Stories of Alaska
Stories told by our Guides
The Southeast Expedition – Day 2
- Chris Baldwin
- July 10, 2017
- Private Charter
- Kake , Alaska
From Kake we hightailed it over the Baranof Warm Springs to pick up our fishermen. It was a stunning landscape as we pulled in and tied up. Once everyone was on board we went to the front of the bay and immediately started catching fish, lots of rockfish, one halibut and one massive Yellow Eye. After an hour we got the trolling gear out and immediately got three strikes. Lost one and boated a silver and a pink. One more hour of trolling produced one 26” King and one large Coho. The guests were happy, and it was lunch time so we headed back to the yacht. After AJ and I ate lunch, we shot over to Sitka. The amount of sea otters along the way was amazing, we saw one raft of otters 15 strong. Hard to imagine the biomass required to sustain such a large number of these animals.
In Sitka, we had a nice dinner and a nice bed. Now its day three, and we are waiting to hear if the guests want to fish today.
Full Story >>
The Southeast Expedition – Day 1
- Chris Baldwin
- July 09, 2017
- Private Charter
- Wrangell Narrows, Alaska
Finally got the call to leave Petersburg, and on the way out AJ, and I noticed several boats fishing right in the mouth of the harbor. As we got closer I noticed they were jigging herring! I was ecstatic, and Aj not quite understanding my enthusiasm, reluctantly motored the boat over to a skiff so I could ask to buy a sabiki rig. The skiff guys offered to give me a couple and handed them to me in their net, but I tossed a waded up $5 bill in their boat anyways. So as the yacht was pulling out of the Wrangall narrows to meet us at the mouth, AJ and I were there jigging up bait for the upcoming fishing trip. AJ said later I was giddy with excitement, and the whole time I had the feeling that he might have been in the cabin rolling his eyes at me. I was a little high maintenance as I would ask him to move if a minute or two went by without any bites. We ended up getting into em pretty good, catching two or three at a time.
Full Story >>
The Southeast Expedition – AJ's Adventure Begins
- AJ Slagle
- July 07, 2017
- Private Charter
- Petersburg, Alaska
In 1987, I pointed a 15-foot "duraboat" up Clarence strait and found myself in Juneau three days later it was august of that year and the weather was gentle to me.
This morning I awoke in a hotel in Petersburg after a 5 1/2 hour run in a 28 foot raider equipped with twin 225 Honda outboards fully enclosed cabin and all the amenities, this time I am getting paid to do it at a company my brother and I started 16 years ago that has grown to this proportion, if you had told me then this would be my job I would have been frothing with anticipation to where I could hardly stand it.
But here it is and it's real and tangible,all that knocking around southeast Alaska produced a opportunity, we saw a few whales on the way and watched the topography change from timbered slopes in the distance to snow and ice mantled peaks.
Full Story >>
The Southeast Expedition – Chris' Adventure Begins
- Chris Baldwin
- July 07,2017
- Private Charter
- Petersburg, Alaska
AJ and I survived the first leg of our great adventure. 115 Miles of rolling 2 foot seas with the boat running nicely at 30 knots. Got to Petersburg around 930pm last night. We burned a little more fuel on the leg than expected, and we think it was mainly due our pace while racing the setting sun. I am sure the 2 foot seas didn't help.
We saw some whales, and some nice scenery, but the highlight of the trip so far was listening to AJ tell stories involving the various points and inlets we pass. AJ traveled these waters over 20 years ago in a 15 foot skiff, and I’m sure his experience will come in handy.
Full Story >>Corona Virus Update 2.3.2023
Even in the remote islands of Southeast Alaska, COVID-19 poses risks. The health and safety of our guests, employees, and community are our top priorities. We have put special measures in place to keep people safe on excursions:
The safety of our customers is paramount, so we’re also not going to walk away from common sense guidelines such as:
- Vaccination – We believe vaccines provide safe and effective protection against COVID-19. We strongly encourage vaccination and boosters for all employees, and the vast majority are currently vaccinated against COVID 19
- Social distance – We strive to keep groups separated as much as possible during the licensing and outfitting process, but our real strength in social distancing is based on the size of our boats. With only six passengers per vessel and one captain they spend time with, the risks of exposure are limited.
- Masking – We abide by the federal mandate for passenger vessels, masks are required for the duration of the tour while in enclosed cabins. That being said, there is quite a lot of airflow even on our hardtops which are typically open to the back deck. Masking may be required at times for vulnerable guests on a case-by-case basis.
- Stringent Cleaning – We’ve increased the frequency of disinfecting surfaces and high traffic areas such as the Alaska Fish House restaurant, bathrooms, the outfitting room, the dock, and our boats. Hand sanitizer will be available to all guests on every boat.
- Wellness Checks:
- Employees receive daily wellness checks to ensure they are healthy and symptom-free.
- Employees are empowered to call in sick if they show symptoms.
- If you or anyone in your group is experiencing symptoms, we will work directly with you to cancel or reschedule your tour free of charge.
These protocols have enabled Baranof Fishing Excursions to operate safely and successfully throughout 2020, 2021 and 2022. With your help, we intend to continue fishing safely in 2023!
