The following article points to why you should consider making Green Rocks Lodge self-guided fishing, in southeast Alaska, your next planned fishing vacation. The reasons are many. The fish are there, the adventure is there, and the lodge and staff are there to help you make the most of your dream fishing vacation in Petersburg, Alaska. Read on. Fish on!
More Options To Keep More and Bigger Halibut than Going Chartered-
1. Many anglers come to southeast Alaska to fish for halibut. These are prized tasty fish that visiting fishermen love to take home with them to enjoy throughout the year (the meat freezes well when cut/packaged properly). The trick of it is though that if you catch halibut on a charter boat (guided) trip then your limit is 1 halibut per day and the fish must be either under 50-inches long (approximately 60 lbs) or greater than 72 inches (approximately 197 lbs). Self-guided anglers are allowed to keep 2 halibut per day of any size they catch. It sure would be hard to let a 51-inch halibut go after reeling up one of these hard fighting fish. If you were fishing a charter boat in southeast Alaska, you would be required to release that fish. If you were fishing as a self-guided guest at Green Rocks Lodge then you could keep that fish plus another one as well the same day. Green Rocks Lodge guests can keep 2 halibut, of any size, they choose to per day. The lodge staff will take care of filleting/packaging/freezing your catch for you.
Longer Time on the Water Fishing For Less Cost than Chartered-
2. Plain and simple, the cost of going self-guided fishing for a week at Green Rocks Lodge, and getting to fish the full long days of summer at your leisure is far less than if you were to go fully guided charter fishing for the same time. Charter captains command decent fares for their service as well they should. But if you have the drive to get out there and fish on your own then you can save money while doing so.
You Own Your Success On the Water-
3. The feeling of accomplishment you’ll get from plying the waters, picking your spot (maps with hotspots are provided by the lodge and the boating staff who’ve been cleaning the fish all season long can offer advice on recent catch locations), setting your anchor, baiting the hook, waiting on the bite and reading when to set the hook (or not, look for a future post about circle vs. J hook strategies), and fighting the fish all the way to bringing it aboard into your possession (another future blog post). As you plan for and make return trips to the lodge in the years to come you will start to gain more knowledge and experience for success patterns that work for you. This is the fun part of fishing. The putting the pieces together that bring success. I’ve made a habit of studying the maps and looking for bottom features that attract the fish (halibut mainly) then going out and to try the spot. I try to learn/find a new spot for me on each trip to the lodge. I will fish spots that have proven successful to me on previous trips but it is so rewarding to scope out and find new spots based on what prior experience has taught me. You will have earned that fish. It’s a tremendous feeling of accomplishment that you only get by going self-guided fishing.
Green Rocks Lodge Takes Care of You and Your Catch-
4. We go to Alaska to catch fish! We build a plan for our vacation to catch fish. Lots of people like to fish the whole day if they can. But that kind of fishing takes focus. There’s little time/energy for other necessities like taking care of the fish that you catch (filleting/freezing). Who has a commercial grade vacuum sealer available to them? Green Rocks Lodge guests simply return to the lodge with their catch and the boating staff takes over with professional care of your fish, complete with cleaning, filleting, and vacuum sealing/freezing. And who has time to fix a hot breakfast and dinner when there’s all that fishing to be done? The Green Rocks Lodge kitchen staff does. They take care of all your dining needs (even special diet items if requested in advance) so you can spend your time focused on fishing. Warm comfortable cabins await you at the end of each day so you can rest well and do it all over again the next day. If you want to fish a bit past dinner time it so simple to let the Green Rocks kitchen staff know your plans. They’ll gladly have your dinner warm and ready for your return to the lodge.
The Friendships To Be Made with Guests and Staff Are Special-
5. Lastly the friendships you will build by going self-guided fishing at Green Rocks Lodge can be long lasting and true. I’ve met so many great people while staying at the lodge. Some have been such fun that we’ve made plans to fish together there (or elsewhere back home) in the future. Any number of times I’ve shared ideas on methods and locations of how to catch’em with guests I’ve met at the lodge. You spend your week there fishing but so many times come home with so much more than the hefty fish boxes in tow.
That’s basically it in the nutshell. 2 halibut of any size. Save you some coin. Ownership of all your success on the water. Focus on fishing while the lodge takes care of your food/comfort. The friendships that will come with each trip to the lodge. This all adds up to why you should try self-guided fishing at Green Rocks Lodge in Petersburg, Alaska.
