Sometimes we run across one of those locations that is unbelievable. Truly, Castle Cape surpasses any other land mass that jets out into the ocean. Luckily, the cape sits just outside Chignik and Brett and Sierra grew up gazing at its massive structure.

Castle Cape

It is said that the cape once had four pillars cutting into the sky. Today, only about 2.5 stand. Castle Cape also serves as a prime commercial fishing location and it can be extraordinarily eery making a set with the cape in the background. More often than not, the pillars are hidden by a dense fog. It isn’t abnormal for slabs of rock to come tumbling down its sides leaving a dust trail for twenty minutes before it settles.

The fishing grounds around the cape are difficult. When making a set with a purse seine, the skipper needs to be very mindful of the topographical structure of the bottom of the ocean. If it is shallow with large boulder fields and jagged snags, a net can literally be ripped to shreds. As you can see, Castle Cape has a gradual slope towards the end, a sign that the bottom doesn’t dramatically drop off. The fishing grounds around the cape are tricky and many boats can tear their net apart. However, the cape serves as the entrance to Chignik Bay, which also is home of one of the largest salmon rivers on the Alaska Peninsula. Any salmon coming from the west will need to pass by Castle Cape.