Salmon fishing in Alaska is a truly memorable experience for groups, and Waterfall Resort and Steamboat Bay Fishing Club are two distinctive venues located near Ketchikan.
Only 90 minutes from Seattle, Ketchikan is home to temperate weather—lots of rain but minimal snow—and makes a charming port-of-call for travelers heading off on fishing excursions.
Marcella Bettis, director of sales and marketing for Waterfall Resort and Steamboat Bay, says guests arrive at the resort after a 40-minute seaplane ride from Ketchikan, where they admire the views, spot wildlife and learn about the landscape from the pilot. Upon landing at the hotel, staff is on hand to deal with luggage, while attendees are whisked off to fish in small boats of four passengers plus a guide.
The properties are popular with incentive planners and corporate retreats, a typical stay is three or four nights and the resort’s season runs June through August. A buyout of Waterfall Resort is approximately 92 people, while Steamboat Bay is smaller and more exclusive.
Waterfall Resort operated as a cannery during World War II, producing about 220,000 cases of salmon a year until it was transformed into a resort 30 years ago.
“It’s a seamless experience,” Bettis says. “The resort is equipped to processes your catch, filet and flash freeze the fish, and ship it back home. Fishermen, from novices to experts, enjoy the excursions and once a boat has caught its limit for the day, they can tour the bay or look for wildlife.
“There is no better atmosphere for business deals than on a boat,” she says.