Fish: The Main Objective

At True North Charters our efforts are focused on helping you catch lots of chrome bright kings and silvers, big halibut, lingcod, and yelloweye in their natural saltwater habitat. And we're in the right place to help you do it. All the fish that seasonally migrate into the upper end of Alaska's vast Inside Passage have to pass by us on the way. In addition, our proximity to the open Pacific allows us to take advantage of the large migrations of other fish continuing southward along the outer coastline. Tie those two together with the added bonus of minimum sport pressure and you have a recipe for success.

Top 5 Targets:

King salmon are the prized object of most salmon enthusiasts. They're big, they're tough, and they're delicious. You'll find fast king action on our outer coast with most fish we keep ranging in size from 18 to 25 pounds. On our inside waters king fishing effort is centered around pristine beaches harbored from the open sea. Some of our bigger kings each year come along the protected shorelines of our picturesque fjords. 2012 non-resident limits on kings are one king per day with a total of four for the calendar year, except for May where the limit is two per day with a total of four for the year.

While king salmon receive heavy attention from salmon lovers, another favorite is the silver salmon- a feisty opponent that often hunts in packs and barrages fishing lines with a nothing barred vengeance. At its peak silver salmon fishing can be pandemonium. These salmon average 12 pounds and are fine table fare, and with a generous limit of six fish per person per day, catching them might just be the most fun you'll ever have fishing.

This is the bottom king of the North Pacific. These fish are pure muscle and deliver astonishing runs on heavy tackle. Outside the sheer thrill of fighting these goliaths, not many will contest the idea that halibut are one of the best eating fish around. All of our fishing for halibut is done in the comfort of the Inside Passage, just a short run from the dock. While the ideal fish for the table may be between 30 and 40 pounds (and there are plenty of them), your chances of hooking fish from 150 to over 300 pounds for your photo album are also excellent. Our current record halibut is 466 pounds caught during our 2008 season (second largest was 435 pounds, caught and released in 2011). 2012 limits are one halibut per day which must be under 43 pounds or over 168 pounds. Fish between 43 and 168 pounds must be released.

Lings are the dragons of the underwater world. They can reach weights of 60 pounds in our waters, and catching a big ling isn't an infrequent event if you target them. You may keep two fish per year, one between 30 and 35 inches and the other above 55 inches. The open season runs from May 15 through June 30 and from August 15 until the end of our season. Lings come mostly from our coastal fishery.

Often called the red snapper of the north, these bright orange rockfish obtain sizes to 20 pounds and are a special treat at the dinner table. The limit is one per angler per year. Like their neighbor the ling cod, these bottom dwellers also come from our coastal waters.