Best Times & Seasons to Fish in Juneau, Alaska (Full Guide)
Juneau 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 the world. Knowing the best time of year to fish these rich waters can make a huge difference.
The best time to fish near Juneau 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 Juneau halibut. |
| Lingcod | The Lingcod season runs July through the end of August. |
| Rockfish | June through October is the best fishing time for Juneau rockfish. |
Juneau is the capital city of Alaska, making it one of the more popular destinations for people traveling to the state.
Juneau is surrounded by glaciers, forests, mountains, and most important of all, tons of water. It’s located north of British Columbia, on the thin spit of land jutting off the south side of Alaska.
The area is home to plenty of tributaries and the Gastineau Channel, holding plenty of fish. While Juneau might not be the first fishing destination that comes to mind, it can be just as good as other spots in Alaska. Juneau offers great salmon, halibut, and lingcod fishing while being home to a few more species as well.
Best Time to Fish Juneau
When it comes to fishing for salmon, timing the run is very important. The salmon in Juneau spawn in freshwater and live in the ocean. A salmon run is a yearly event and is when the salmon go into the rivers and streams to spawn.
Salmon can be in groups of 1000s during these runs. Most salmon will run between the months from August to September. As for halibut, the best months are between May and September.
Species of Juneau: Best Times
Halibut
Halibut are known as one of the best-tasting fish Alaska has to offer, so it’s no surprise that it’s one of the most sought species in Alaska. Their season starts in early summer and ends at the end of September.
The best time of day to fish for them is around high tide. If you can time it when the water is at its peak and the water has less current, your bait will stay on the bottom a lot easier.
Halibut are bottom feeders, so you’ll need plenty of weight to get down to them. As for bait, cut baitfish and strips of squid are two solid options to get a bite. You may be fishing in hundreds of feet of water to catch halibut, so be prepared for a fight.
Halibut like to sit around rocky deep water reefs. These areas offer them lots of food and cover from predators. The best approach to fishing spots like this is dropping your bait all the way to the bottom and letting it sit.
You can try doing a slow troll or fast drift approach to cover more water, but halibut usually won’t chase their bait. They will usually hide under sand or on the rocks and wait until a baitfish or squid swims by and ambush it.
King Salmon (Chinook)
King salmon will be running in the rivers around early August. They are the biggest of the pacific salmon species available in Alaska.
The best time to fish for them while they’re running is in the morning and evening and the same goes for when they are out in the ocean.
Every species of salmon loves inline spinners, they imitate the salmon’s natural diet and can cover a lot of water with just a few casts. If you want to cover water with a more natural approach, using live or cut alewives or herring will work.
When using fresh bait, drifting and trolling are two popular options from a boat, and drifting your bait is popular among shore anglers.
You can’t run out of spots in Juneau, with plenty of tributaries, you can stay occupied for the entire season. If you’re fishing in these tributaries, fish for them like you would trout. Look for deep spots in the river, eddies, and structure.
If it’s hard to find spots like this, just try to cover as much water as possible. If you’re out in the ocean, salmon will be around structures and areas with plenty of currents. Offshore reefs or channels around islands work well.
Silver Salmon (Coho)
Silver salmon run a bit later than kings, running during August and September. You’ll want to fish for them during the morning and evening as they’ll be roaming quite a bit more and looking for food.
If you’re fishing in the ocean, you can find them almost anywhere. They can be caught all throughout summer in the ocean surrounding Juneau.
As with kings, silver salmon like inline spinners and salmon eggs. You can’t go wrong with either of these in a river. Fly fishing is also a common tactic, the fish will put up more of a fight and the reward is better because of the effort put in to catch it.
If you’re out in the ocean, using crankbaits, spoons and live bait are good options, using smaller bait isn’t a bad idea if you’re looking for silvers as they tend to run smaller than kings but are in larger groups.
Silvers can be almost anywhere, including the tributaries, inlets, and bays around Juneau. You’ll want to find deep spots with a decent amount of current nearby if you’re fishing in the tributaries and look for near-shore structures and drop-offs if you’re out on the ocean.
Rockfish
Juneau’s season for rockfish spans from mid-May to the end of November, with the best months being June and July. The best time of day to fish for rockfish is determined by the tides, they don’t prefer a specific time over another.
They do however prefer when the tide is going up, and usually will steadily bite until the tide is on its way back down.
Rockfish usually like to feed on squid and small baitfish. You can use either the head or a strip of the squid and get similar results.
These are generally rigged with jigs or rigs with a weight attached. Rockfish tend to be bottom dwellers, so if you manage to get your bait near the bottom and let it drift, you’ll have bites.
Rockfish like rocky structures, usually they like deeper water but you can find them by surf fishing areas with a structure like this as well.
Some good areas near Juneau are in the Gastineau Channel, and the area on the other side of Douglas Island, which offers deeper water.
Commonly known as red snapper, the yelloweye rockfish is also available in the area. They can be caught using the same methods and at the same spots as the more common species of rockfish, which are generally darker and smaller.
Lingcod
Lingcod is generally the most active during May and June. They will bite year round but these months give the best chance to catch one.
They are usually more active in the early morning as compared to other times of the day. If you’re planning an afternoon trip to catch lingcod, they’ll be more active while the water swells as the tides are rising.
Lingcod likes to eat squid, shrimp, and herring. You can rig these along with a heavyweight to get it to reach the bottom and get it in front of the fish’s face.
You’ll want plenty of lines to be able to get down to where they are and have enough left for the fight. The best way to get consistent bites is to drift your bait over a chosen spot.
Lingcod are bottom feeders and like deep water. Their natural habitat is around deep rocky reefs, making them hard to catch if you’re fishing from shore.
You’ll generally need the charter to catch them, and they will know spots to find them. The charter will also be equipped with everything you need to catch them and might even clean the fish for you.
I recommend this Penn Pursuit Spinning Rod & Reel combo (available on Amazon) for inshore and nearshore fishing. It can handle everything from redfish to snapper and king mackerel. The Penn Battalion Series Spinning Rod and the Penn Battle Spinning Reel are fantastic to create your combo.
Recommended Fishing Charters in Juneau
These Juneau-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 |
| Hi Time Charters | Salmon & Bottom Fishing |
| Moore Charters – Equinox | Salmon & Bottom Fishing |
| Big Jim’s Charters | Salmon & Bottom Fishing |
| Moore Charters – Eclipse | Salmon & Bottom Fishing |
Best Times of Day to Fish Juneau
Affect of Rain and Tropical Storms on Fishing in Juneau
Juneau is affected by storms, just not as much as a normal coastal city. Juneau is protected by a chain of islands, blocking winds and breaking apart storms.
With that being said, it’s still important to pay attention to any storms moving into the area as they can still cause rough water conditions.
If you’re already scheduled to fish on a day with rougher water conditions, it may be best to try to fish on the backside of islands if you’re out in the ocean.
As for tributary fishing, having a nice day helps, but isn’t necessary. If the salmon are in the area, they’ll usually be biting, no matter what the weather is, but extremely bad weather might make them bite less frequently.
Night Fishing in Juneau
Juneau has a great setup for night fishing. With the ocean leading into the Gastineau Channel, the salmon have an area that’s calmer and shallower to feed at night.
Fishing for halibut, lingcod, and rockfish at night isn’t recommended because of the lack of vision out in more open water.
Using mouse flies for salmon at night is a popular tactic as mice are more active and near water at night and salmon that is big enough will feed on them.
Shore and Surf Fishing in Juneau
Juneau offers great shore fishing, with most of the city being on the coast or a short drive away from a stream. Some of the most popular spots are on the Gastineau channel that runs between Juneau and Douglas Island.
This area has great salmon fishing and in some of the deeper areas, you can find halibut and rockfish. The Juneau area also offers a big system of rivers and streams. These can hold a lot of salmon and trout as well as some dolly varden.
If you’re surf fishing the Gastineau channel, fresh bait with plenty of waits attached to stay put will catch any species that are in the channel. If you’re in the streams for salmon or trout, inline spinners, egg imitations and flies are the way to go.
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.
Winter Fishing in Juneau
Fishing in Juneau during the winter can be a unique experience, as with most everything else in Alaska. You’ll get the chance to see the northern lights, but you may only have a few hours of daylight to fish.
In early and late winter, the creeks and rivers should still be open, but the lakes will most likely be frozen. For freshwater fishing, using smaller baits than normal can help your catch rate go up.
As for ocean fishing, you can expect some of the fish to be more scattered. This shouldn’t stop you from trying though. Halibut and salmon can be caught during the winter, and the approaches stay about the same for both.
The only difference would be the depth at which the fish are living, this is when you’ll find fish in deeper water and will only be able to find them with either a charter or your own boat.
Best Fishing Spots Around Juneau
Surf/Shore
Montana Creek
Montana creek runs on the northwest side of Juneau, the river offers sockeye, and silver salmon, along with rainbow trout.
This creek runs into the ocean, which makes it a spot that is very good when the salmon start to run. Fishing by the mouth of the creek can be a great time, but as you get further away from the ocean, the trout fishing starts to get better.
Gold Creek
Gold creek is located a few miles north of Juneau. It is a secluded creek that has a very healthy fishery. You can find trout, dolly varden, and grayling here.
This spot gives you a great opportunity for fly fishing, but conventional gear will work just as well. Inline spinners are a go-to bait for here as you can catch every species in the creek with them.
Mendenhall River and Lake
This waterway is the biggest in Juneau, stretching from the far north part of Juneau to the northern coast of Juneau.
The river starts at Mendenhall Lake, which is a deep, clear lake that holds salmon and trout. The fishing here can be great and offers its population of salmon, separate from ocean run salmon.
The river winds from the lake to the northern coast of Juneau where it dumps into the ocean. The river offers excellent salmon fishing while they are running. Fishing by the mouth of the river is very effective just before the runs.
Inshore
Gastineau Channel
The Gastineau Channel runs between Juneau and Douglas Island. This area has a very healthy fishery, filled with salmon and halibut.
Most of the salmon will be around drop-offs that lead to channels and most of the halibut will be in the deeper parts of the channel or by the mouths of the channel.
This channel takes up most of Juneau’s coast and is one of the most popular spots in the area. The channel has plenty of shore fishing opportunities as well.
Auke Bay
Auke bay is a great salmon fishery. Located north of Juneau, you’re a short drive away if you’re staying in Juneau. The bay has a few spots you can fish from shore at but its most notable fishing comes from charters.
This area has great salmon and halibut fishing during summer, with the salmon fishing falling off in the fall when they move into the rivers.
This is a large bay and is one of the least protected bodies of water in the Juneau area, so if you are prone to seasickness, choosing a spot closer to shore might be a better idea.
Offshore
If you’re going offshore, chances are that you’ll need a charter. Offshore fishing offers a few more species than you’d find if you were fishing near shore or in the river systems.
You can expect to find halibut, snapper, rockfish, and lingcod offshore, and sometimes even salmon.
In the Juneau area, there are lots of islands, making salmon fishing great throughout the area. Once you get further out, you’ll get into the Gulf of Alaska, near Sitka.
This is where you’ll find more of those deepwater species, but fishing within the nearshore area will work just as well.
Best Seasons to Book a Charter
Fish can be caught at any time of the year in Juneau, but some seasons have a clear advantage over others. The best season to book a charter will depend on what species of fish you’ll be going after.
If you’re going for salmon, early to mid-fall would be a good option, and if you’re going for halibut, anytime during the summer will work.
If you’re looking to catch as many fish as possible, no matter the species, going during early fall will be a good time for you. The salmon can be running at this point and if not, you can still find them in saltwater. The halibut fishing will also be good until early fall.
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 Sitka, 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.
