Ketchikan, Alaska Fish Finder Charters

Ketchikan Whale Watching Tours

Captain Colby Slanaker's charter fishing service offers a thrilling Ketchikan, Alaska Tours.

The abundance of whales around Ketchikan is quite incredible. The killer whales (orcas) start coming through the inside passage in April looking for the first few king salmon making their return back to the spawning rivers and also looking for the seals and sea lions that frequent our waters. Killer whales are a very common sight especially in may and June when the king salmon get thick. Orcas can be very acrobatic after a big feeding frenzy it is common to see them breaching with joy after getting a full belly.

Humpback whales are here year round! There's a small population that hangs around all winter but the majority show up with the herring that come in to spawn along our pristine shorelines. They stay all summer feeding on krill, plankton, herring, and the baby salmon that are migrating into the ocean. Humpbacks are normally in smaller pods 1-6 whales hanging together. One of the coolest sights is a pod of humpbacks bubble feeding!

We also have dall porpoise that frequent our waters. These are a small dolphin type mammal that have the same coloration as a killer whale. They are very very quick and agile and commonly like to play in the bow wake of the boat!

Every now and then we get to see grey whales and fin whales but they don't hang around long when we do get a glimpse of them it's normally just tail disappearing into the deep blue ocean