If you’ve been around the Stoker’s family for very long, you know we like to kick back and have a good time. That’s why every year, Bobby Stoker takes a sportsman getaway trip with a few lucky sweepstakes winners. Fishing in Alaska is any angler’s dream. Lucky for you, Stoker’s is going and you have a chance to come with us. Take a minute to check out our latest sweepstakes, but for now, we wanted to talk a bit more about fishing in Alaska.
A lot of folks know of the Florida Keys as a great fishing destination, but it's tough to beat the fishing in Alaska.
About Fishing in Alaska
Wild salmon return every year to the fishing grounds around our resort, which sits just off Prince of Wales Island. The environment creates a perfect habitat for millions of bait fish, which draws the seasonal runs of the king and silver salmon. You’ll also find halibut, lingcod and more than 20 other species of fish. Below is a quick breakdown of a few of these species and their records caught at the resort.
King Salmon (Chinook)
There have been a wealth of crazy videos of folks reeling in these monsters. King salmon are the largest salmon in the Pacific. This migrating fish can have a wide variety of colors, depending on what phase of its spawning cycle it’s in, and are considered the tastiest of the salmon species, given their high fat content.
Average weight: 15 pounds
Resort record: 79.2 pounds
Yelloweye (Alaskan Red Snapper)
This bright yellow-orange rockfish can reach two feet long and is one that you'll definitely recognize when you see it. The color is stunning—younger fish will be a brilliant red, but the older they get, the more they fade into a dull yellow.
Average weight: 11 pounds
Resort record: 30.5 pounds
Silver Salmon (Coho)
Watch out! These salmon are known for their high-flying antics, which is part of what makes fishing for them so fun. Like the chinook, these fish are very tasty.
Average weight: 10 pounds
Resort record: 22.8 pounds
Pink Salmon
Your friends might call this fella the “humpback” or “humpy,” but no matter what you call it, we just say it sure is fun reeling these plentiful fish onboard. Every year the Pink Salmon heads back to its spawning ground, dodging bears on their journey to the same waterfall the resort is named after.
Average weight: 4 pounds
Resort record: 10.5 pounds
Halibut
These fish are as tasty as they are hard to reel in. We’ve heard folks say it’s like “reeling in a barn door.” And that makes sense, because these fish are a strange shape—very large and flat. If you hook a halibut, good luck. You’re going to be reeling for a while.
Average weight: 100 pounds
Resort record: 366.8 pounds
Lingcod
This is a great fish for cooking, but just because you reel in a whopper doesn’t mean you’ll get a ton of meat. These fish only yield about 20 percent of their weight for food. They have an interesting color pattern, and some impressive teeth!
Average weight: 15 pounds
Resort record: 69.3 pounds
There are many more fish we could talk through, but hopefully this gives you an idea of what our fishing getaway is all about. Good times, wet lines and making memories. Make sure you sign up for a chance to win your spot on this trip with Bobby!