Weekly Updates
Baggage Fee Change: Alaska Airlines has changed their baggage fees. Beginning with tickets purchased after June 30, 2023 the prices are as follows:
1st-$30, 2nd-$40, 3rd and following bags-$150. The first and second bag fees haven’t changed ($30 & $40). If you won’t want to pay the additional baggage fees, once you have caught enough fish, consider catch and release. A 50# box contains approximately 160 5-ounce servings of fish. Delta Airlines bag prices are: 1st-$30, 2nd-$40, 3rd-$150, 4th-10th- $200.
1st-$30, 2nd-$40, 3rd and following bags-$150. The first and second bag fees haven’t changed ($30 & $40). If you won’t want to pay the additional baggage fees, once you have caught enough fish, consider catch and release. A 50# box contains approximately 160 5-ounce servings of fish. Delta Airlines bag prices are: 1st-$30, 2nd-$40, 3rd-$150, 4th-10th- $200.
Cell Phone Coverage: AT&T is the only provider of cell service at the lodge. There is NO cell service for any other provider, not even roaming. Radios are available to check out at no charge, that will enable you to talk to another boat who also checked out a radio. Radios will not enable you to talk to the lodge, as we do not monitor the radios. Cell phone is the only way to communicate with the lodge or with people at home. We suggest one member of your group purchase a burner phone with AT&T for the duration of your trip so you are able to communicate with the lodge and with people at home.
Week 11, Aug 25
Silvers! The silvers made a nice showing early in the week. A few boats limited on Monday before lunch and a few more in the early afternoon. The catch faded a little in the middle of the week and then picked up by Friday. This is typical of silvers as they move in schools, each school coming in waves.
Halibut were smaller this week. While we had several larger fish, we did not have anyone break 100#s. Despite that, there were many full fish boxes coming home today.
The weather is back to a cooler and wetter pattern now. We were blessed with a couple of storms but manageable winds. As we leave the dock this morning the skies are weeping the departure of another group of guests and friends.
Our season is short and we have a some fish to catch. Until next week,
Doc’s Crew
Week 10, Aug 18
Last week started off a little slow because we had several days of sunshine. Consequently, the salmon fishing was slow. After a minor weather disturbance, the silvers have now shown up in fair numbers and larger sizes.
Halibut was also a little slower the first part of the week as the tides were large. Our guests quickly became experts at reading currents and rolling the bait. The catch overall was good.
The weather has a brisk feeling to it in the mornings. It won’t be long before the colors change on the tops of the mountains. There is still plenty of fishing to be done. Fish On!
On a side note. This year the King salmon fishing has been exceptional compared to the last 20 or so years. Unfortunately, AK Fish & Game are closing King salmon fishing this coming week. Apparently, there is a treaty with Canada that limits catch by number. The numbers do indicate we might be in for another excellent King year next year.
Week 9, Aug 11
This week was unexpected in many ways. First, we were expecting cooler and wetter weather. We ended up with sunny days and dry skies. There were lots of happy, sunburned faces at dinner each night. We are still seeing a few legal kings, bright pink and chum salmon as well as nice silver salmon.
On the halibut front, the trend of lots of little fish with a few larger ones mixed in continues. It was common for boats to land and release 40 or more chickens each day. Of course, we did see some nicer and larger fish. Several first-time guests joined the 100-pound club; they are now spoiled forever!
As we head away from the lodge this morning, our guests have sore arms and are contemplating their next adventure at Doc’s. Lynda reports that bookings for 2026 have begun to come with more regularity. Call now to get your future spots reserved! We hope to see you at Doc’s reel soon.
Week 8, Aug 4
Summer came and went this week? After several weeks of cold and rain, we enjoyed a few days of upper 70’s and bright sun. By Friday night, a storm moved in and temperatures were much nicer for fishing. We are grateful for the change in weather as it will bring in more fish.
Because of the bright weather, fishing was slower for the first two days of this week. After a couple of days, the fish got extra hungry and the catch improved. The halibut story continues with lots of smaller ones mixed in with some larger ones. We inducted more guests into our 100# club.
Salmon fishing continues at a steady pace. The mix of fish is consistently becoming more Silvers. We do continue to see bright chums, pinks, and an occasional King. It has been nice to see the kings recover after so many poor years.
There are still so many fish left to catch. Our next guests will have to thin them out! Fish On!
Week 7 , July 28
Another week has ended in the great summer adventure known as Doc Warner’s Alaska Fishing. Our guests did extremely well this week. The weather was a mix and so was the catch.
The salmon have grown into good numbers. Guests came back to the dock with cart loads of pinks, chums, and silvers. The silvers continue to increase in size and number. We expect their number to increase for the rest of the season.
Halibut remain impressive. The report for this week is the same as the last few weeks. Lots of fish, lots of little ones, and some barn door sized ones mixed in.
If your summer plans have changed, it is not too late to get in on some late August and early September silver and halibut.
Week 6 , July 21
Last week continued to surprise us with big halibut. After a forecast of only small fish and the beginning of the season following that forecast, we saw several fish over 100#s and one over 200#. The fish freezer got a workout trying to freeze the catch. Some nights the staff didn’t finish filleting until well after midnight.
Salmon continues to be a moderate catch. The pinks are showing in good numbers now. We are happy to report catching many bright chum. We think this is because we are doing a better job at targeting them. We have added chum information to orientation Sunday evening. The silver catch is slowly increasing as well. The big story continues to be the King run. We are still seeing more Kings than we normally do.
Finally, the cooler and wetter than average weather continues this summer. With El Nino ending and La Nina beginning, this is to be expected. Pack a few more layers and be prepared for cooler weather. The good news is that the fishing seems to be a better in the cooler weather. It’s a trade off: good weather or good fishing.
We can honestly say it has been an amazing season so far. Come join us. We have a few spots left. The fish are biting and we are making memories for a lifetime.
See you there at that special place we call Doc’s.
Week 5 , July 14
Wow! I think we should just start and end with that. Read on for more details.
This week was an impressive weather and fishing week. Halibut were super plentiful. We had several guests join our poundage clubs. Staff were busy past midnight most days just processing the catch. The freezer was filled with fillets.
Salmon have finally shown up in good numbers. The mix continues to be about the same. The story for the year is that the Kings have returned. Next year should be a great year for King Salmon. Pinks are in force and the second run of Chum is beginning to show. On top of that the Silver’s numbers are increasing daily. It became a week of decisions to what to target next.
The weather this week was spectacularly wet for the first three days. Local precipitation records were broken. We are very grateful for our water storage capacity which enabled us to continue providing the best drinking water around even though mud slides turned the stream brown for a few days. Thursday and Friday were much better. The fish definitely made up for the weather. As is common, we expect the fish runs to increase in the next couple of weeks because of the storm. Storms seem to drive the fish toward us.
Lots of rain, lots of fish, and several boxes of fillets…wow, what another great week at Doc’s.
Week 4, July 7
It appears that we are in for a cooler and wetter summer this year. Earlier in May we were treated to some wonderful temperatures and sunshine. In June we thought maybe the rain is just temporary and the good weather will return. Now we are grateful for on nice day during the week. One nice thing about rain, the fish are more shallow and easier to catch.
This week saw a lot of small halibut and a few mid-size and fewer large fish. The halibut continue to be extra thick. I think the biggest complaint was catching too many fish and having to throw them back. Nice problems to have.
The salmon are building now. We continue to see many kings. We think next year will be a great year for kings because of the many small ones this year. The other species of salmon continue to improve in numbers. By the end of the week we were seeing some nice catches.
There are still many fish to be caught and a few last-minute openings if you want to get in on the action. See you “reel” soon at Doc’s!
Week 3, June 30
Guests are happy, nostalgic, and already planning their next escape to Doc’s; it was a great week.
This week the fight was on. It rained most days and the wind kicked up a few times also. Salmon has picked up. We are seeing a larger number of kings and juvenile kings than we have seen in years. We are hoping the kings will be back for next year’s run. We continue to have many of the other species of salmon daily.
Tides towards the end of the week were stronger but that didn’t slow down the halibut catch. Many nice specimens were taken this week. We even handed out a few “bigger than me” club pins.
Happy 4th of July everyone! Thank you to those who spent the week with us and provided late nights on the fillet tables.
Doc’s Crew
Week 2, June 23
This was a fun week with great friends and lots of fish. Halibut continue to show in large numbers and are thicker than normal. We see a fair number of smaller fish as per the forecast but we also are seeing a good representation from the big mommas as well. On an interesting side note, as part of our data collection we gather gender on halibut. Last week we had a 77# male. Normally they top out at around 50#s.
The salmon are showing in all species now. Kings are better than they have been in years. While not huge, the 33 to 35″ kings have been putting smiles on faces almost everyday. The Chum run is fairly strong, pinks have shown up, and later in the week we took several silvers.
Cod and rockfish are plentiful and round out the catch nicely.
Weather-wise we saw very little rain. The sunny days led to breezy afternoons but this didn’t stop anyone from fishing. Temperatures have been ranging in the mid to upper 60s. It has been pleasant and refreshing. In other words, Doc’s was a perfect place to spend a week last week.
Week 1, June 16
The 2024 season is officially underway. It looks like our preseason experience is going to continue with fat fish. The halibut are particularly heavier than their size would suggest which is making for some good workouts for our fishermen.
Salmon fishing also picked up towards the end of the week. We took several nice Kings early on. As the week progressed we started seeing more chums and pinks. The catch portends great fishing to come.
Weather for the week was a mix. Winds prevailed the first few days and then it calmed. Friday and Saturday were particularly flat. We were blessed with little showers and dry days.
Pre-Season 2024
Now we are talking! The season is upon us and the fish are fat and ready for action. The last few months the crew has been busy getting all the final touches done on boats and guest laundry. We are also building bathrooms near the beach and hope to have them finished in a couple weeks.
Our final week of preseason was full of researchers. This year we had two main groups. One was looking at halibut and rock fish and the other was doing soil microbe testing. The students and professors had a great time and helped get our staff ready for our main season guests.
This spring saw an enormous herring run. Consequently, the fish are heavy and well fed. We have seen several 50 to 70 pound halibut and even the smaller ones are yielding above average filets. Likewise, the salmon pull extra hard with their added mass. The kings are here, chums also, and we regularly see pinks jumping. So far, it looks to be a good year for cod and rock fish as well.
There is no downside to fishing at Doc’s this summer. Lynda still has a few openings for last minute bookings if your plans allow you spend some special time at Doc’s. Thanks for being part of Doc’s family.
Click on the Links below for Past Season Updates
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