Sport Fishing in

Alaska

Alaska is really big…

So let’s stick with affordable trips on the road system.So where to start?

Where to Begin?• Fly or drive to Anchorage and continue from there.• Look for a variety of experiences.• You can even fish in downtown Anchorage.

Fishing in Ship Creek for King Salmon

How much Time?

• Remember this is vacation, so don’t try to do too much.

• Need a day for driving to anywhere.

• Figure at least 10 days.• Assume you will come

back.Chena River

When?

• What do you want to catch?• There is good fishing all summer and fall.• Best weather is generally June, July, and September.

Lower Cook Inlet king salmon

What to bring?

• Clothes for all weather – may be 35º or may be

90º in the same day.– don’t rely on cotton-

plan for cold and wet.Pile and wool is best.

– good raingear.

Gulkana River

The water is always cold. Bring and wear a PFD !!

What to bring?• Fishing Gear –• Assume you will go with a charter for king

salmon or halibut.• Bring your own gear for other salmon and trout.

Gulkana River rainbow trout

Fly Fishing Gear-4 wt and 8 or 9 wt fly rod

Reel that you can palm or that has a good drag

Flies: Gold ribbed hare’s ear Elk hair caddis Egg sucking leech Flesh fly Streamer (Micky Finn) Wooly bugger

Outlet of Upper Russian Lake

Spinning Gear-

Light wt (6 lb test) and heavier wt (17 lb test)rods

0 and 1 spinners

Pixies in various colors for salmon

If you have treble hooks, cut off all but one of the barbs.

Swan Lake Canoe System rainbow

What can you catch?All five species of North American Pacific salmon

What can you catch?Trout, char, grayling and more…

The Rules

• Know where you are.• Know what you are fishing for.• If you aren’t sure of the regulations, get

help from the local Fish and Game office.

Where to stay

• Campgrounds• US Forest Service

Cabins• Alaska State Parks

Cabins

• In all cases you must make reservations far in advance Maybe not here.

Anchorage Kincaid Park beach

State , Federal, and City CampgroundsReserve spaces at some

Federal campgrounds 180 days in advance.

Spaces are especially hard to find on the Kenai Peninsula. Consider Dolly Varden Lake or Ptarmigan Creek.

Homer, Seward, and Valdez have good city campgrounds.

Deadman Lake campground, Tetlin NWR

Seward City Campground

Russian River Campground

Notice how very clean this camp site is.

We keep camp sites clean , not because of raccoons, but because of …

BEARS

My heart goes boom boom boom

BearsMake human noise as you hike through the woods.

Keep a spotlessly clean camp.

Don’t eat bacon, steaks, or sardines in camp.

Wash with unscented soap before you go to bed.

Cut your line and back away if a bearcomes by when you have hooked a fish.

Never, ever run from a bear.

Don’t worry, they don’t like you either.

US Forest Service Cabins

Barber Cabin at Lower Russian Lake

Crescent Lake CabinFor cabin information:http://alaskacenters.gov/cabins.cfm

Reserve FS cabins 180 days in advance

Devil’s Pass

West Swan Lake

Alaska State Parks Cabins

Quartz Lake

James Lake in Nancy Lake Recreation Area

North Fork cabin, Chena River

Spruce Creek cabin, Thumb Cove

Reserve AK State Parks cabins up to 7 months in advance

A Few Good Places to Fish

• Kenai Peninsula– Bird Creek– Russian River – upper Russian River– Crescent Lake – Kenai River – Seward– Homer– Clam Gulch

Kenai River king salmon

Bird Creek

•Stocked coho salmon

•Pink salmon in even-numbered years

•Be careful of tides and shifting sands

Bird Creek coho salmon

Pink salmon Valdez

Russian River sockeye salmonFly –fishing only, but not your typical fly fishery.

No room to play the fish, so use strong line, a reel with a star drag, and a sturdy rod.

Use weights to keep your fly bouncing along the bottom.

Russian River at its confluencewith the Kenai River

Very crowded, very crazy, but lots of fish.

Russian River in the river

3.3 mile handicap-accessible trail to Lower Russian Lake.

USFS Barber Cabin with a boat.

Dolly Varden char and rainbow trout.

Lots of peace and solitude.

Russian Lakes and Upper Russian River

Lower Russian

Lake

Upper Russian River

Russian River trail follows the riverBetween Lower and Upper RussianLakes

Rainbow trout

Crescent Lake Grayling

Crescent Lake graylingFishing opens July 1.

USFS Cabin with boat.

Trail is 6.4 miles to lake.

Kenai River king salmon

• Significant fishery restrictions in some years, so have a back-up plan.

• Highest success rate is from boats, so get a charter.

• Fishery is crazy-busy so don’t expect a pristine experience.

Kenai River king salmon

World Record king salmon97 lb 4 oz

Two runs of Kenai River king salmon:Early run mid May to early JulyLate run early July to late July

Most Kenai kings are 25-50 lbs

Also try…

Lower Kenai Peninsula weekend king salmon fisheries• Anchor River, Deep Creek, Ninilchik River• The Ninilchik River is stocked• Fishing from shore with stout gear

Lower Cook Inlet marine King salmon and Halibut• Marine boat charters• Launch from the beach at Deep Creek• In May you might catch a halibut and a king salmon on the same trip!

Seward MarineCoho

Salmon

Seward marine Coho Salmon

• Fish both from shore and from boats

• Seward Silver Salmon Derby in August

• Two good city campgrounds and lots of B&Bs in Seward

Homer Halibut

• Charters

• Harvest limit is 2 halibut/day

• Could also fish for halibut out of Seward

•Choose days to fish with the leastdifference between the height of the high tide and the low tide

•Dress in lots of wooly layers & wear a hat.

Halibut Fishing

•Don’t do this if you get sea sick!

Clam Gulch razor clams

Razor clams

Need at least a -2 tide at Clam Gulch.

Don’t drive your car down to the beach!

Use a shovel or your hands.

Prepare to get very muddy.

Must keep every clam you dig.

Don’t take more than you want to clean!

Cheap Canoe or Raft Trips• Swan Lake canoe system• Swanson River canoe system• Nancy Lake recreation area• Gulkana River

Swanson River

Swanson River • In Kenai National Wildlife Refuge• Canoe Rentals and shuttle service available in the town of Sterling.• Takes about 2 days.• Coho Salmon• Rainbow trout• Mostly very slow water, but rapids at the end.

Swan Lake canoe trailSeries of lakes connected by short portages

Best fishing is around the reed beds in Swan Lake

Lots of birds and wildlife to enjoy

Same rental companies as for Swanson River

Nancy Lake RecreationArea

Invaded by northern pike.

Several lakes connected by short portages.

Many state park cabins.

Canoes available to rent at the lakes or trailheads-arrange the rental before you arrive.

Red Shirt Lake

Red Shirt Lake cabin

Lynx Lake

Gulkana River

Gulkana River float trip

• National Wild and Scenic River managed by BLM.• Put in at the BLM campground on Paxson Lake.• Take out 47 miles later at BLM Sourdough campground.• Could do it in 3 days, 5 is better, 7 is nice.• Grayling, rainbow trout, salmon.

Paxson Lake

There is a good, well marked portage around these class III-IV rapids

Chena River

•

• Easy raft or canoe trip from one bridge to the next along the Chena Hot Springs Road outside of Fairbanks.• State Parks cabins available.• Chena Hot Springs resort at the end of the road.• Catch-and-release for grayling.

Chena River

Big Ticket Items

If you have the money, you can charter a small plane and fly out to areas with spectacular scenery and amazing fishing.

Talachulitna River Fly into Talachulitna Lake from AnchorageTake out on Yentna RiverAbout 5 daysCatch and release rainbowsking salmon

Wood River Lakes A series of large lakes connected by short rivers. Great for kayaking.Fly scheduled jet service to Dillingham, then charter out a small plane.

Lake Aleknagik rainbow trout

Goodnews RiverFly to Goodnews Lake from DillinghamTake out at the village of GoodnewsScheduled small plane service in GoodnewsAbout 7-10 days

Pilgrim RiverFly scheduled jet service to NomeShuttle service along the road to start and end points

Remember This:

• Plan ahead,• Don’t camp in Wal-Mart,• Get out!• Don’t be greedy,• Spend money in Alaska,• Be nice to the Fish and Game biologists,• Come back soon.

For more information:Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Sport Fish Division

http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/Click on fishing brochures and then the region you are interested in.

Public Lands Information Center http://alaskacenters.gov/cabins.cfm Good starting point for cabin and campground information.

BLM Gulkana River information

http://www.blm.gov/ak/st/en/prog/nlcs/gulkana_nwr.html