Whittier, Alaska

    Halibut Fishing

Whittier, Alaska is located in a fiord off the west end of Prince William Sound. Once a US Navy jet fuel depot, it is now one of the top fishing and tourist centers of Alaska.  Anyone who wishes to visit Whittier would be wise to start at "Bread N Butter" Charters located on the waterfront. Not only will she book your fishing trip, she can provide you with a one bedroom penthouse condo at a reasonable price. June Miller has access to anything you need to enjoy your stay.

Next you meet the "Skipper" John Norris aboard the "Sea Chase" Whether it be salmon or halibut, Capt. John will put you on fish in a hurry.  We left Whittier at 8am heading south some 65 miles to the mouth of the Gulf of Alaska near Montague Island. All along the way you are treated to spectacular views of glaciers and mountains. Humpback whales, dolphins, sea otters, eagles and jumping salmon can be seen at any time throughout the trip.  Once we anchored it was fish immediately. Elmer sent the first bait down and hooked up with his first halibut ever in less than a minute. After the picture we returned it to the water and went looking for larger fish. The party this day consisted of "Elmer" and 4 other fishermen. All were from Anchorage except for one man that had moved to St. Louis. I will update the names when they send me some of their pictures. Everyone caught at least 8 fish a piece though you are only allowed to keep two. The fish ranged from 20-50 lbs. and many we threw back were 30-35 lbs. Herring are the bait of choice. No herring no halibut. The whole or half herring is attached to a large circle hook hanging below the white "teaser". 3 lb weight  and red attractant fill out your rig. Fish like cod bouncing the weight just off the bottom with easy up and down motion. (See picture on front page) showing fish on rig in the water.                                                                                                    

First one on the hook for Elmer.                                                      This is a nice one! 

The other guys on the boat this day were from the Anchorage area and knew the waters quite well.                                

Plenty of happy faces on the way home and the fish to prove it. You are allowed only two fish.

One Pacific cod and one rock fish rounded out the catch. Larry from Anchorage holds up the big one of the day at 50+ lbs. Larry's son, (in the hat) caught the cod as well as a lot of halibut. He was a great tour guide also as he knows the waters well.