I am a rookie - help please.....

[turk802]

I am looking on coming up this year with my son (19 years old) and we are looking at the middle to late May time of the year - is there any good fishing at that time or are we too early - we will be flying stand-by so we are being very flexible on trying to lock in on anything - we were hoping to bring up our tents and sleeping bags and rough it as much as possible - please give me some guidance - are we crazy??

[traveler]

Why so early? You can certainly rough it and camp, easily. Might still be a little cold. I know the Kenai kings are entering the river in May, as are Kasilof kings, but I've really never read much about fishing that early. I'd really try to push it back to June 1st at least; even thats early by most standards though. Maybe someone else has some thoughts...

[fishermann222]

Roughing it is NO problem. I camp out of a tent all summer up here. Being that you are most likely an airline employee, correct?, I can see why you want to come up early, better chance at not getting bumped. However fishing in late may is fair at best if you are looking for salmon. If you have the flexibility, and it sounds like you do, I would try for the beginning of june. Heck who cares if you get stuck here for 5 extra days waiting for a plane, camping is cheap:):)

If you are looking for Halibut, the end of May is no problem at all, and some will actually give you a better deal in May since it is before the peak season.

[Ufatz]

Please re-think your plan. Too early. Now, focus on what species you want to fish. You can't have them all. Call the ADF&G for advice. Be careful where you camp. I don't like to rain on anybody's parade but carefully consider your plan in more detail If you go I'd like to see you have fun.

[fivebucks]

I would agree with the others here also on being early. You will start getting some early kings at the Kasilof in late May but early June would be better. They had a campground at the Kasilof last time I lived up there and it had reasonable rates. I would do a bunch of google searches including alaska outdoor journal. They have some salmon run charts that will help you see what the runs historically are. Good luck.

[setterguy]

My wife and I went to Alaska 7 years ago and were there the last week in May. One reason to go then would be the price. From what I've heard the price of just about everything doubles on June 1st as that is the start of the tourist season. We got into some great halibut fishing, but even our guide told us that it was a little early to go after the Kings. We flew into Anchorage and then drove to Seward. It was cool, but not cold when we were there...hope that helps.

[fishermann222]

the other thing you could look at doing is getting ahold of one of the RV companies that lets you drive up their RV's to alaska in May for little to no cost except your fuel (which would be really spendy I guess). That way you could start in May, get here and be here for a week or so in early June and then fly home. Just another thought.

what are your fishing goals while you are here? Or are your goals more sightseeing?

[turk802]

Thanks for all the replies guys - I am basically open to all fishing. Basically, we just want to take it all in and if we fish 3 or 4 days, great. Yes, being an airline employee, we have a better chance in May rather than the busy time in June. Any recommendations on a halibut guide?? What will I expect to pay - I think when I looked, the limit is really only 2 fish per person - am I right??

[fishermann222]

Yeah it is 2 fish per day per person. They were trying to get it reduced to one per person but it did not go through. If its just the two of you do a trip where you maybe fish halibut twice. You can get into some early kings up on the Susitna and Little Susitna rivers as well. They start coming in there around the 20th of May so it is possible to connect late in may with some fish. I know a guy who guides on the Susitna and little Susitna river. I have personally never fished butts out of homer or seward, so I can not recommend anyone. I get my fill out on the Bering Sea instead.

[turk802]

When you talk about spending your time on the Behring Sea - do you wait until later in the year or do you actually start going for fish in May?? I really do appreciate all the info you are giving me.

[fishermann222]

Out here on the Bering Sea the halibut fishing really picks up in the middle of June through the middle of August. We don't get the barn doors though. I spent last summer commercial fishing out here for halibut and only saw 4 fish over 100lbs.

Let me know if I can be of any more help.

[uffdapete]

A few years ago we took a family vacation from May 29-June 15 spending the first 10 days around Fairbanks and Denali and the rest of the time from Anchorage, Nininilchik and Seward. We chose this time because of money saved on flights, motels, etc. knowing that the best fishing was in July and August. Early in our trip I asked my friend stationed at Ft. Wainwright, "Are there any salmon around yet?" He kind of chuckled at this tourist and said, "Well they might be entering the Yukon any day now but they won't be around here until July. It's a long swim."

We did have a lot of fun fishing for grayling around Fairbanks and northern pike in the lakes and river near Minto. While it just wasn't a good idea with the family along, my friend and I could've gone on a charter for halibut in the Valdez area through his military connections.

Another highlight was getting to drive our vehicle (long story!) all the way to the other end of Denali and beyond. We saw several grizzlies and lots of moose and dall sheep up close (25 yds!) as well as newborn lambs way up on the ledges.

The weather was perfect around Fairbanks - sunny every day and 70-75, light wind. 5 of 7 days in the south it rained, and the other 2 were sunny and cloudy with temps in the 50's. So in answer to your question are we crazy - if you're camping be prepared for rain. Most of the locals who tented use plastic tarps that extend well beyond their the perimeter of the tent, ie the rainfly on the tent did not do the job.

That's not an exhaustive answer to your questions but it's a start. To sum it up, my wife and I absolutely loved Alaska - the scenery, vastness, variety, the 24 hour daylight, as well as the people.