Bering Sea, salmon and halibut

Dutch Harbour and Unalaska are located on Amaknak Island, which is the last inhabited island of Alaska in the Bering Sea and is part of the Aleutian islands. The towns have become famous due to the TV series “Deadliest Catch” on Discovery Channel. It is this town where the tough Alaskan fishermen leave the harbour and fish for all types of crab during the season. It is a 3 hour flight from Anchorage and is the 11th city of Alaska with 4400 inhabitants. It is rugged, unspoilt and the ideal place to catch halibut, salmon and giant cod. Nature is overwhelming with whales, orcas, seals, fish and sea eagles. There is a lot to see and experience with nature in its purest form. The island's economy is completely focused on fishing as it is very strategic to the world's most productive fishing grounds in the Bering Sea.

Salmon, halibut and cod are fished. But in MEGA size. A lot of lures can be used such as the shad in relatively dark colours for fishing cod and halibut. In addition it is also very successful to fish with natural bait in depths varying from 25 to 150 meters. Fishing for halibut and cod is mainly drifting and salmon fishing is trolling. These two different ways of fishing can be perfectly combined so you don't really have to be bored by just one type of fishing per day.

An average fishing day takes 8 to 12 hours. Of these, at least 6 hours are spent fishing. So the captain does not hesitate to reach the better fishing grounds to provide you as a client with a perfect fishing trip. It is therefore not surprising that the world record for line caught halibut of 459 lbs. is set here. The species of halibut that are caught here are not necessarily the largest but the numbers you can catch here are impressive.

The grand aleutian hotel has 4 stars and because there is only 1 hotel in this region you have no choice. This means that you are equipped with all comforts and you can relax after a long day of fishing.

The hotel has three different room types.

1. Hotel room

These rooms overlook the bay and are spacious and are all for non-smokers.

2. Junior suite

The junior suites have large flat screen TVs, whirlpool bath, comfortable chairs, fridge and microwave. Rooms overlook the bay and are non-smoking.

3. Harbor View Inn

For the traveller with a lesser budget or requirements there are 25 rooms in a basic version with different sizes of beds. These rooms are located at the sister company above Harbour View Bar & Grill, Harbour Sushi & the liquor store. Smoking is allowed here.

The boat has a spacious wheelhouse and a large rear deck so there is more than enough working space for 6 people and is a very tough and high quality boat. It is a real workboat on which you will definitely feel safe on the Bering sea. The captain was born here and has seen it all. He has been fishing in these waters for more than 15 years. The boat is 11 metres long and 3.3 metres wide. Because of the forward cabin, there is plenty of space on the aft deck. With 2 x 200 HP and a speed of 20 knots this is a perfect fishing boat that is perfectly equipped to chase any big fish.

In general you don't have to take anything with you. All equipment is present and included in the price. Only the very best material is good enough here. This is confirmed by the available reels and rods up to the 80 pounds class of the brands Penn, Shimano and Avet and lines with a breaking force up to 90 and 120 lbs. The weights used range from 300 to 750 grams. For the salmon fishery lighter material is used which is also all present.

The flight goes from your local airport to Anchorage (or Vancouver) and then on to Dutch Harbour with a domestic flight. Keep in mind that this trip will most likely take more than a day depending where you come from. You fish almost on the other side of the world when coming from Europe.

For this trip there is an average price of € 2750,- per person based on 2 persons per room and including 6 days fishing, all materials, license, lodging, breakfast and excluding return flight local airport - Anchorage - Dutch Harbour, lunch, dinner, visa for the US and possible tips. For this trip there is a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 6 participants. Please note: As the high season approaches, the prices for the flight tickets will also increase. Furthermore, it is important to realize that this is a location where only 4 months a year can be fished due to the weather conditions. You should also realize that the weather can influence your trip. We therefor suggest to book one less day of fishing than your actual stay. In that way you create flexibility to potentially move fishing days in case the weather is less favourable.

Bering Sea, salmon and halibut