Best Times & Seasons to Fish in Sitka, Alaska (Full Guide)
Sitka may not be as famous as some other fishing locations in Alaska, but it is home to some of the best salmon and halibut fishing in Alaska. Knowing the best time of year to fish these rich waters can make a huge difference.
The best time to fish near Sitka is from May through September for king salmon, coho salmon, halibut, lingcod, and rockfish. Very good rockfish angling continues into October.
| Fish Species | Best Times to Fish Homer Coastal Waters |
| King Salmon (Chinook) | Prominent king runs May through June & July through Mid-August. |
| Silver Salmon (Coho) | The biggest run is July through September. |
| Halibut | May through mid-September is the best fishing time for Sitka halibut. |
| Lingcod | The Lingcod season runs July through the end of August. |
| Rockfish | June through October is the best fishing time for Sitka rockfish. |
Sitka is an Alaskan town located on Baranof Island, which is just off the coast of Juneau. Sitka is a one-of-a-kind town, and an anglers paradise. While it is a small town, there are countless spots to fish. Most of the spots are in the Sitka sound, around islands and nearshore structures, but there are freshwater options as well.
Sitka is well known for its amazing fishing, but as with all other places in Alaska, beautiful views and lots of wildlife are everywhere around the town.
Best Time to Fish Sitka
Fishing in Sitka is excellent at almost any time of the year, but timing is a big factor in whether or not you’ll catch your target species. In May, you can expect to catch any species in the area other than silver salmon. The main targets during this time are king salmon and halibut. As for June, king salmon are at their peak, and at the end of the month, the silvers start rolling in.
During July, kings are still the focus for the majority of people, but towards the end of the month, silvers start taking over. July is one of the best times to go if you’re looking to catch all 5 local species of salmon.
During August, silvers are still the predominant species, with scattered kings in the mix. Halibut and lingcod fishing stays pretty consistent throughout summer, as they aren’t as picky when it comes to climate because they live on the bottom.
Recommended Fishing Charters in Coastal Alaska
These coastal Alaska-based charters have earned great reviews from anglers and will offer you a tremendous service. The captains are knowledgeable, friendly, and are sure to put you on fish. By clicking the links below, you will be taken to the charter’s respective profile on Fishing Booker where you can read reviews, learn more about the charter, view photos, and book online at the best rate.
| Recommended Fishing Charters | Type of Fishing Offered |
| Alaskan Adventure Guides | Salmon & Bottom Fishing |
| Peninsula Sportfishing – Kenai River | River Salmon Fishing |
| Anchor Down Sportfishing | Salmon & Bottom Fishing |
| King of the River | River Salmon Fishing |
| Big Butt Charters | Salmon & Bottom Fishing |
Species of Sitka: Best Times
King Salmon
Sitka has the highest catch rates of salmon in the state, making anglers from all over go to Sitka for its prized salmon fishing. King salmon generally run during May in Sitka, they’ll run from the oceans and into the rivers.
You’ll want to go for them during dusk or dawn when they’re more active. They’re more active because of the amount of baitfish roaming around during that time.
The most commonly used baits for salmon are cut alewives, salmon eggs, or inline spinners. Anything that imitates their natural prey will work well, including crankbaits or jigs as well.
Out in the ocean, you can troll for them. If you’re fishing from shore, switching up retrieve speeds with moving baits is a good strategy and drifting is a good way to use eggs or fresh bait.
While king salmon are running, they’ll be found all over in the local rivers. They’ll basically fill some parts of a river from one side to the other. If they aren’t running to spawn, they’ll be in open water, sometimes shallow but mainly deeper. While in the ocean, they’ll stick to nearshore and offshore structures, deep currents in open water, and around islands in the area.
Silver Salmon
Silvers tend to be much smaller than king salmon, but are in large numbers making it easier to have days of 20+ fish. The prime time for silver salmon in the ocean around Sitka is between July and August. The best time for freshwater silver fishing is late September through October. For both areas, you’ll want to fish around dusk or dawn.
Inline spinners, other baitfish imitations, and egg imitations will be the most productive for any kind of salmon here. With silvers, a more streamlined, faster-moving bait will work well, as the silvers attack bait much quicker than kings but their mouths are smaller.
Fresh bait will work as well, mainly alewives or eggs. With fresh bait, a 3-way swivel rig will work as there is plenty of weight and there is enough slack in your line for a natural-looking presentation.
All salmon like clean, nutrient-rich water. So it makes sense that they like to be in areas with a strong current to bring in baitfish and nutrient-rich water. Areas that are like this are rivers, mouths of rivers, and deep-water currents in the ocean, all of these act as highways for the fish.
Halibut
Halibut season in Sitka starts up in early June and ends in September, these are when you should expect to get plenty of halibut with size to them. During the day is the best time to target them or around high tide. They like the fresh, moving water as it gives them more energy to feed.
Halibut are bottom feeders and aren’t too picky about what they eat. Most charters will use some form of fresh cut bait, including salmon guts, cut herring, or squid. Generally, drifting your bait around these areas will work best, but slow troll will also work. Halibut hide in the sand and rocks and ambush their prey, so it’s important not to give up on a spot too quickly.
Halibut is an offshore fish, usually found near reefs. They can be found almost anywhere on the bottom in deeper water, but are more concentrated near reefs and structures. Halibut can live in water ranging from 100 feet to 1000 feet.
Black Cod
Black cod like live or cut bait, with their main food being herring, squid, and crustaceans. You will have to use very heavy weights to get to the areas that they live in. A rig that works well for this is the Pennell rig. This rig is much like a 3-way swivel rig, just with a few more things added to add shock resistance.
Black cod live in extremely deep water. They prefer water over 1,000 feet deep, making them a tough fish to target. They’ll generally be around deep reefs and rocky areas. Although they are hard to target, they can be worth the trouble as they taste amazing.
Rock Fish
Rockfish are plentiful in the area from May through September, they will move towards shallower structure as the year goes on, but even this structure is relatively deep when compared to salmon habitat. You can catch them all day long, but fishing them in the morning will offer the best results.
Jigs with plastics seem to be good producers, anything imitating a shrimp or baitfish should do the trick. Using cut bait will work as well, along with smaller, whole baitfish. You’ll need to have enough weight to fish the bottom as they generally stick to within a few feet of the bottom while feeding.
Rockfish live in similar areas to lingcod, but you can find them a little shallower. They like nearshore reefs and rocky areas. They’ll generally stick to areas within inlets or bays if they’re closer to shore, but you can find a ton of them at deeper reefs.
Lingcod
The season for lingcod in the area starts mid-May and ends at the end of November. Lingcod are less picky about water temperatures, so you can expect to find good fishing for them throughout their season. With them being less picky about water temperatures, you can also catch them all day long.
Lingcod will eat almost any kind of fresh bait you throw at them, including alewives and strips of squid. They’ll also bite on jigs with plastics on them. The plastics should imitate their natural diet and have enough weight to get to the fish.
You’ll find lingcod at offshore structures and reefs, these are commonly found in the channels between islands and are scattered throughout open water as well. Lingcod live in very deep water, sometimes charters will travel dozens of miles offshore to target them.
For a complete breakdown of the best time to fish Alaska, please check out this helpful article. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish Anchorage, please check out this helpful article I wrote.
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Best Times to Fish Sitka: Daily Situation
Winter Fishing in Sitka
Whether you’re out deep sea fishing or ice fishing, you can catch plenty of fish in Sitka during the winter, if you’re brave enough to face the cold. Out in the ocean, fish will be deeper than normal. This may change your spots, but the presentation stays about the same.
If you’re fishing in freshwater, most bodies of water will be frozen. You’ll be able to catch trout, salmon, and grayling in the lakes and rivers in the area. Your approach should be light jigs with either live bait or plastics on them. Most fish will be around deep structures and drop-offs.
Fishing slows down during the winter, but it’s not impossible. Fishing for kings is the most popular fishing in Sitka during the winter. The water can be calmer than that of the area’s warmer months. The tactics stay the same, inline spinners or fresh bait will be your best bets and they’ll generally be in the same areas or a little deeper.
Best Time of Day to Fish Sitka
Fishing in Sitka peaks in the morning, but fish can be caught all day long. The fish like the mornings better because the water is still cool and the sun isn’t shining directly down on them. Fishing closer to the evening can be very productive as well, again the sun won’t be shining directly on the fish and they will start roaming around looking for food more than during the midday.
Tidal Impacts on Sitka Fishing
As with every other fishing trip, you’ll need to pay attention to tides. Tides can have a huge impact on how many fish you catch, so it’s important to get a good idea of what tides are the best for fishing. The best tides to have are high tide and the times leading up to high tide. This will bring in clean, nutrient-rich water and also bring more baitfish into the area.
These are good things mainly for salmon. Salmon love nutrient-rich water and are almost always looking for their next meal. Tides have less of an impact on deepwater species such as halibut and lingcod, but there is evidence that they are somewhat affected by the tides.
Affect of Rain and Storms on Fishing in Sitka
As mentioned before, there can be strong winds coming off the ocean and into Sitka. Sitka can see stronger winds because it faces straight out to the ocean, with only a few small islands to break the wind. This can cause the water to be rough and make fishing hard.
If it’s a windy day, it may be better to stick near shore and behind islands for cover. As with any other coastal town, there can be big storm systems that move over the ocean and into Sitka. As long as there isn’t lightning and the winds aren’t bad, you should be able to fish for the day.
Night Fishing in Sitka
Nearshore and shore fishing at night can be a great time in Sitka. The best spots are around islands, points, reefs, or rivers. You can expect to find the same species at night as you would during the day, but there is the possibility of catching bigger fish at night. Larger salmon will moe in shallower to feed at night and if there’s any artificial light, they’ll be attracted to it. An inline spinner or fresh bait will be your best options, with salmon eggs, herring, or alewives being the best options for fresh bait.
Shore and Surf Fishing in Sitka
Seeing that Sitka is a small, coastal fishing town, there are countless spots to fish. You can find spots wherever you go, and most of them will hold fish. For the most part, salmon and rockfish are the fish that you’ll find from shore, with inlets, piers, rivers, and nearshore structures being your best options.
If the salmon are running, you’ll want to fish rivers and river mouths, and if not, you’ll be able to find them near shore in the spots previously mentioned. As for rockfish, you can expect to find them around nearshore rocky structures and reefs. Using inline spinners or fresh bait will produce the best results.
Best Fishing Spots in Sitka
Inshore
Blue Lake
Blue lake is a large lake located northeast of Sitka, this beautiful lake is home to rainbow and brown trout and has a large population of rainbows that is consistently restocked. Fly fishing is popular all over Alaska and this lake is a great place to try it, the water is usually calm, not a lot of current and the fish are plentiful.
Sawmill Creek
Sawmill creek offers great trout, salmon, and dolly varden fishing. You can find this creek on the east side of town, following Sawmill Creek Road. This creek can get somewhat small in some areas and widens out in others. This creek is great for a relaxing day of fishing without worrying about rough ocean conditions. This spot is fishable whenever it isn’t frozen and is especially good when salmon are running through it during the fall.
Halibut Point Recreation Site
Taking Halibut Point Road to the north side of Sitka, you’ll eventually find the recreation site. This area offers surf fishing as the creek in the park(Granite Creek) is too small to hold much of anything. You can catch rockfish, all species of pacific salmon, and rockfish at this spot.
This area, along with most other places in Alaska will give you a great view while you fish. The area where the creek goes into the ocean is a good spot to start at, but eventually, you can make your way up and down the shore as there are spots all over the area.
Swan Lake
Swan Lake is located in downtown Sitka. This small lake is perfect for a relaxing time fishing for rainbow trout, cut-throat trout, and dolly varden. There is a small dock on the lake making it a good option for a family fishing outing. Inline spinners, eggs, and fly fishing are the most popular bait on this lake.
Offshore
Offshore fishing means that you’ll need to get a charter unless if you have a boat or know someone with one. Off-shore fishing in Sitka generally means that you’ll be targeting halibut or lingcod, both great-tasting fish. Your charter will supply you with everything necessary to catch fish and give you a great trip.
Offshore fishing can bring some issues to the table that inshore and freshwater fishing in the area doesn’t see as much, strong winds can cause big waves which can make fishing tough. If you’re prone to seasickness, inshore fishing may be the better option for you.
Best Seasons to Book a Charter
The best times to book a charter vary from year to year, the salmon runs aren’t always the same days of the year. That being said, you can still get a good estimate by looking at past years’ fishing reports. If you’re looking to catch a lot of fish and aren’t worried about species, July is your best option. If you’re looking for big kings or halibut, June will be a great time to book a charter. Fishing will stay good until early November.
For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish Homer, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish Juneau, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Kenai, please check out this helpful article I wrote. For a complete breakdown of the best times to catch halibut in Alaska, please check out this helpful article I wrote. Check out this guide for a complete breakdown of the best times to fish in Alaska.
