A Town Called Sitka

Sitka is home to some of the world’s greatest hunting and fishing. A paradise for outdoorsmen chasing the endless pursuit. And in Sitka, the abundance is just as great as the accessibility. A stone’s throw from the last stoplight in town, the landscape opens up to the type of terrain that makes Alaska a unique destination for limitless exploration.

The small town supports more than its 8,355 residents. It plays host to anyone looking to deepen their connection with nature—serving as a threshold to a life of wild discovery. Since its inception, Sitka has been a place for dream seekers looking for a new way forward. Some were fur trappers while others were gold miners looking to strike it rich, but others were awed by what they saw and couldn’t turn their backs on the beauty.

Woody Cyr is one of the latter. Originally from New York, his work in fish hatcheries brought him to Alaska, and after his first encounter with the local blacktail deer, he was determined to grow his roots here in Sitka. When he’s on the clock as a commercial halibut fisherman, he’s focused on the job at hand, ensuring the lines are set and ready. But during any break in the work, his mind is on the next outing. If it’s blacktail season, he’s looking to punch his tags. If it’s salmon season, he’s rigging up for waist-deep waters.

Yet, of all the incredible opportunities that Baranoff Island has to offer, the steelhead call to him like a siren song. Sitka's backyard has steelhead runs that are considered world-class. Woody’s all too familiar with those local haunts, so when he’s logged enough halibut for a spell, he heads for a different kind of action—venturing out to currents that are rarely waded by anyone.

To reach these locales, you need to prepare yourself for a voyage and pray for weather that doesn’t delay the journey. There are endless stretches of shoreline to navigate across numerous days, and when the shore is finally near, there are still miles of hiking waiting when you reach landfall. But the waters that await those intrepid enough to find them are unlike any other. Clear as day and teeming with steelhead, these conditions are undeniably perfect and unique to southern Alaska.

Spots like these feel personal to the keepers of the coordinates. They provide peace—they fuel that part of any outdoorsman’s soul that never seems satisfied. In the woods, in the waters, in the skies, and in the people, there’s a special bond that forms when you’re there. Sitka is much, much more than a town. It’s a gateway to the purest forms of pursuit and the reason why folks like Woody call Sitka home.