Goddard Hot Springs

Goddard Hot Springs
Trolling week of June 3rd
Inside the upper bathhouse at Goddard Hot Springs
We spent the weekend at Goddard Hot Springs south of Sitka while waiting for Monday’s opener. When Russia owned Alaska in the 1800’s there was a resort here and back in the 30’s it was a hotel and school for the local kids that lived on fox farms on the numerous islands surrounding the area. Nothing remains here of those earlier homesteads except for a chimney and a partial wall surrounded by muskeg. In 1938 the territory of Alaska bought the property and it is now a treasure freely shared with all. The Forest Service built 2 quant bathhouses here with simple stainless tubs in them, piped from the natural hot springs. They are open huts with a big window overlooking the cove on one side and a large doorway opening on the other. 
Upper Bathhouse in the clearing from PacSon

 It is such a treat to soak in the naturally heated water in an outdoor setting with a beautiful view to enjoy - truly rejuvenating to both body and soul! There is also a pooled area in the woods but we had the bathhouses to ourselves (it’s a popular spot to day trip to from Sitka) so we decided not to tramp thru the mud to get into that one this time.

PacSon from the upper bathhouse, lower house right

Alaska Fish and Game opened the Goddard area to fishing for just 1 day this week, so we took the opportunity to go to the hot springs so we would be there to fish on Monday. We fished Goddard Monday, then trolled back up thru Redoubt Bay area and Sitka Sound. We spent Tuesday and Wednesday back in Salisbury, catching Kings!
Captain Doug rows us back to the boat
“Catching” is exciting, but “fishing” could be boring if you were just waiting for that next hit. Luckily, I have a lot to learn about the nuances of driving Pacific Son, especially with all the gear hanging off the sides of the boat that could get tangled on kelp or drag on the bottom if you’re not paying attention to the chart. Also, since I have no experience with all the different variables that may make a difference to catching, I’m spending time trying to “analyze” fishing. (BIG laugh here from Doug ;-) Those of you who have worked with me won’t be surprised about that as of course I feel the need to create a spreadsheet! I’m tracking where we catch fish, what lure we use, how deep they were, how fast we are going, what time of day, tide conditions, weather, etc. I’m gathering a bunch of data – now to figure out if I can learn anything from it!

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