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Guidebook for Alaska Adventure Travel |
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From Anchorage - The famous Kenai River is just a couple hours south of town. Halibut and other saltwater fishing is within a three hours drive of Anchorage. Prince William Sound (Whittier) is just over an hour away; Resurrection Bay (Seward) is 2.5 hours; and Kachemak Bay (Homer) is 5 hours south. (There are quick commuter flights to both Seward and Homer.)
Fishing Denali
The lakes along the Denali
Highway are Arctic Grayling
territory. These cousins of the
trout typically mature to 13
ounces, though the Alaska state
record tips the scales at 4
pounds higher. They are easily
fished from May to September and
have a reputation for hitting
just about anything, bait, lures
or flies. The BLM recommends ten
spots along the highway for
grayling: Ten Mile Lake (mile
10), Tangle Lakes (mile 23),
Landmark Gap Lake (mile 25),
Rock Creek (mile 25), Fiftymile
Lake (mile 50), Glacier Lake
(mile 31), Sevenmile Lake (mile
40), Crooked Creek (mile 47),
and Brushkana Creek ( mile 105).
Ten Mile,
Tangle, Landmark Gap, Glacier and
Sevenmile Lakes, along with Big and
Little Swede Lakes at mile 25, also have
lake trout. Burbot, a freshwater cod
with a whisker-like barbel at the tip of
the chin, are found in Ten Mile, Tangle
and Big Swede. Mature Burbot in Alaska
range from 18 to 45 inches and from 1 to
18 pounds. The Alaskan record is a
monster 24 pounder.
Fishing Katmai National Park
Sport fishing in Katmai is
world-class - jumbo rainbow trout pulled
from the local waters put the park on
the map in the 1950s. On the Algagnek
and Naknek Rivers, you can reel in
rainbow trout, char, grayling, pike, and
five species of Pacific salmon. The
northern pike, which goes by a slew of
monikers - including water wolf,
devilfish, jackfish, and snake - is
renowned for its barracuda-like savagery
when feeding; its powerful jaws are
lined with 700 razor-sharp teeth.
Definitely pack a fisherman's hemostat
to remove your hook!
Southeast Alaska
The diversity of fish and shellfish
in this productive oceanic near-shore
environment is great. The main fish
pursued by Southeast Alaska fishermen
are the five species of Pacific salmon
and the Pacific halibut. Rainbow,
cutthroat, brook and steelhead trout are
also available in some freshwater stream
systems. Grayling, kokanee and Dolly
Varden are also locally available.
Various bottom fish are caught by sport
and commercial fishermen. Crab are also
available.
Southcentral
Alaska
Southcentral Alaska offers the
widest variety of saltwater fishing and
inland fishing in the state. The Bristol
Bay area is famous for exceptional
rainbow trout. Lake trout grow large in
some lakes in the region. Arctic char
and Dolly Varden are found in many of
the waters of the region. Salmon runs
are spectacular in some areas, and
include king or Chinook salmon, sockeye
or red salmon, chum salmon, coho or
silver salmon, and pink salmon. Halibut
are seasonally abundant in Gulf of
Alaska, Cook Inlet and Prince William
Sound waters, as are various species of
bottom fish. Grayling and burbot are
found in some streams, and lake trout
and pike are commonly found in
southcentral lakes.
Interior Alaska
Anglers enjoy a great variety of
fish and outdoor opportunities in the
interior of Alaska. This enormous area
of Alaska offers all five species of
Pacific salmon in its rivers as well as
some of the most sought after fish in
the Arctic in its many, many lakes and
streams. Northern pike are abundant in
the rivers and lakes and some of largest
sheefish in the world can be caught in
this vast region. There are plenty of
opportunities to fish for trophy Arctic
char, lake trout, Dolly Varden, and
grayling. The Alaska Department of Fish
and Game operates an active stocking
program for rainbows and land-locked
salmon in lakes accessible by road.
Interior rivers also provide excellent
habitat for burbot, sometimes referred
to as Alaska lobster.
Far North Alaska
The Kuskokwim and Yukon rivers drain
most of Interior, Arctic and Western AK.
Western and Arctic AK is sparsely tree
covered. Except for alpine and
sub-alpine areas, most of the Interior
is covered by trees. Distinct mountain
ranges, rolling hills and wide river
valleys and flats are the dominant
landscape features. Summers along the
coast are cool, and warm in the
Interior. Salmon make long distance
migrations up the Kuskokwim and Yukon
rivers. Grayling are perhaps most
widespread, but trout, pike, burbot,
char, and sheefish are widely
distributed.
Fishing in Bear Country
You are responsible for your own
safety in bear country. In any outdoor
activity — fishing, wildlife viewing,
hiking, hunting, picnicking, berry
picking, even going to work — you may
encounter bears. Be aware of your
surroundings and conditions, especially
in times of low light and areas of low
visibility. Look up and around every few
minutes. Check the immediate area for
fresh bear signs. Consider moving to a
different spot if such signs are
encountered. Make plenty of noise. Go
out with a friend or a group of friends.
Let someone know your trip plans.
Don’t make it easy for bears to find
food — garbage, birdseed, picnics, fish,
or game, for example. When you catch a
fish you intend to harvest, immediately
kill your fish, then bleed it into the
water. Bleeding into the water quickly
clears the blood from the fish, thus
improving quality. It also reduces the
chance that blood, which may attract the
attention of bears, will get onto
clothing or the stream bank.
If you
see a bear
When you are fishing and you see a
bear, and if the bear approaches you,
give the bear plenty of room to move on.
If the bear continues to approach, stop
fishing and move away. Give a splashing
fish slack, or cut the line. Take your
equipment and fish so bear does not
associate angling activity with food.
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