Halibut Fishing in Alaska is Back!

Seafood is Alaska is like lifeblood. With fresh seafood being a hot commodity in the state, the start of a new fishing season is certainly cause for excitement. This month, halibut is back in the waters and ready for the catch. There are plenty of great spots where you can take your Alaska car rentals for halibut fishing, but first you’ll need to know a bit about fishing in the state.

Fishing anywhere has unique challenges and locales that only the locals or frequent visitors really know. Unless you’ve been halibut fishing in Alaska many times before, it’s unlikely you’ll know the ins and outs of the fishing culture in the region. Below we’ve listed a few things you may need to know before you set off on a fishing adventure in your Alaska car rentals.

If you’re not much of a fisher, you won’t have to miss out on the fresh catch. Halibut will be back in the markets, ready for the grill. Rockfish and cod are also back in the waters and in the market for your dinner table. Cod and rockfish may be back in the market sooner than halibut as fishers from Kodiak return with their load.

Don’t wait around for fresh salmon. Hopefully you loaded up before the salmon season ended and packed up the freezer so you can appease your salmon cravings even in the spring months.

Homer, Alaska

If you’re really interested in engaging in some superb halibut fishing then head on up to Homer, Alaska. This is the “Halibut Fishing Capital of the World” with charter services available to take you out on your halibut fishing expedition.

Every year, Homer is home to a halibut fishing derby. The derby runs from mid-May until mid-September but you’ll have to make sure you buy tickets so you can enter. Remember if you don’t have a ticket, you cannot enter for a chance to win – you don’t want to be faced with the disappointment that comes from a good catch without being able to offer it up for competition in the derby.

Each tagged fish that you catch is worth $50 and any fish caught from the 2015 derby this year will be worth $100. You will also have an opportunity to catch the GCI worth $50,000 and the Stanley Ford F-150 tagged halibut. This year, 130 fish have been tagged in the water as part of the derby which offers you pretty decent odds at catching at least one fish. So pack up the Alaska car rentals for your chance at a prize in the Homer Halibut Derby!

Halibut fishing tips

The first thing you need to know is that there’s a two fish limit per person in Homer. You also need to make sure you have a proper license for Alaska.

Good equipment for halibut fishing is the circle hook, rather than the treble hook or j-hook. This is a cheaper hook that won’t be a big loss when you have to cut the hook free from the mouth of your catch. You may add on red or white hoochies, beads, and skirts in order to attract halibut. If you’re looking for a really good one, use a skirt that glows in the water to draw halibut in.

We would recommend avoiding bait scent canisters for your fishing trip. As much as these can be effective at times, they also tend to leave an unfortunate odor in the surrounding area. We personally don’t like when clients of our Alaska car rentals are using these scent canisters as they can leave a malodorous atmosphere in the vehicle that other renters will have to deal with.

We’d recommend bait injectors instead. These little needles allow you to insert the scent into your bait, beats, skirts, and other equipment. These are more effective than scent canisters and won’t leave a scent in the Alaska car rentals.

You’re ready for a great fishing trip! Now all you need is a great Alaska car rentals from Avis.