Ketchikan 2020

Arrive in Ketchikan:

Upon arrival in Ketchikan you’ll be greeted by your dedicated guide. After the ferry ride across Tongass Narrows you’ll be taken to the Cape Fox Lodge for check-in. Later that evening after getting settled, you’ll be met in the lobby and escorted to the Alaska Fish House for a private meal.

Dinner: Alaska Fish House

6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m

• Theme: Briefing on the Seafood Invitational
• Host(s): Executive chef Austin Green & team
• Meet chef Austin and the culinary team for an introduction to our take on Alaskan seafood. A casual affair as you’re introduced to a selection of the Alaskan seafood you’ll fishing for in the following days.

Breakfast: Alaska Fish House

6:00 a.m.-7:00 a.m.

• Theme: Preview of the Misty Fjords National Monument
• Host(s): The captain of Allen Marine’s St. Innocent and your naturalist for the day Ashley Ruis.
• Prepare for your initial trip into the Alaskan wilderness with the crew that will be leading you on your discovery of the Misty Fjords National Monument.

Misty Fjords Exploration:

7:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Your destination is Rudyerd Bay – some of the most impressive viewsheds in the Misty Fjords’ 2.3 million acres. Aboard one of Allen Marines high-speed catamarans, you’ll stop to view an active bald eagle’s nest, a Tlingit pictograph, and New Eddystone Rock; an immense volcanic spire rising from the sea at the mouth of Rudyerd Bay. Expect an unhurried exploration of Rudyerd Bay and learn the natural history of the fjords while gliding quietly amongst 3,000-foot vertical cliffs and waterfalls.

Lunch: Alaska Fish House:

12:00 p.m.-1:30p.m.

• Theme: Meet your assigned Baranof fishing captain. Discuss your fishing goals for the afternoon.
• Host(s): Baranof Fishing captains
• Before heading out for an afternoon of fishing, enjoy a custom seafood lunch with your captain. The conversation between you, your captain, and chef Austin will take into account the tides, weather and fishing opportunities to determine which species should be targeted for the evening meal.

Afternoon fishing:

1:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

After getting decked out in all-weather gear, join your captain for a day on the water. You’ll set pots for Alaska spot prawns, dungeness and tanner crab before heading to the king salmon fishing grounds to learn the art of angling for Alaska’s most prized sport fish. Fishing will last between four to five hours before returning to our marina and dinner.

Dinner: Alaska Fish House

6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

• Theme: Multi-course menu featuring your fresh catch with presentation and conversation of the historical and cultural significance of Ketchikan fisheries.
• Host(s): Ketchikan Museums
• Meet chef Austin at the fish processing table to discuss which fish species will be featured at dinner, watch as they’re cleaned and filleted, then head to the dining room to relax and enjoy a beer or glass of wine before your meal begins. Ketchikan Museums will host the meal with presentations and dialogue on the history of our commercial fishing fleet.

Breakfast: Alaska Fish House

6:00 a.m.-7:00 a.m.

• Theme: Preview of the morning’s immersion in local Tlingit Native Alaskan heritage, art and culture by the Cape Fox Corporation.
• Host(s): Cape Fox Corporation guide Kelly White Your guide Kelly will join you for breakfast to begin your trek into the history of Alaska’s original inhabitants.
• Prepare for your initial trip into the Alaskan wilderness with the crew that will be leading you on your discovery of the Misty Fjords National Monument.

Introduction into Native Alaskan culture, Alaska’s original inhabitants::

7:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.

Kelly White will escort you through the history of the Alaskan Native American communities. Your first stop will be the Totem Heritage Center which preserves and perpetuates the living artistic traditions of the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian peoples that gave rise to the original totem poles on display and provides the opportunity to discover, learn and practice Native arts to inspire cultural understanding. From there you’ll visit totem poles standing in historical parks and throughout the community for real-time immersion in his ancestral culture.

Lunch: Alaska Fish House:

11:00 p.m.-12:30p.m.

• Theme: Discussion of the day’s fishing expectations and introduction to the many bottom species that will be targeted for the day..
• Host(s): Baranof Fishing captains
• Sit down with your guide for a meal and introduction into the world-class bottom fishing that Alaska is famous for. Again, you will discuss the day’s fishing goals with your captain and requests from Austin for fish species he’d like to feature in the evening meal.

Afternoon fishing:

12:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

The focus of day two’s fishing excursion is bottom fishing. You’ll head out much like the day before, but instead of dropping downriggers or mooching, you’ll be targeting halibut. While you’re waiting for the halibut to come in, you can expect to catch lingcod, Pacific cod, kelp greenling, yelloweye, and any of the other 37 rockfish species that call our waters home. Concluding your day, you’ll pull the crab and shrimp pots you set the day before.

Dinner: Alaska Fish House

5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

Commercial fishing to Alaska is what farming is to the mid-west. Generations of families have dedicated their lives to catching crab, halibut, salmon and numerous other species for local consumption and the worldwide market. Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute focuses on marketing Alaskan seafood as a worldwide sustainable commodity. Not only do they work with bulk programs to, for instance, provide seafood in school lunches across the country, but they are also dedicated to assisting our local commercial harvesting families with a means to market their product directly to the consumer in a digital farmer’s market. While Alaska is a wealth of resources in mining, oil and timber, our communities are most often rooted in the sea; ASMI will explore what the commercial fishing industry means to us and our families.