We are going to Alaska on a cruise in early June 2019 and will be able to fish in either Juneau or Homer. Any recommendations on which is a better location and which charter to use?

The only advice I can give you is to be sure and have a gallon or two of industrial strength Deets to keep the bugs at bay. No joke.

Jim

In Homer, you should be in time for 1st king run. Likely miss silver and red runs. Halibut will be good. Lived in Alaska for 5 years and every time I went to Homer it was too windy for bugs.

I always fished offshore out of Ninilchik and preferred river fishing the Kasilof over the noisy, busy Kenai. I lived in Anchorage so Ninilchik was an hour closer so it’s not a commentary on Homer fishing (I just prefer more sleep).

If you've not been on the ocean before, I'd suggest asking your doc for a prescription for scopolamine patches. You'll thank me later.

I've never suffered from motion sickness before. Been on countless lakes in countless boats and flew in helicopters for 15 years. Never once got air/seasick...until I went fishing in Alaska. That first day was miserable. When we got back in I went down to the local pharmacy and picked up a few patches. Worked like a charm.

We typically go to Sitka and have a great outfit that we use there, so can't help you much if your only options are Juneau and Homer.

Good time to go, though. We usually go end of May or June and do well with Kings, halibut, and the occasional black cod (best tasting fish ever invented IMO). Billions of rockfish too, but I can't stand them. Never have found a good way to cook them.

I fished this last season on June 21 out on Ninilchik. We all caught our 2 fish. Biggest on the boat was 40lbs. They also had cabins you could stay in. A first class outfit. I think I spent 5-6 hundred for my part of the cabin, boat trip and licenses. Take your best raingear, boots and gloves. Bugs were no issue. Your gear may end up kinda stinky/fishy if you’re not careful. Holler if you have more questions.

First trip to Alaska we did a charter out of Juneau in Auke Bay and it really was one of the best experiences. Catching a wild white king salmon was a bonus. Being out on the water and seeing humpback whales break, eagles fish and bears on the shoreline was phenomenal. I've heard a lot of great things about fishing in Homer, but haven't been yet that's on the agenda for this summer.

Unfortunately the charter company we used was a small husband and wife operation that is no longer bring out.

Never been to Juneau but I’ve caught a lot of fish in and around Homer over the years.

looks like r a l p h riot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuFlNIU2TeE

We were in Homer, also in June, and there are plenty of charters at the marina. Caught halibut and king salmon. Btw landing a halibut is like hooking onto a tire. Almost dead weight. But some of the best eating there is. Fish were cleaned and filleted at marina, we took them to our B&B and grilled them to perfection.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
If you've not been on the ocean before, I'd suggest asking your doc for a prescription for scopolamine patches. You'll thank me later.

I've never suffered from motion sickness before. Been on countless lakes in countless boats and flew in helicopters for 15 years. Never once got air/seasick...until I went fishing in Alaska. That first day was miserable. When we got back in I went down to the local pharmacy and picked up a few patches. Worked like a charm.

I'm just the opposite. I had never gone out on a fishing charter without winding up hanging over the edge inside of 30 minutes after leaving the dock. I mean, the ocean could be absolutely flat and I'm still miserable. OTC anti-seasickness meds never worked. In 1990 something, my Dad and I and another guy were at a fishing lodge on Vancouver Island. First day out, same as usual, I'm horribly sick. I opted to stay on shore the 2nd day. 3rd day we're having breakfast and they're trying to talk me into going out again. The waitress overhears the conversation and offered me the use of a pair of elastic wrist bands with a button on the inside. The button goes over the pulse point on the inside of your wrist. She swore up and down that it would prevent seasickness. I was still skeptical but accepted the bands, along with a good dose of Dramamine. So we're out on the boat, out past the bar, and a storm is incoming. The boat is pitching in every direction at once. Every time we stopped to boat a fish, the swells started breaking over the transom. Yeah, we were taking on water. It was that kind of a day. Never felt sick at all, though.

quote:

Originally posted by jcsabolt2:
We are going to Alaska on a cruise in early June 2019 and will be able to fish in either Juneau or Homer.

Most cruise lines' end point in South Central Alaska is either Seward or Whittier. Is your cruise ending in Homer (i.e. the reason you said you could fish in Homer)?

To expand on what I wrote a few days ago, I lived in Anchorage '09-'14 and did most of my deep sea fishing out of Seward and have recommendations there. I also have recommendations for deep sea fishing out of Ninilchik (north of Homer) and river fishing on the Kasilof. When I went to the western side of the Kenai my base of operations was Soldotna so I fished closer to Soldotna (e.g. Ninilchik) rather than drive further at 0 dark thirty to Homer.