021

All 5 species of pacific salmon in one day. King, chum, silver, sockeye, and pink.

Season in Full Swing

Date: May 26, 2021

The 2021 Ketchikan fishing season is in full swing and looking great! June 1st is the king salmon opener in Ketchikan and we can’t wait. The boat got a makeover this spring outfitted with top of the line Honda outboards, this power package will keep us chasing down and finding the schools of salmon, halibut, lingcod, rockfish, … Continue reading “Season in Full Swing”

Getting ready for the Ketchikan Alaska Fishing Season

Date: April 15, 2021

Well I took a weekend break to go hike a few rivers chasing spring steelhead. Although the fishing was a little slow the reward of a couple chrome bright steelhead was very worth it. Now I am back to spring boat work and getting ready for the Ketchikan Alaska fishing season. June and July are … Continue reading “Getting ready for the Ketchikan Alaska Fishing Season”

Ketchikan Fishing Season Around the Corner

Date: March 23, 2021

Fishing season in Ketchikan is right around the corner! I only have one three day slot left for prime time king salmon fishing. There’s still slots available for peak summer silvers and fall cohos. The halibut fishing in Ketchikan should be awesome especially with the new size limits. Pacific cod and lingcod jigging is looking … Continue reading “Ketchikan Fishing Season Around the Corner”

Fishing in Alaska 2021

Date: March 11, 2021

The new king salmon limits for Ketchikan Alaska  are posted! 4 kings annual outside of the terminal harvest areas and 3 per day inside! (Inside the terminal harvest area the limit is 3 per day with no annual limit) the halibut slot limit it now up to 50 inches! The salmon forecasts look great for … Continue reading “Fishing in Alaska 2021”

Fishing Vacation in Alaska 2021

Date: February 11, 2021

If you’re looking for an Alaska vacation in 2021 why not come up and go fishing for a few days?! Alaska and Fish Finder Charters is open for business in 2021. With no cruise ships sailing the inside passage this year there will be no crowds! There is plenty of lodges, hotels, and vacation rentals … Continue reading “Fishing Vacation in Alaska 2021”

Ketchikan Salmon fishing is hot

Date: July 20, 2020

The silvers are starting to show up in Ketchikan!! Salmon and halibut fishing in Ketchikan is on fire right now. There’s a ton of pink salmon, the cohos (silvers) are starting to come in, there’s still some kings around and the halibut fishing is phenomenal! Come fishing in Ketchikan Alaska! You will not regret it … Continue reading “Ketchikan Salmon fishing is hot”

Salmon Fishing on FIRE

Date: July 13, 2020

The salmon fishing in Ketchikan is on fire right now! The pink forecast was on the lower side this year but seems to be stronger than last year which was out of control. The silvers are steadily building and there is still some king salmon around! What fun it has been! Oh yeah and with … Continue reading “Salmon Fishing on FIRE”

Getting better by the day

Date: June 20, 2020

Salmon and halibut fishing in Ketchikan is getting better by the day. We’ve had a big influx of pink,chum, and silver salmon showing up with the kings this year which is abnormally early. The action has been second to none! If you’re looking for a Ketchikan Alaska fishing charter this year would be a great … Continue reading “Getting better by the day”

Ketchikan is off to a great salmon and halibut fishing season

Date: June 10, 2020

Ketchikan is off to a great salmon and halibut fishing season. We are open for business in Alaska! Now is the time to get away from the craziness and come enjoy some peace and quite. Due to very low tourism in Alaska this year the Alaska Department of Fish and game has made king salmon … Continue reading “Ketchikan is off to a great salmon and halibut fishing season”

Fishing in Ketchikan in May.

Date: February 4, 2020

The 2020 fishing season in Ketchikan is about to kick off! We have a few open slots left for the 2020 season but it’s getting slim. May is an incredible month for fishing. The halibut start moving in and the king salmon start moving into the inside passage headed toward their spawning grounds. This can … Continue reading “Fishing in Ketchikan in May.”

Ketchikan fishing 2020

Date: January 20, 2020

We are only a few months away from the start of another great fishing season here in Ketchikan. Overall the salmon forecast is looking steady and halibut should fallow suit. Lingcod will also be high on the list of target species this year. King salmon and halibut are first on the hit list! I can’t … Continue reading “Ketchikan fishing 2020”

September 2019 Ketchikan fishing report

Date: September 12, 2019

Wow! These fall coho are huge!! We’ve caught a lot of fish ranging from 10 to 20 pounds on the upper end. September coho (silver salmon) are my personal second favorite to fish. They are hard fighting acrobatic fish. The halibut fishing in Ketchikan is still very strong this September. I’m fishing all the way … Continue reading “September 2019 Ketchikan fishing report”

August 2019 Ketchikan fishing report

Date:

We couldn’t have asked for more consistent salmon and halibut fishing this August. The pink return was huge and steady the summer silvers started disappearing right as the fall run was starting so there was about a week lull on the silvers but the halibut stayed consistent and we had phenomenal weather to boot. It’s … Continue reading “August 2019 Ketchikan fishing report”

July 2019 fishing report Ketchikan Alaska

Date:

July was absolutely phenomenal fishing lots of king, pink and silver salmon the halibut fishing was pretty much non stop as long as you hit the right tide.

June 17-23 2019

Date: June 24, 2019

Salmon and halibut fishing in Ketchikan Alaska. The king salmon fishing in Ketchikan is unbelievable right now! Seems to be getting better and better everyday. This week we had 6 kings over 30 pounds with the biggest being 37. The halibut fishing is also getting better and better. We’re starting to see a few silvers … Continue reading “June 17-23 2019”

June king salmon in Ketchikan 2019 and summer forecast

Date: June 14, 2019

We’re only half way through June and the king salmon fishing in Ketchikan has been Phenomenal! We’ve landed quite a few kings over 30 pounds already! Fishing in Ketchikan is picking up every day. The halibut are really starting to roll in now.  There’s already a trickle of summer silver salmon coming in so we … Continue reading “June king salmon in Ketchikan 2019 and summer forecast”

Ketchikan fishing season

Date: May 7, 2019

The first fishing trip of the season was nothing short of epic. A couple from Bozeman Montana were in Ketchikan for work and booked a full day charter. We dropped Dungeness crab and shrimp pots before anchoring for halibut. In just under an hour we had two nice halibut in the boat so we moved … Continue reading “Ketchikan fishing season”

2019 Ketchikan Fishing Season

Date: March 14, 2019

We are looking forward to the 2019 fishing season here in Ketchikan Alaska! The abundance index for all Salmon species is up from 2018. Which means the halibut will fallow them in! Ketchikan is the Salmon capitol of the world which also makes for great bottom fishing which includes everyone’s favorite HALIBUT! Other great eating … Continue reading “2019 Ketchikan Fishing Season”

July 2018

Date: March 13, 2019

July 2018 was pretty dang good for Salmon and all bottom fish in Ketchikan Alaska. There was a great abundance of pacific cod, ling cod, rock fish and halibut. King Salmon, pink Salmon and chum Salmon were the stars this July. The silvers were around but it was a grind to find a big school … Continue reading “July 2018”

June 2018

Date:

Man do I love June! This month did not disappoint we landed a lot of kings and a lot of halibut! June is the month for chasing trophy class king Salmon. They come in through the inner channels of Southeast Alaska on their way to their spawning rivers. This is when they are the biggest. … Continue reading “June 2018”

May 2018

Date:

May is a special month in Ketchikan Alaska , hunting for giant king salmon is always fun. This May was pretty good king (chinook) salmon fishing and even better halibut fishing. Seeking out a big king in May can take some time but you’re looking for a trophy Salmon not nessisarily to catch 20 in … Continue reading “May 2018”

Ketchikan Fishing Charters

Date: January 9, 2019

Fish Finder Charters is based out of Ketchikan, Alaska which is a prime location for anglers looking to catch their fill of Alaska Halibut & Alaska Salmon. Captain Colby Slanaker’s charter fishing service offers a thrilling Ketchikan Guided Fishing Trips for anglers that are looking for heart pumping Salmon Fishing & Halibut Fishing. The Pacific Halibut is the most talked … Continue reading “Ketchikan Fishing Charters”


Fishing Season starts now!

~ Species ~ Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
King Salmon - - GOOD GOOD BEST BEST BEST GOOD GOOD GOOD GOOD -
Silver Salmon - - - - - - BEST BEST BEST FAIR - -
Pink Salmon - - - - - FAIR BEST BEST - - - -
Chum Salmon - - - - - BEST BEST BEST GOOD - - -
Sockeye - - - - - BEST BEST BEST - - - -
Winter Kings BEST BEST BEST BEST - - - - - - BEST BEST
Halibut - BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST
Crab BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST
Shrimp BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST
Rockfish BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST
Squid GOOD GOOD GOOD GOOD GOOD GOOD GOOD GOOD GOOD GOOD GOOD GOOD
Steelhead GOOD GOOD BEST BEST BEST - - - - GOOD GOOD GOOD