Weather

One thing for certain is that here in Alaska, weather can play a role in your fishing trip. The Craig area is unique in that we are hiding behind a big archipelago to give us options when the weather kicks up. Even when the weather kicks up and the outside waters are basically not fit for man or beast, we still have great days of fishing tucked safely in the lee of an island or in the back of a bay. The outside of Noyes island is protected in a heavy SE blow, which happens to be one of the most common heavy weather we get. When the early season NW winds kick up, we have plenty of options at E Addington, Suemez, or Veta Bay. This is one of the reasons people return to the Craig area year after year. In 15 years of guiding, I have never had to cancel a charter because of weather. Very few days out of a season do I not limit out on halibut because of the weather.

One of the best resources for looking at the wind is www.windytv.com. This site is amazing for a quick reference for what the wind will be doing for the day and even the week. Knowing the wind direction is critical to making those decisions before leaving the dock, to prevent needless wasting of time by going to an area and then figuring it out that it's too rough to fish.

I look at windyty along with the marine forecast on www.weatherunderground.com . This is the NOAA forecast and does a great job with predicting the waves.

Keep in mind that this weather is not typical during the summer, but more typical for the winter. This is the weather for April 3, and weather like this keeps us from booking charters in early April. We have had a few storms like this show up during the season and we fished through it just fine. It might be a bit bumpy getting home, but smiles all around.

With the accuracy of the forecasts, you really don't get many surprises anymore. Often it arrives a bit early or a bit late, but I have been impressed with how they can predict weather these days. Guides who get surprised by the weather really aren't paying attention. I typically check the weather several times a day. When bigger weather is coming, I often scout out areas that will be protected so that I am ready to go in those areas when the wind starts to blow. So, if you are coming up to stay at a Craig Alaska fishing lodge to go on a charter, do not worry too much about the weather. If you have a seasoned guide, you will still have a great experience and still catch plenty of fish.