Please call or email us anytime, we love to talk about fishing!
Kurt Whitehead USCG CaptainMaster Alaskan Fishing Guide & Outfitter Phone 907.738.5000 Email Kurt! Trina Nation USCG Captain & Fishing Guide
Licensed Assistant Guide
Beachcombing specialist
Phone 907.738.5000
Mailing address:
PO Box 388 Klawock, AK 99925
Treasure Hunter Lodge
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TREASURE HUNTER LODGE
TREASURE HUNTER LODGE OFFERS ALL-INCLUSIVE OCEAN FISHING TRIPS FROM KLAWOCK, ALASKA ON PRINCE OF WALES ISLAND
Thank you for your interest in fishing with us at Treasure Hunter Lodge. Trina and I will work extremely hard to make your trip a very memorable and enjoyable "Trip of a Lifetime!" We excel at putting you on fish, making you feel welcome and part of the team.
Following are the reasons why you should consider fishing with us:
Crew Size & Experience
For a quality fishing trip, consider how many years of experience the captain/ guide have, and especially on the waters you are fishing. Also think about the level of personalized service you will receive. We have been in business since 2004 and Kurt has been guiding saltwater fishing trips in Southeast Alaska since 2000. He has operated five different boats during this time and has logged countless days between Prince of Wales Island and Sitka fishing, hunting and traveling. Kurt will be the captain/guide on your trip. Kurt and Trina provide top notch service and put you on the fish. Both of them are licensed guides, both hold Master 100 Ton USCG captain's licenses and current First Aid & CPR training. They will ensure your safety, teach you the proper way to fish and give you the guidance & assistance to get your fish in the boat. Our trips will have no more than 6 anglers.Kurt and Trina have great personalities and are full of enthusiasm.
Location, Location, Location
The place to go for World Class Fishing is Southeast Alaska, specifically Klawock/Craig situated on the outer coast of Prince of Wales Island. Both of these locations are unique because of their proximity to the ocean and have several prominent land masses that jut out into the ocean. These land masses invite migrating salmon to stop by the prolific feeding grounds on their way north or south. The nutrient-rich waters teem with herring, needlefish and shrimp. The outer coast area attracts salmon headed south to British Columbia and others headed north to other parts of Alaska. The Alaska Fish and Game website will back up this claim with the highest catch rates and the lowest number of rod hours spent by anglers consistently going to these fishing destinations. It is no secret that Prince of Wales Island has hot fishing! In addition to the prolific salmon runs, the area boasts World Class Fishing for halibut, lingcod and many varieties of delicious rockfish. We can also fish for Dungeness Crab and the Giant Alaska Spot Shrimp!
Southeast Alaska is the best place to go for a wide variety of fishing!
Fish Species
Not only are the fish attracted to the rich feeding grounds, but also the tremendous habitat and structure of these areas give the different fish species the escape terrain and comfort they prefer.
The ocean floor is very rugged with many folds, wrinkles, pinnacles and canyons that larger fish seek, yet it also has the sandy bottoms that many bait fish prefer.
The varied terrain of the ocean floor attracts many fish species, so you won't fish strictly for halibut all day like they often do in Homer, AK or fish strictly for silver salmon like they often do in Ketchikan, AK. Rather you may find yourself fishing for both salmon and bottom fish on any given day.
Salmon and Bottom fishing on the Same Day
A big advantage to fishing with us is that we fish for both salmon and bottom fish on the same day, every day. Some Alaska charter companies require you to devote the whole day's fishing to one species. With us, unless you request otherwise, you'll fish for salmon and bottom fish each day, and usually catch a limit of both, along with some shrimp.
Salmon
The five different species of Pacific salmon that you can catch are King(Chinook) Salmon, Silver(Coho) Salmon, Red(Sockeye) Salmon, Pink(Humpback) Salmon, and Chum(Dog) Salmon. Of these, we routinely target the three best tasting which are the King, Silver and Red salmon.
Halibut
The Giant Pacific Halibut are definitely at the top of most people's wish list and we also target them with excellent success. These 'barndoors' are phenomenal to eat and make great photos but after the hard work required to pull them up, most anglers prefer to target lingcod and rockfish for the rest of the day.
Lingcod
The voracious Lingcod are excellent table fare, with their white flaky meat and catching one of these bucket-mouthed leviathans is a real thrill. They are very aggressive and love to latch onto previously caught rockfish for a ride to the top. We call these hungry monsters 'hitchhikers' and often find the very large ones have an entire rockfish clamped in their toothy mouth for a trip to the surface. Often times we are able to land these guys and they don't even have a hook in their mouth.
Many clients have later remarked that the white flaky meat of the Lingcod is their favorite to eat.
Rockfish
There are 70 species of rockfish found in the waters along the coast of North America and 34 of them are found in Alaskan waters. We often catch 13 of these: Yelloweye, Black, Tiger, Copper, Dusky, Widow, Yellowtail, Quillback, China, Canary, Silvergray, Rosethorn and Greenstriped Rockfishes. They are all excellent to eat and many anglers prefer them over the other fish once they get home. They are without a doubt some of the most fun to catch. All it takes is a jig or piece of bait near the rugged bottom and WHAM, you are hooked up.
What is it? Your guess is as good as ours until you reel it to the surface. Trying to figure out what is on the other end of the line is one of the thrills of jigging for rockfish. These delicious fish are often mistakenly called Rockcod, Bass, Bombers, Sea bass, Roughy or Red Snapper. They are all rockfish. Most charter operations do not target rockfish, or if they do, most only keep the Yelloweye. Why? Excellent question! I do not know since they are all great to eat. In the months following your trip it is fun to compare the Halibut, Lingcod, Yelloweye Rockfish, Canary Rockfish, etc. and have a taste test. No matter how much you catch with us, ALL of your fish is individually packaged by species and labeled for your identification in your insulated fish box for your return trip home.
2018 fishing limits:
- King Salmon: 1 per day over 28", annual limit depends on the month
- Silver/Coho Salmon: 6 per day
- Chum Salmon: 6 per day
- Pink Salmon: 6 per day
- Halibut: 1 per day (Under 38" or over 80")
- Lingcod: 1 per day, 2 per year (One between 30"-45" and one over 55")
- Pelagic Rockfish: 5 per day
- Non-Pelagic Rockfish: 1 per day
- Dungeness Crabs: 3 males over 6.5" per day
The variety of fish you can catch in Southeast AK is unparalleled.
No Hidden Costs
The only thing we DON'T cover is airfare to and from Klawock, Alaska. You get here and get home, we take care of you while you are here!
Lodging, Meals, Fishing License, Salmon Stamp, City Sales and Bed Taxes, All Fish Processing, Boots and Rain Gear are all items that are included in the cost of the trip. No one likes unpleasant surprises. On the day of your arrival, we will pick you up at the airport, issue fishing licenses & tags, provide dinner and settle you into your room for the night. We'll get you on the water early in the morning and fish you hard all day - for as many days as you stay with us! In the evening while you wash up, eat dinner, and relax, we professionally process your day's catch.
At the completion of your trip, we deliver you, your fish and your baggage to the airport for your return flight. From beginning to end, we provide courteous and efficient service. From your meals to licenses, your tackle to fish processing, Treasure Hunter Lodge takes care of it all with no hidden costs or expenses.
We enjoy a special relationship with our guests, and many return year after year. When you consider booking a fishing trip, please keep in mind that Treasure Hunter Lodge will always strive to give you the very best Alaska fishing adventure possible. Our goal is that you will become a permanent part of our extended fishing family. Guest references are available upon request.
Travel and Lodging Considerations
Your travel itinerary will take you from your nearest airport to Seattle, WA and then to Ketchikan, AK via Alaska Airlines. From there a short 20 minute regularly scheduled flight will bring you from Ketchikan Airport to Klawock Airport on Prince of Wales Island. We provide pick up and return service to the airport with all of your fish and smiles. You will be welcomed into our home, Treasure Hunter Lodge on Big Salt Lake for the length of your adventure with us.
If you desire an exciting sight-seeing adventure from Ketchikan to Klawock, consider the option to arrive via floatplane directly to the lodge, landing and taxiing to our front porch! This is only an option on your inbound flight, as weather can be fickle for flying VFR (visual flight rules) for the floatplane. Check out Ryan McCue's and it's Alaska Seaplane Tours.
We can also help the do-it-yourself guest if you wish to explore
the nation's third largest island. We can assist with such
things as lodging at Treasure Hunter Lodge, rental car/truck and
kayak rental. We can even help you plan your daily activities
whether it's fly fishing, picnicking, hiking, photography, bear
viewing, kayaking, visiting totem parks & totem carving
demonstrations, wildlife watching, berry picking or just
exploring the unique island communities while road tripping on
nearly 1500 miles of road.
Meals
All meals during the trip are included. Trina prepares excellent
meals and many guests ask for her recipes. Fresh cooked fish,
shrimp and crab are unequaled! The boat is loaded with food so
after a large breakfast there are abundant snacks and a
delicious lunch to tide you over until dinnertime.
The following is a typical dinner menu:
- Appetizer - Smoked Silver Salmon with cream cheese and avocado on whole wheat crackers.
- Fresh spinach salad with assorted veggies and many dressing selections.
- Dinner - Fresh caught Halibut fillets cooked to perfection with butter, garlic, bell peppers, red onions and seasoning, served on a bed of Jasmine rice with toasted sourdough bread.
- Dessert - Vanilla bean ice cream with fresh handpicked Alaskan salmonberries, blueberries, huckleberries or thimbleberries. Yum!
Fish Processing
The best tasting fish is bonked, bled and cleaned as soon as possible, then stored on ice during the day. Most operators don't carry ice with them and opt to store their fish in a cooler that is 20-35 degrees warmer than if it were kept on ice. The fishing days are long and a King salmon that you caught at eight in the morning might not be in the freezer until eight that night. This is the norm for most every charter operation. This is not how we do it.
Bonking, bleeding, gutting, chilling, vacuum sealing and freezing are very important to the quality of your fillets you are taking home. Keeping your catch on ice makes a big difference in taste and firmness. You may watch as it is filleted, trimmed, rinsed and vacuum sealed in heavy 5 mil bags in approximately 1.5 pound portions. The Halibut and Rockfish are also skinned. Every bag is clearly marked by species so you know what you're eating when you get home. We have an extra large cooler filled with ice to keep your catch chilled all day before we fillet, vacuum seal and freeze your fish every night. We have a smaller "drinks only"cooler for your favorite beverages. Our professional grade Multi-Vac vacuum sealer works wonders on your fish. Prior to departure, your catch will be boxed per airline regulations in special insulated liners and waxed cardboard boxes. There is no fine print under our price tag that limits you to 50 pounds of fish. What you catch is what you take home and the price is the same.
You Simply Can't Buy Fish this Good
Your fish is bled, chilled, filleted, vacuum sealed, labeled and frozen. That way you will take home the fish you caught. When it's time to head home, your frozen fish is packaged in special, insulated, wet-lock boxes so it will still be frozen when you get home. All of this careful processing and handling means that the fish you'll be eating at home is the best tasting Salmon, Halibut, Lingcod, Rockfish, Shrimp and Crab anywhere.
Fishing Gear
We provide top quality Helly Hansen rain gear and Viking rubber boots so you don't have to travel with yours. Our rods are mostly Lamiglass and Phenix and are excellent fishing rods. We maintain our Shimano, Penn and Diawa reels to the highest standard and have them rebuilt often. They will be clean, free of defects and operating perfectly or we will put a new one in your hands immediately. Both the braided Powerpro and P-Line mono are among the best in the industry. The salmon fishing bait is mainly cut-plug herring with Owner hooks. The rockfishing jigs are mainly Point Wilson darts or rubber tails and bait. The halibut gear is mainly cut bait with circle hooks. Fighting belts and other gear are provided for your use. All our gear is in excellent working condition.
Length of Fishing Trip
There are many reasons why one day of fishing might be better than the next day. Everything from wind, tides, sunlight, water temperature, etc. affect the bite and this is why we mainly offer multiple day trips. It has been our experience that the four day trip is the best.
Our packages are:
- 4 days/5 nights
We don't try to get you out fishing for a 1/2 day when you arrive, because it invariably turns into just a 1/2 day boat ride. On our trips, you will get full days of fishing as we fish our way out and fish our way back. You don't lose multiple hours just riding in a boat when you could be fishing. Our trips give you better odds for things like good weather, fish runs, fishing in local streams, whale watching, sightseeing, & beachcombing.
The Boats
The "Treasure Hunter" is our 26' custom Crozier Craft Inc. aluminum welded, high speed,\ single Honda 250hp with Honda 15hp kicker go-to-fish-catching boat! Brand new in 2015, Treasure Hunter proved herself as a seaworthy, comfortable, stable fishing vessel, performing flawlessly for all our summer fishing adventures.
ON BOARD FEATURES INCLUDE:
- State of the art Garmin chart plotter, with radar, depth sounder and GPS
- Long range Marine VHF radio
- All USCG required safety items (life jackets, life ring, flares, first aid kit etc)
- Seating for six passengers
- Full walk-around deck to fight your fish tangle-free
- Walk-through transom Extra tall deck railing Non-skid decking throughout
- 25lb Bruce anchor
- Waterproof storage
- Fish cleaning table
- Drink holders
- Separate coolers full of ice for fish & drinks
- Ample amounts of frozen and cut bait for the trip
- Plenty of rod holders for all the jig, mooching, trolling, bait fishing rods
- Top of the line Lamiglass and Phenix fishing rods
- Top of the line Shimano fishing reels
- PowerPro braided line and P-Line monofilament fishing line for the reels
- Owner salmon fishing hooks so you will have the best opportunity to hook & land a trophy
- Circle hooks for the bait rods so you don't lose that monster halibut
