Alaska Fly Fishing | Ketchikan Steelhead Fishing

May is my favorite time of year in Ketchikan and one of the reasons for this is the steelhead fishing. After a long winter, the land and sea come alive, bursting with activity. One of the best ways to enjoy it is taking a little boat ride to a remote, pristine river near our lodge. You hike a trail and find a fishy looking stretch of water so you cast some steelhead candy up stream and watch your drift. It’s not a perfect cast and your presentation isn’t ideal, but you stay with it to see how it will play out. Then you feel the slightest hesitation… the littlest nibble… you lift your tip and WAM, Steelhead on!

You chase the fish up and down the river, over a log, under a tree limb, around a rock. Finally, the fish lays at your feet in shallow, rippling water, gasping for breath, and so are you. You reach down, remove the hook and hold her upright in the water until she swims off to continue on her journey. And then you repeat as necessary. After several hook ups and a few landings, you can’t believe your luck, and neither will anybody else because no one is there except maybe a few beaver and a deer. You say to yourself, “This is the best day of my life, why is nobody here?” Welcome to steelhead fishing on a remote river in Southeast Alaska.

Freshwater Fishing Options

While Chinook Shores Lodge offers some of the calmest salt water fishing around, people often ask us, “Where can I fly fish in Ketchikan?” or “Where can I fresh water fish in Ketchikan?” We have two excellent options nearby, catering to both the hardcore angler and the casual visitor.

The Naha River National Recreation Trail

This is the remote experience for hardcore steelhead fishermen in the spring.

Access is by boat to Naha Bay, which is just 12 miles from Chinook Shores Lodge. Our self-guided boats are perfect for making the 20-minute scenic trip through the islands and passages to get there.

The trail starts at the head of Naha Bay from the floating dock and ends at the cabin site at the outlet of Heckman Lake. Winding along the water’s edge, the Naha River National Recreation Trail provides access to some of the best stream fishing in the Ketchikan area.

Naha River is famous for:

• Spring and Fall Steelhead.
• Dolly-varden, rainbow and cutthroat trout (present year-round).
• Several species of salmon (in the river from late July through October).
• It is a catch-and-release designation where no guides are allowed.

Ward Lake Trail Access

Enjoy fishing for Steelhead, Trout, and all five pacific salmon species in Ward Lake, a popular and easily accessible fishing destination.

To access the trailhead parking area, follow the North Tongass Highway to the Revilla Road junction. Turn right and follow to the intersection with Ward Lake Road; turn right again. Follow Ward Lake Road to the Day Use parking area.

The trail loops around the shore of Ward Lake. Hikers may go either direction and return to the parking area. There is also access from a small parking area between Unit 9 and Unit 10 in the Signal Creek Campground, or from the parking available at the Grassy Point Picnic Area.

Available Species and Regulations

Fish Species: Cutthroat Trout, Coho Salmon, King Salmon, Pink Salmon, Sockeye Salmon, Chum Salmon, Steelhead.

Refer to Alaska fishing regulations for bag limits and special restrictions that may apply.