Fishing in Alaska
A Vacation Extra!

Fishing in Alaska is a subject of major interest to many who visit here.



I don't pretend to know a lot about fish. So I'll just give you some general information on the most popular types for Alaskan sport fishing. If you like the idea of a fishing vacation, you can pick up a fishing license before you ever arrive. Then plan the rest of your vacation to include some great fishing spots!

Alaska has a great variety of fish. I've only listed the fish caught for sport, and are great for eating.

Summer Sport Fishing in Alaska:

Alaska is well-known for it's great salmon fishing. They seem to grow quite large in Alaska. Salmon have metallic dark blues to greens on their backs, dark speckles and silvery sides with white bellies in the ocean.

As they start their upstream migrations Salmon gradually turn darker blues, greens, purples or even black accented by deep pinks or reds. They stop eating when they start their spawning run, and die shortly after spawning. When you're salmon fishing in Alaska, remember that any variety of salmon can be all different sizes. This is because their spawning age can vary greatly.

• King (Chinook) Salmon - The largest of salmon, many growing well over 30 pounds. Has a single spawning run with peak times from May through July. It occurs in all of Alaska's major coastal rivers, as well as some of the smaller ones. Kings are also called blackmouth, which is a distinguishing feature.
• Chum (Dog) Salmon - This one is next largest, and can grow up to 30 pounds. The most widely distributed and used salmon. It is oily and good for smoking. They develop vertical purple or green stripes on their sides when they start their spawning run. You'll find them in most rivers anytime from June to October.
• Silver (Coho) Salmon - A smaller salmon, growing up to 20 pounds. Has a bright silver color initially and gray-white gums for distinguishing features. Their spawning runs occur anytime from July to November, depending on the area. They go into smaller streams than other salmon and also live in lakes and other small inland bodies of water.
• Red (Sockeye) Salmon - A small salmon, growing up to 15 pounds. Is darker on top and turns brighter red, with a green head during spawning. You'll find them in most rivers and streams from June to September. Some are also found in lakes. Has a very orange-red flesh and are most often smoked, frozen or canned.
• Pink (Humpy) Salmon - Smallest of the salmon, growing up to 12 pounds. The male develops a large hump on its back during spawning. In most streams with other salmon runs. Sport fishermen usually catch these while fishing for other salmon.

Though Salmon fishing in Alaska is probably the most popular, here are a number of other varieties that are well-liked for sport fishing in Alaska.

The Rainbow and Steelhead Trout family are part of the Salmon family but they don't die after spawning. They do have the pinkish colored flesh similar to a salmon.

• Rainbow Trout - A small, streamlined, freshwater fish that can grow up to 30 pounds. Is a spotted, bright silver trout with pinkish side stripe.
  Photo Courtesy of
  Andrea Pokrzywinski
  Found in rivers and streams and the larger ones in lakes throughout Central, Southcentral and Souteastern Alaska. Some lakes are also kept stocked. Fishing for Rainbows is best in Spring and Fall.
• Steelhead Trout - Are actually sea-going Rainbow Trout and can get quite large. Found in rivers in Southcentral coastal areas, as far north as the Susitna River in Cook Inlet. Southeastern Alaska has spawning runs in the Spring. The northern coastal areas have Fall runs, from August into winter. You'll find them in fast-moving water and deep water areas.

The following fish are all considered to be part of the same fish family. Generally has light pink to white flesh. Great for sport fishing in Alaska and good eating!

• Lake Trout - Darker coloration than the Rainbow/Steelhead group. They have long lifespans and are the largest growing freshwater fish in Alaska. Found in most lakes in central and Southcentral areas. They prefer deep cold lake water, but in Spring you'll find them nearer the surface and shorelines. Best fishing in Spring and Fall.
• Dolly Varden - A small, slender fish, but can grow up to 12 pounds. An olive-green top with red, orange or yellow side spots. Freshwater Dollies are found from far northern areas to Southcentral interior rivers, streams and lakes. Ocean-going Dollies are in most all southern coastal rivers and streams. They migrate to the ocean in Spring and return to streams and lakes in the Fall for spawning. They generally do not survive after spawning. Ocean fishing is good May to July.
• Arctic Char - Freshwater fish found abundantly in the far northern lakes. Similar in size, shape and coloring to Dolly Varden but has a deeper 'V' in it's tail fin. Both get deeper coloration during spawning. Small populations are found in lakes near Denali Park, on the Kenai Peninsula and Kodiak Island. The sea-going Char are found in all southern coastal areas. Find them in lakes, connecting streams and coastal rivers, from May to October. Also good for ice fishing

Here's a few more types for great eating and good sport fishing in Alaska.

Arctic Grayling - A beautiful, small freshwater fish. Named for it's shiny gray color, it has a large, sail-like top fin with red to purple spots. Found in almost all of Alaska's lakes, rivers and streams, except the Aleutian Islands. They migrate upstream in Spring. Best fishing is in clear water streams from June to October. In winter, find them in deep lakes and deep pools of large and medium size rivers.

Northern Pike - A medium size fish with a long head and body that can grow quite large. It has a wide, flat mouth like a duck-bill, with lots of sharp teeth. Found naturally in northern and western Alaska, but introduced into Southcentral areas..

They breed and hang around weedy areas of slow-moving streams, ponds and lakes. In winter, they like the slower water pools of deep rivers and deep lakes. See special NOTES on Northern Pike below.

Burbot - A medium size fish with a long body, pointed at the tail and has some resemblance to a catfish. It has a green or brownish coloration with yellow mottling and extremely small scales. Some people think they're ugly, but they're a great eating fish. Found near the bottom in deep, cold, freshwater lakes and rivers in most of Alaska. They move to shallower water in winter, so are good for ice fishing.

Hooligan (Eulachon or Candlefish) - A small, long, slender fish of the Smelt family which is rather oily. It's a good fish to feed sled dogs. I haven't heard this one mentioned much. But people dipnet them out of rivers during their spawning run, which is April or May, depending on area. They form schools and migrate upstream together, so It's not unusual to get 5 or more fish from one dip. The Copper River Delta area near Cordova and the Kenai, Susitna, and 20-Mile rivers in Cook Inlet have Hooligan runs. They also migrate up some of the smaller streams and all die after spawning.

Fishing in Alaska for Shellfish:

With this great variety of fish, we haven't even mentioned Alaska shellfish yet! There are Crabs, Shrimp and Clams, just to name a few. So the type of fishing you can do is almost unlimited!

Clam digging is a very popular sport which is fun for the whole family. Clams can also make some great meals!

Winter or Ice Fishing in Alaska:

Of those mentioned above, Dolly Varden, Arctic Char, Lake Trout, Burbot, Grayling and Northern Pike are all great for ice fishing. In some lakes you'll even find salmon in the winter.

Ocean Sport Fishing in Alaska: - Many people like to take part in the fishing derbies that are held for these fish, in various Alaska cities. You'll find information on these derbies on my Alaska Attractions page.

• Salmon - All 5 types of salmon are ocean-going and can be fished year around, but the small pink and sockeye used to be only fished commercially. HOWEVER, since so many more people are fishing in Alaska, these have become popular too! Many of the largest are caught during the derbies.
• Halibut - A huge flat fish that can grow up to 500 pounds or more. It has a wide center section and both eyes on one side of its body. Though it's ugly looking, it is one of the best eating fish, along with Salmon. They are so large, about the only thing that preys on them besides humans, are sea lions, Orca whales and salmon sharks.

Catch and Release Sport Fishing in Alaska:

Sport fishing can be fun, but limit the number you take to what you can eat while you're here.

If you want to keep fishing after you've caught all you can eat, then follow the 'catch and release' rules. In some areas, you're only allowed to use this method anyway.

It's best to pinch the barbs closed on your hooks, which is easily done with a small needle-nose pliers. Without barbs, the hook won't really harm the fish. After all, there's not much point in releasing a fish that is so damaged it won't survive anyway.

So enjoy fishing on your vacation, and sometimes let the fish go, to be caught another day!

Special notes on Northern Pike in Alaska:

Here's some great news for fish lovers and sport fishing enthusiasts!

In Southcentral and Southeastern Alaska, Northern Pike were transferred illegally from the northern areas (where they occur naturally) many years ago. Since then, they have taken over a lot of salmon and trout fishing areas, almost destroying other fish populations.

SO, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has very LOOSE regulations regarding Northern Pike in THESE AREAS specifically. Fishing for mature OR young Northern Pike is encouraged in: the lakes and rivers of the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, Anchorage area waterways along both arms of Cook Inlet and the Kenai Peninsula.

Pike devour a lot of young salmon and trout. If you catch and eat lots of them, you'll save some of the precious salmon and trout populations. Everybody will be happy about that!

For those who love fresh fish dinners, try them. They have firm white meat that is great for campfire cooking. Even if you can't eat them all yourself, you are encouraged to fish for them anyway and donate to charities. You're not allowed to waste caught fish, even Pikes.

Here's a Brochure on Northern Pike, provided by the ADF&G to help you find, catch, clean and eat them! So you can see that they are SERIOUS about this!

For additional Sport Fishing questions, call the region where you plan on fishing: Juneau: 907-465-4270, Anchorage: 907-267-2218 or Fairbanks: 907-459-7207

Because fishing in Alaska is regulated and there are still lots of unspoiled wild lands, it is still a great place to go fishing. Help us keep the same opportunities for future visitors. Find out all the rules for the area, lakes and streams where you'll be fishing. Only take what you can eat right away. And practice 'catch and release' fishing if you just want to fish for the challenge.

SAFETY NOTE:

Because bears love fish as much as we do, it's also a good idea to find out more about Alaska's bears while you're fishing in Alaska. If they smell fish, they might come around to steal your catch! So get the Alaska Fish and Game Guidelines about how to handle the fish you've caught.

Fishing in Alaska can be very rewarding. Try some of these fishing opportunities:

And for special information relating to the above pages:

Those pages will give you more details for sport fishing in Alaska by region. Have a great fishing vacation! And when you've had your fill of fish, look at a few of our more cultured Alaska attractions...

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