Fishing at Shelter Lodge near Juneau, Alaska, can be a great vacation for the avid fisherman. Founded in 1982 by Richard Yamada, Shelter Lodge’s main lodge and sleeping quarters are nestled in the middle of a forest of spruce trees. This picturesque lodge offers guided boat fishing for anyone interested in fishing in some of the most beautiful waters in the world.
Shelter Lodge provides modern amenities and is surrounded by beautiful scenery. The main lodge looks rustic, having just a kitchen and main dining room, but Shelter Lodge provides many amenities to keep visitors connected while on vacation. The guest lounge is equipped with a TV and movie setup, karaoke machine, computer station and there is wireless Internet throughout the lodges.
Guests leave the lodges between 7:30 and 7:45 every morning and board one of four 24-foot Cabin Cruisers “equipped with a toilet, modern electronic fish finding equipment, GPS, down riggers, and all the fishing tackle needed to bring in the big one,” according to Shelter Lodge. Guests fish in groups of four and rotate skippers and boats daily. Also, Shelter Lodge recommends patrons determine a fair method of sharing fishing polls before they start out every day.
Shelter Lodge offers a four-day and five-night package for the 2010 fishing season that is priced at $2,745 per person. This package includes all meals at the lodge, four days of guided fishing from Shelter Lodge’s cabin cruisers, as well as all the fishing gear and rain gear customers will need.
For anglers who want to catch the big one while fishing in Alaska, halibut is a good choice. Travelers should know "halibut demand pool-cue-thick rods with 100-pound" lines, according to traveljuneau.com. Anglers also have their choice of five kinds of salmon when fishing in Alaska. King salmon are the largest of the five species of salmon and is Alaska's state fish. They are also called Chinook and average 20 to 40 pounds, but can weigh over 90 pounds.
The other four types of salmon popular for fishing in Alaska are sockeye, pink, cohos, and chums. Sockeye salmon are great for smoking and range from four to eight pounds. Pink or humpback salmon are the smallest of the Pacific salmon, averaging only three to four pounds and are used commercially for canned salmon. Coho salmon average eight to 12 pounds and are the most acrobatic of the Pacific salmon. Lastly, chum salmon average seven to 18 pounds but are seldom used for food.
Travelers interested in fishing should know there are restrictions on the amounts of each kind of fish that can be caught daily. For a complete list of the number of each sport fish that can be caught, check out the 2010 Sport Fishing Regulations for Southeast Alaska.
Anglers are required to have a state of Alaska fishing license and a king salmon stamp, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Non-residents traveling to Alaska can purchase a seven-day sport fishing license for $55, and a seven-day king salmon stamp for $30. Licenses can be purchased from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
