Fishing and Clamming in Seldovia

There is a lot to choose from in Seldovia for fishing opportunities. The first thing you need to know is that you need a license for both fishing and clamming, and they can be purchased at the harbor master’s office.

Cook Inlet has claimed fame for being a world-class halibut fishing destination for many years. The charter fleet out of Homer boasts at being the world capital for halibut, though some of us here in Seldovia might beg to differ. Seldovia has some of the best charter’s in the region and we are an hour and a half closer to the fishing grounds than Homer. That said you can catch fish right in the bay or charter and go down to the Barren Islands on a local charter. Check out seldovia.com for more information on charters.

The Seldovia River, which dumps in to the bay all the way at the head of the bay, has all five species of Pacific salmon returning to its waters. The largest run is pink salmon, followed by lower numbers of silver and chum salmon. These runs don’t show up until around the fourth of July, with silvers being the latest of the three. There are also very small returns of king and sockeye salmon that don’t play much of a role in sport fishing.

Dolly Varden can be caught in the river as well, and also it is great fun for the youngsters to cast for Dollys at the Outside Beach with great success from late June on. Local children grow up catching kelp cod and greenlings off of the city dock, with an occasional halibut to boot.

The Alaska department of fish and game has planted a run of king salmon in the Seldovia Slough. Though this run has come back smaller over the past few years, one can still catch a king ranging from twelve to twenty pounds right from the shores of the slough. You will likely see locals fishing from the bridge from mid-May to mid-June. This is a great fishery with lots of success and opportunity for visitors to meet and talk fishing with locals. Don’t be shy about talking to locals on the bridge.

Trolling for king salmon shows great success rates every month of the year out of Seldovia. Again check seldovia.com for charter contacts. It is definitely worthwhile to do your homework on this one. Talk to the harbor master and other locals and inquire about what local boats might be trolling for kings. Most skippers don’t mind sharing a bit of information and you just might land yourself a trip by talking to the right person.

Most clamming is done out the Jakalof Rd. Both Kasitsna Bay and Jakalof Bay are the hot spots for clamming. Again you do need a fishing license to clam. Jakalof Bay, 13 miles from Seldovia, has a city owned and maintained float system where boats can land, and clamming is good right from these floats all the way up to the head of the bay some three miles farther up. Kasitsna Bay is a few miles closer to Seldovia and has one of the most prime examples of how extreme our tidal variations really are. This is a beautiful bay to walk along and enjoy tide pools as well as clamming. The famous McDonald Spit lines the outside water of this bay, and a three mile hike along this spit will get you out to Nubble Point, a great spot for a picnic.