When thinking of fishing in Alaska, naturally Pacific Halibut, salmon, lingcod and an assortment of rockfish come to mind. This year the Salmon Shark appeared in such numbers that we could target and capture them and still have plenty of time to fish for other species in the same day.

Tanaku Lodge is located in Elfin Cove, Alaska. A short 10-mile ride to where the Salmon Shark takes up the better part of their residence for the season. We first started sighting them toward the end of June, but it wasn't until an incident in mid July that we started to target them. The first shark, a 235 pounders, was baited after it attacked a yellow-eye, which was being reeled up on a jig. It was caught on a halibut rod and reel, a tedious task taking over 2 hours to land. After that, each boat was equipped with the proper tackle to land trophy sharks within 20 to 40 minutes.

On certain tides, Salmon Shark can be seen jumping on the surface feeding on salmon - a totally awesome sight to see! When this is the case, trolling surface baits right past them or in the vicinity where they last appeared would be the simplest way to hook up. If none are sighted, don't get discouraged, trolling using a downrigger provides many strikes. Either way, trolling on the surface or using a downrigger, the hookups are intense! Watching a shark attack bait on the surface within feet of your boat is definitely an adrenaline rush. When trolling with a downrigger, even though you don't see the shark, the hookup is equally exciting. When a shark hits, we gun the throttles to set the hook, pretty much the same as one does when Marlin fishing. Then the fight begins. Salmon Sharks are tough fighters! It is very important to keep ahead of the fish to prevent it from rolling up past your wire shark leader. The skin is very abrasive and will cut the line. To achieve this requires constant pressure on the fish and you. No slacking here or the results will be a broken line and starting over. Some clients reel in the sharks by themselves, others prefer to switch off so everyone on board gets a shot at it. Salmon Shark fishing is exciting, strenuous, and sometimes frustrating all at the same time. That's trophy fishing!

From mid July to mid August, Tanaku Lodge landed Salmon Sharks weighing between 155 pounds to a whopping 339 pounds, with the average weighing in at 250 pounds. Videos make great memories and photos at the scale will definitely get anyone's blood pumping who wants to catch a monster shark. Tail mounts, jaw mounts, or head mounts can be made from you trophy fish.

Not only are Salmon Sharks impressive to catch, but they make fine table fare. Tanaku's chef will cook up some appetizers at the lodge so clients can try it. This way you can determine the quantity of Shark to take home with you. You fish will be steaked out, trimmed, vacuumed sealed and frozen for your trip home.

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