The Wildlife You'll See on Your Alaska Fishing Trip
- Sportsmans Cove Lodge
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Most guests come to Sportsman's Cove Lodge for the fish. The halibut, the kings, the silvers... that is the draw, and it delivers. But what catches people off guard, especially first timers, is everything else! The wildlife in Southeast Alaska is not a backdrop, i
t is part of the experience, and on any given day on the water, what you see beyond the end of your rod can be just as memorable as what is on it.
Here is what you are likely to encounter from the moment you land in Ketchikan to your last morning on Prince of Wales Island.
In Ketchikan
Your introduction to Southeast Alaska wildlife starts before you ever reach the lodge. Ketchikan sits at the edge of the Tongass National Forest, and the surrounding waters are alive with activity year round. Bald eagles are a constant presence, perched above the waterfront or circling overhead with a regularity that never quite stops being impressive. Harbor seals are frequently spotted in the Tongass Narrows, and if you spend any time near the creek, you may catch salmon running beneath your feet depending on the time of year.
If you want to go deeper on the wildlife side during your time in Ketchikan, Kawanti Adventures offers curated local excursions that are well worth the time. They know these waters and forests intimately and can get you closer to the natural side of Southeast Alaska than a self-guided afternoon will. For more on making the most of a day in Ketchikan, check out our full guide here.
On the Water
The Inside Passage around Prince of Wales Island is one of the most productive marine ecosystems on the planet, and it shows. From the moment the boats leave the dock at Sportsman's Cove, you are in the middle of it.
Humpback whales are the most dramatic sighting and one of the most common. Humpback whales, Steller sea lions, and harbor seals all come to feed in the nutrient-rich waters around the island throughout the summer. It is not unusual to have a whale surface within fifty feet of the boat while you are mid-fight with a halibut. Sea otters are spotted regularly, often wrapped up in kelp beds close to shore. Keep your eyes on the water between casts because the show out there runs all day.
Bald eagles are everywhere. They follow the boats, they perch on the tree lines along the shore, and they have a way of appearing at exactly the right moment. On Prince of Wales Island you might see wildlife like whales and wild wolves, bears and bald eagles, both river and sea otters, in their natural habitats on the same day. That kind of variety in a single outing is genuinely rare anywhere else in the world.
Along the Shoreline
Some of the most memorable wildlife moments happen not on the open water but closer to shore, during the quieter stretches of the day. The rainforest ecosystem of Southeast Alaska is home to a variety of land animals including black bears, Sitka black-tailed deer, gray wolves, mink, beavers, and river otters.
Black bears are particularly active in August as the salmon runs intensify, and spotting one along the shoreline from the boat is a moment that tends to stop conversation entirely. Sitka black-tailed deer can be seen almost anywhere, with good viewing on or next to the roads. River otters follow the salmon runs and are often visible in the shallower inlets close to the lodge.
Back at the Lodge
The wildlife does not stop when the boats come in. The cove itself is a remarkably active place in the evenings. Eagles roost in the trees above the waterline. Seals surface near the dock. On calm nights the water is flat enough to reflect everything above it, and the whole scene takes on a quality that is hard to describe and impossible to forget.
The lodge offers guided hikes through the old growth forest surrounding the property, which are some of the best opportunities to see the land side of Southeast Alaska up close. The Tongass is the largest temperate rainforest on Earth, and walking through it feels exactly like that.
Alaska is full of wildlife. At Sportsman's Cove, you are in the middle of it from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave.
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