Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Fishing/Whale watching

OK. The wife and I are looking to go to Alaska for my and her 50th birthdays. I wanted to do hunting/fishing, she wanted to do Glacier/Whale watching. We compromised on Fishing and Whale watching. When and where would be the best place and time to go so we can do both. Of course, the question will be asked what type of fishing, I was thinking salmon fishing. Whales don't really know much about them but I think the big ones are humpback and the black and white ones are Orcas/Killer whales.

Any thoughts welcome.

Come in August and you can hunt deer, fish and whale watch!

When - June, July and August. Late May and June best for kings and August and Early Sept for silvers. Just about anywhere in southeast for these, except Haines and Skagway. You can't beat Gustavus for the Glacier Bay experience (whales and glaciers) and then you could fish halibut and salmon from there. In Juneau, I'd jump on a day excursion boat to Tracy Arm and then a saltwater charter for fish. You can see the Mendenhall glacier in Juneau off the road system and you also have the museum and tram which are pretty cool.

I don't know what the peak times are for whale watching but it seems we come across throughout the summer. That said if I was given a choice of marine mammals I'll take a pod of Dall purpoises playing in the wake of the boat over a whale every time.

As far as timing for fishing, I'd say mid July is pretty much peak for halibut, rock fish, ling cod and the silver salmon and starting to show in numbers. You also typically have the best shot at great weather, both highest temps and before the fall rain showers start to arrive.

With glaciers in the mix, I think a couple days out of Whittier and a couple days out of Seward would cover some spectacular scenery and I'd suggest stopping by Alyeska resort and taking the tram to enjoy the view of the glaciers.

Tucker1965:

I solved that problem by doing it all. My wife is not into wilderness stuff like hunting but she wanted to join me on an Alaska trip. So I went caribou hunting north of Kotzebue. When that hunt was over, I flew back to Anchorage (most flights go through Anchorage anyway) and met her at the airport. We then did all the neat tourists stuff that she wanted to do; museums, etc. in and around Anchorage, Denali Natl Park & Preserve, Fairbanks, Tok, Valdez, Whittier, and we both went fishing for halibut on a party boat out of Seward. There's a fun day cruise out of Whittier into Prince William Sound to see glaciers, and another day cruise out of Seward into Kenai Fiords Natl Park to watch wales and other marine life. Everyone happy.



I did the same thing in the panhandle. I hunted and then met her in Sitka. We spent a couple of weeks touring Sitka, Gustavus (took a day cruise into Glacier Bay Natl Park), Haines, Skagway (there's a fun guided day tour), rode the White Pass & Yukon R/R, rented a car and drove into Canada for a couple of days, and toured Juneau and vicinity. Some of it we did on the Alaska Marine Highway ferries and some short flights. Had a great time again.


You might surprise yourself by how good a travel agent you are if you spend some time on the Internet looking for day tours, historical parks, state parks, national parks, day cruises, hiking and other recreational activities.

KC

Whales get old after about 5 minutes. So do glaciers.

Go to a good lodge, slam fish, see whales, and go home with 100lbs of fish each. Never once in my 12 years of guiding did I hear a wife say "I wish I had seen more whales". Women LOVE to kill fish.

Maui for whales and the Super Bowl in Februar(last year), August for slamming silvers out of Seward. Might even see some of the same whales. The glacier cruise out of whittier is nice.

I'm not being facicious.

We'll see how Matzalan handles Super Bowl this year.

Or, go catch whales and see all the previously 'caught' fish you'll ever want to see.

(Perhaps I am being facicious. ) But you won't hear anyone saying they wish they'd caught more whales either.

There is something about watching hundreds of belugas hunting in shallow water that the big whales don't match. And of course there is an element of vice-versa

Dang - you get to hunt Belugas. I'm jealous!

So, I have a whale watching tale for you guys. The kid brought his girlyfriend up last spring. Took her down to our cabin for the AK experience. First day was whale breaching and pectoral fin slapping galore. Subsequent days were off the chart. We have a tide flat with a steep drop off at low tide. The beach meets a rock point with very steep sides (near vertical in places). Whales were continuously solo bubble-net feeding tight up against of the rocks. We'd set up and watch 'em about from land on the rocks about 10-20 feet above the water level. As typical you'd see the bubbles and then you'd see the circle forming. They'd turn on their side and use their pec fin and tail (in addition to the bubble net) to corral the baitfish tight to the rocks and then take a big gulp. I need to get video of this posted.

My name is "Vicarious" (But having friends and family who do has put me close enough for all I want or need.) My son was 12 in that pic when he beaned that whale as its galloped to escape (and shred) our salmon net. There were hundreds of them cruising through that day, a rather awesome sight.

It's a real treat - and quite rare- when we get one of the bigger baleen whales in our shallow water. Our water is so shallow that their flukes roil the mud on the bottom when they come in, so obviously no bubble nets. Pretty darned cool to be alongside in a "very small" skiff when that big eye comes up for a look-see.

A few still pics of the "event"

Whittier or Juneau for glaciers. Whales are easy, they are all over the place. They even eat our fish.

[img]http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q60/FishinHank/th_MVI_1139.mp4[/img]

Well that was a cool video!

Klik... always kinda get jealous looking at some of your pictures.
In fact it gets me to thinking at times how folks that chase specific large animals, sometimes may be tunnel visioned and missing a lot of what goes on in the world when you don't just go with the flow so to speak.

Can't say to much cause I don't go with the flow on our deer, but it gets old killing same old size bucks adn a waste so we let most of em grow.... but sure still harvest meat all the time.

I think of all the differing adventures up your way, its just gotta be something different every time you head out of the cabin! Possibility wise anyway.

What do belugas taste like and how do you cook them?

um��.."like beluga."

(I had to ask my wife since I am at a loss for description.)

Mostly don't eat 'em cooked. The skin (mantaq/mutuk) is not as prized as the black stuff from the bowhead, but it is still good (with a strong tendency toward "sea flavor"). It gets really soft and mild; kind of the consistency of connective tissues which cook up soft when its cooked. The back straps make good, dark black meat (jerky) when dried - which is what we do with whatever meat we keep. (Whales are always shared, if only for obvious reasons.)

If you live where the ocean freezes, and you miss summer when winters get long, whale can be a good thing, since, to my thinking anyway, it brings out the smell/taste of the open ocean and summertime.



Not everyone's idea of good eats, but low carbs, healthy...



Kind of surprised a Barnes would smear out as much as it did since whale bone is pretty soft, but the boy made good on the delivery with my Swede chambered M70.

You still shooting Barnes? LOL.

Actually whacked this year's moose last weekend with a mono (Nosler style) kind of by accident. (Thought I had only 180 Partitions in the magazine but the spine was neatly separated with no sign of the usual incidental trauma and no metal fragments whatsoever- and there were a couple green tips amongst the back up ammo I had in my pocket, and all capable of minute of moose to 300 yards anyway.)

My Mother in Law was married to a fellow from Tyonek, I had some that was canned and to me it had the consistency of pickled pig feet,I thought it was rather bland and beachy but tasted good.

Klik- That boolit looks like it hit sideways!

Appreciate the post, but that just was not helpful to me.

go bend some iron.....