Question about alaska

[gator13]

:whazzup: :whazzup: :whazzup:
I know it's still a little early to plan for next year, but I want to get an early start. I plan on taking my father fishing in Alaska when I get back from Iraq, but I have never been before. I was just wondering if anyone out there could give me a few ideas on which guide service to use and more important, what area will potentially produce the trip of a life time. I'm not asking for secret spots or anything just a little help. Thank you.

[slinkey]

It all depends on what you want. Salmon from the Ocean, or River? Are you looking for trout from a stream or remote lakes? Do you want to go to a lodge, or rough it? There are endless possibilities. Everything from a high end lodge to reserving one of the forest service cabins on a lake in the Tongess National Forest, and hiring a float plane to drop you off for a week. One thing for sure is that it's not too early for you to begin planning at all.

[Bendman]

Ya a little more info would be good. What fish are you after? What’s your budget? Do you have a specific time that you have to go. June, July, August?? More info please

[Silver Hilton]

1) what do you want to fish for?
2) how do you want to do it (fly/gear)
3) what kind of accomodations do you want?
4) what can you afford?

The web site of the Alaska fish and game department has a lot of great info to help you figure this out. Figure out the run timing for a fish that you want to catch a lot of, and above all else, get the timing right. Most lodges are already booked for the peak weeks this year, be cautious about taking weeks before or after the times that are interesting to you.

[BEARinWaders]

If you are looking to chase some big kings and sockeye the Kenai River is a great bet. There are plenty of guide services that can help you make customize your own trip. I work for Big Sky, www.kenaiguide.com that can offer you the services you are looking for. The kenai penninsula chamber of commerce is an excellent source for getting in contact with a lot of different lodges/guides on the river. I hope you have a great trip this summer. Stay safe while in Iraq and thanks for fighting so all of us can be free.

[Dan in Alaska]

Since you have LOTS of time to plan, I will give you a rundown of some of the fishing available in Southcentral Alaska.

April - Weather is often spotty, and can be cold. Strong steelhead runs on the Kenai Peninsula.

May - The weather is usaully warm, but it can be very windy. Halibut fishing starts to get good in May, as the fish move into shallower water. The early-run king salmon can be found in saltwater, and the fishing is usually pretty good.

June - The weather is usually warm and clear. Halibut fishing is excellent, and larger fish are caught. Freshwater king salmon fishing heats up, and the first run of sockeyes arrives in the rivers toward the middle of June.

July - The weather is similar to June, but can get spotty at the end of the month. Ling cod season opens the 1st of July. Catching ling cod over 50 pounds is common. Halibut fishing is at its peak, and large fish are common. The second run of sockeyes shows up near the end of July. Second run reds are usually bigger and more plentiful than the June run. Silver salmon start coming into saltwater bays and can be caught trolling.

August - The weather can be rainy. Halibut fishing tapers off, but lots of fish are still caught at deeper depths. Silver salmon fishing heats up; catching full limits in fresh or salt water is the norm. Ling cod fishing is still fast and furious.

September - Weather is usually rainy and cold. Silvers are still plentiful, but start to darken in color. Rainbow trout are plentiful in the freshwater rivers on the Kenai Peninsula. The Kodiak silver salmon season heats up to its peak. Halibut fishing slows down considerably.

October - Weather is cold, and there's usually snow. Rainbow trout fishing is still excellent.

Once you decide what you want to catch, here are a couple of websites to help you gather trip planning, fishing guide, and lodging information:
www.fishalaskamagazine.com
www.alaskaoutdoorjournal.com

[yukon]

Hey BearinWaders - Get back to work and hit the books, see you in a few months!!

[blacktail519]

Good Info passed on Dan... Thanks I am going to get up that way this summer.. It's been a few years, and i am over due

[gator13]

OH yeah... Details. Forgive me, lots on my mind.

I will be trying to get salmon, and halibut. Most likely May, June, or July. I plan on making it a week and have around 6k to spend. I would love to get into the big kings and the huge halibut. thanks again.

[blackdog]

One possible trip is combining a couple of ifish sponsors and getting some awesome halibut and king fishing in.

First travel to Anchorage and visit clam gulch . Here Kim Kattison and crew will take care of your halibut fishing desires, and even get you into a sweet razor clam dig if that interests you.

From there, fly out to Dillingham and from there up the Nushagak river and spend 6 days with Fins, Feathers, and Furs . Here you won't have the chance to catch the 60+ pound giants that lurk in the Kenai, but you will have the chance (and a very good one at that) to land 20+ kings a day, eat incredible meals, stay in wonderful accomodations, and fish with some awesome guides.

You'll have lots of options to choose from, but I really don't think you can go wrong with this plan. Good luck and have fun. And if you think the decision is tough, just wait until you actually book something then have to go through the waiting to actually leave - that'll be worse!! :grin:

[Angus]

I would recommend S.E. Ak. and specifically either Sitka or Craig in late June through late July. I've guided out of a resort near Craig for 10 years and the fishing there is second only to Sitka (very close second) alot of days you catch and release numerous kings before finding the 1 you want to keep, along with kings you'll get silvers ( the later the better for silvers) and limits (6 per person) are usually the rule in July and August, halibut fishing is generally good all season.
If your interested in this area I can give you some info on guides/lodges to check out (place I work is pretty spendy)
Keep in mind this is all ocean fishing so if your a sea-sicker this may not be for you on the other hand we catch kings every year in the 60 pound range (79lbs. last summer) and these are truelly chrome fish that pound for pound out fight most river fish.
Good luck, just about anywhere you go will be a trip of a lifetime.

[duckboy]

I was lucky enought to go on a trip of a lifetime with my father back in 1983. I was 14 years old.

We went with a guide named Dave Duncan and floated down the Kanektok river from the lakes down to Quinaghuak? on the Bristol Bay shore.

We went in August and only fished with flies. Caught 5 species of Pacific Salmon, and Rainbow trout, Arctic Char, Grayling, . Was pretty awesome. If I were to do it again I would also bring spoon fishing gear, as it got really windy at times and it was hard to cast.

Hope you have as good a time as I did.