Alaska fishing guide

Last year over 500,000 people from around the world purchased fishing license to fish in the great State of Alaska. With so many options of world class fishing, visitors aren't sure which trips to choose the few days they have. You have fly-fishing trips, saltwater trips, fly-out trips, river trips, and back country trips We hope that after reading this article you will have a better understanding of your options when visiting Alaska. 

Salmon
Everybody has seen the National Geographic pictures of the rivers colored red with thousands of salmon working their way up to spawn. Alaska is home to some of the largest salmon runs in the world which makes river fishing great for fisherman, as well as wildlife like bears and eagles. 

The trophy fish of Alaska would be the King Salmon. The King salmon is the largest of the salmon species and provides one of the most thrilling catches for a fisherman. The kings are also the hardest fish to catch. King season runs from June-July. A good day fishing for kings is typically 2-3 fish for a group of 4 on a full day trip. Although your doing well to catch a few, the fight you get from hooking into a king is worth it. To catch these kings a trolling method is used with salmon roe or lures as bait. If your looking for a trip that's relaxing and suitable for all skill levels, the King Salmon river trip is the trip for you. The Kenai River is the most famous river to fish kings in the world. The Kenai River has the world record King Salmon caught by rod n reel at 97 pounds 4 ounces. When fishing the Kenai it is not uncommon to catch a 40-60 pounder. Another great river to fish Kings is about 15 miles south of the Kenai River on a smaller glacier fed river called the Kasilof River. The Kasilof gets good numbers and size of Kings that come up every. The Kasilof is a nice river to fish also because is a drift boat only river where motor use is not allowed when fishing. When fishing the Kasilof is not uncommon to only see 3-4 other boats the whole trip. I like to think of the Kasilof River as one of Alaska's hidden gems.

For sockeye salmon you use fly-fishing gear and wade shin deep off the bank. When sockeye are biting well you can catch a limit of fish in no time! The best time to go sockeye fishing would be late June through early August. If your looking for a fishing trip that allows you to walk around and always moving and casting, the Sockeye trip is the trip for you. The Kenai and Kasilof River are popular places to target this species, but another option is taking a fly-out trip. Fly-out trips are a great experience I recommend  to everyone coming to Alaska. In a fly-out trip you get to hop on a float plane fly through the mountains of Alaska to a remote body of water and then fish for Sockeye or Silver Salmon. Fly-out trips also provide a great opportunity to see bears while you fish from the boat. one of the most popular destinations for a fly-out trip is Wolverine Creek.

Silver salmon run up the rivers is August. popular destinations are flyout rivers, Kenai, and Kasiof River. Silver Salmon are a fun fish to catch as the style is some of a mix between King and Sockeye Salmon. These fish got a lot of energy and are always jumping out of the water when trying to reel in.

Halibut
If you like to eat fish, there is nothing better than fresh Alaskan halibut. Remember to ask for the cheeks when getting you fish dressed. Halibut fishing is like pulling up a barn door. When reeling in a halibut its a lot of work, and these fish can get to be 300+ pounds. I would say a good average fish on a charter would be a 40-50 pound fish. 

​Homer Alaska is the "Halibut Capital of the World" making it one of the more popular places to go out of for halibut trips. Homer is a beautiful town that has other attractions as well. Some big advantages of taking a trip out of Homer is that it is usually calmer waters and the boats will typically be larger. 
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​Seward is another great option to book your trip out of if your looking for a combo trip. Seward trips give a great opportunity to target salmon, rockfish, and halibut on the same trip. Seward also has a lot of wildlife and glaciers making it a top destination in Alaska. The only downside to taking a trip out of Seward is the fact that the waters can get a bit rough out there.

​Deep Creek in Ninilchik is a great location to book a trip if you are looking for a more personal experience. The trips out of Deep Creek are from 6-Pac boats, meaning that they only carry 5 customers. If you are booking as a family and their is a group of yall this is a great option to get a more personal experience.

Trout Fishing
Alaska offers some of the biggest Rainbow trout and Dolly Vardens in the world! With the salmon every year coming into the streams to spawn, the trout will feed on egg patterns and flesh flies. The best time to fish for trout is August and September. I would recommend fishing either the Kenai River or take a flyout trip to a stream.
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