# Black Bass in Alaska



## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Anybody fish for these? Worth eating?


----------



## Abel (Feb 14, 2003)

If you're talking about black rockfish, then yes, amazing, take those over halibut. To top it off they are a ball, get the school up to the boat and it's like smallmouth fishing on steroids. Where are you coming to up here?


----------



## yoopertoo (Nov 23, 2005)

I caught a whole bunch of them in Yakutat. We limited out on Kings and Halibut so the guide took us over a spot and we jigged for Black Rockfish. They were fun and the meat was good, but nothing like the Halibut and King. There is no better fish flesh than fresh Halibut


----------



## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Abel said:


> If you're talking about black rockfish, then yes, amazing, take those over halibut. To top it off they are a ball, get the school up to the boat and it's like smallmouth fishing on steroids. Where are you coming to up here?


Will be up next July. Doing the research now.


----------



## yoopertoo (Nov 23, 2005)

Make sure you consider Yakutat. It is better than Homer or the SE, IMO. The Halibut get less pressure there and the King bite is very good in the spring/early summer. In the late summer the Coho bite is fantastic, all though the dog sharks were a pain in the butt. They were constantly taking the the halibut bait.


----------



## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Will check Yakutat out. Thanks.


----------



## Abel (Feb 14, 2003)

There are so many different options when it comes to Alaska, remember, there is more shoreline up here than the entire lower 48. The state itself, the Kenai peninsula is nearly the size of the LP of the fine state of MI (which I miss). First thing I would be looking at, are you coming alone or with a group? If a group, find a private lodge where you guys have it to yourselves or get what we can a private or exclusive charter for the week. Otherwise you're on a "head" boat style trip. What are your goals. If it's just to load up on fish, anywhere in the salt can do that. If you want to target something specific find a boat and rent the boat out and tell them that's what you want. If you're looking to load up on halibut, look at the regs, you'll take much more halibut meat from here in SC than SE in a 4 days trip. If you're wanting numbers of silvers, SE has it good for those, there's lots of stockers planted down there and all those stocked fish from the PNW returning home. But make sure you hit the timing right, it's just as easy to hit the off week as an on week. Those fish aren't hanging out in most places there, they are on the move. If you want trophy Kings, early spring in Kodiak is the best place, those big fish live and do there feeding here all their lives. There are a number of town in SE and SC that are tourist traps, Ketchikan and Seward especially, so if you go there, don't expect the true "Alaskan" experience. It would be the Mackinaw City of outdoors Michigan if you get what I mean. Love it down there, I still own a house and know some of the best guides in the biz there. I'll get ya all the info I can, answer any questions I can, there's a lot up here, so the more you know your goals, the better I can answer. as far as halibut vs. rockfish, my clients always make sure we load up on them for a reason. Halibut is the boneless skinless chicken breast of the N. Pacific, it taste like what you put on it.


----------



## yoopertoo (Nov 23, 2005)

Abel said:


> If you're wanting numbers of silvers, SE has it good for those, there's lots of stockers planted down there and all those stocked fish from the PNW returning home.


While I was in Yakutat I caught a King that was tagged in an OR river.


----------



## yoopertoo (Nov 23, 2005)

I don't like going to the Kenai. My suggestion is if you are going to spend all that money time and effort go to the best place in Alaska you can. That's not the Kenai, IMO.


----------



## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

Thanks for all the info. Heading to the UP for a week so won't be on here much. The trip is more of a vacation but everywhere I go I always try to squeeze in some fishing. Driving from Michigan for 30 days. Wife, BIL, SIL and myself. Son may fly out and meet us. Would just like to scratch a few off the bucket list: Halibut, Dolly Varden and Grayling. Probably add some salmon but have caught plenty of them in L. Huron and L. Michigan. Wouldn't mind hooking into a big King. The Black Bass looked fun. Was thinking of renting a boat from Miller's at Lowell Point. . Really just like to catch whatever is biting, lol. I am definitely not the Mackinaw Island type actually never even been there and lived in Michigan for 46 years. However have to be mindful of the other half. If all goes well I would for sure do a return trip. Kind of interested in the Mining camp at Cripple Creek near Nome.....that is another story though. Taking this trip in place of the annual Canada fishing trip.


----------



## Abel (Feb 14, 2003)

Most of those stocker PNW fish do their feeding up here. That's why up here in Kodiak and Homer we have amazing winter fisheries for kings where Sitka, POW and the like down there have nill. They fire up when the mature fish start moving south to home rivers. Last spring in Kodiak, 50% of our tagged fish were BC bound natives, 40% were WA and OR bound stockers. The Homer winter king fishery went crazy the last few years, which is when the PWN really ramped up their stocking efforts. We get so many big kings here in Kodiak due to the high level of BC/SKeena River natives that call Kodiak the kitchen.

The Kenai is a great place and is known as Alaska's playground, but in the summer it is a tourist fest. I spend every Sept there after the summer crowds leave, great fishing, great black bear hunting too. The river fishing for kings is a disaster and should be closed for then next 5-10yrs IMO.


----------



## stickman1978 (Sep 15, 2011)

yoopertoo said:


> I don't like going to the Kenai. My suggestion is if you are going to spend all that money time and effort go to the best place in Alaska you can. That's not the Kenai, IMO.


I get where you are coming from. This is a vacation trip first fishing trip second.


----------



## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

yoopertoo said:


> I don't like going to the Kenai. My suggestion is if you are going to spend all that money time and effort go to the best place in Alaska you can. That's not the Kenai, IMO.


I cant stand going to the kenai, I avoid it like the plague


----------



## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

There's so many better places to go than the kenai. Consider flying to Kodiak and time the ferry just right and head over the Aleutions, either take port at sand point or Dutch harbor for all the halibut and salmon fishing you can handle. Experience the Alaska that few do. If your in anchorage take the train to talkeetna and then catch the flagstop get off the train at a couple of rivers and catch rainbows and dollies and silvers all by your lonesome, if the mountain is out catch an awesome view of her glory from your campsite. Now that's Alaska buddy!


----------

