sport fishing in alaska
DESCRIPTION
Sandy Sonnichsen, former biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game gives great tips for fishing in Southcentral Alaska.TRANSCRIPT
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