1st Time to Alaska

[Fish Head]

My oldest son is applying for a summer job in far northern Alaska. If he gets the job, I'm going to travel up there to fish with him for several days.

Neither of us has ever been to Alaska and we don't know a lot about the fishing up there, other than it is incredible. What time of year is best? What area should we be going to? Also, we need to find a way to keep this as affordable as possible.

I'm assuming we'll want to do some salmon and halibut fishing? I'm just starting to look into this, so any help would be appreciated.

[traveler]

For starters...Alaska is HUGE! What do you mean by "far north" AK? If you're looking to fish up there, (whereever there is) it could be far different from the typical AK fishing areas.

But for the Anchorage/Kenai Peninsula, June-Aug is prime time, and southwest (inside passage) is about the same. So...?

[goblueM]

applying for one of the biological seasonal jobs up there?

i'm thinking of applying for some of those as well... be pretty awesome

[jwmiller33]

i would recommend chasing the salmon... i'd go for the king run as my main priority... second, i would go for the silvers run... then, i'd go fish for some halibut...

i went to alaska last summer for the king run and it was amazing! easily the best fishing experience of my life! can't wait to get back up there again this summer!

[Fish Head]

He will be well into the arctic circle. Probably 250 miles north of Fairbanks? Aproximately 140 miles from the Beaufort Sea on the north shore of AK.

I don't really know if we should be looking to fish in that area or head to another area. Thats part of what I'm asking. I guess I don't know enough about it to yet to ask specific questions, so recommendations are welcome.

[traveler]

OK; I don't know much about the fishing up there...all my trips have been to the Kenai Peninsula area. I've done a ton of reading on AK as well, and have read very little about the far north. So...all I can tell you about is the Anch/Kenai area. It's the most visited area of AK so don't expect solitude if you're fishing the road system. Where there are salmon, there are salmon fishermen, unless you pay to fly somewhere remote. That being said, the fishing still rocks:)

The Kings run late May-end of July...the Kenai river itself gives you the opportunity at some of the biggest kings anywhere, and there are other places in that area to chase kings during that time frame, some on the kenai peninsula and more just north of Anchorage in the Mat-Su valley area.

Reds run in mid-June in the Russian river, and mid July thru early August in the Kenai and other areas. Reds are a popular target for shore fishermen, and tons of fun to catch (and eat!)

Silvers run late July thru mid Sept. all over that area.

Halibut are available out of Whittier, Seward and Homer, May thru Sept. To get to the big fish, be prepared for a couple hour run on the open ocean...not always a fun thing, but I wouldn't go to AK without getting my Halibut!

Where you end up going depends a LOT on how much $$ you're willing to spend. There are lots of roadside fisheries for rainbows, dollies, and grayling throughout AK, remembering that the most easily accessable ones tend to be the busiest. And the further you get north, I assume the less people you'll see.

The ultimate, in my book, is to fly over to the Bristol bay area....world class fishing for everything, but $$$$! Good luck with whatever you choose...

[Ufatz]

Fish head, you really need to contact the Ak. Dept. Fish and Game first..have forgotten the number but call information in Juneau. And you have to figure out WHERE you are going in AK.If you are on the shore of the Bering sea its going to be a bit different than and interior lake south of Fairbanks.

You gotta a LOT of work to do man. Ha.

[Fish Head]

Thanks for the great advice guys. Much appreciated! I'll have to do a lot of research, but this is my first step.