Any suggestions

[g man46]

I was thinking about taking the wife to Alaska next summer and was looking for help on who to go to for trip booking/advice. We were looking for 2-3 days of fishing halibut and all the other saltwater fish, as well as some time for salmon. Plus would like to spend the rest of the time sight seeing. Also, when would be the optimal time to come up?

[fishermann222]

Internet!!!

Gman you have the internet, that is "what" you go to to book your trip etc... Where do you all want to go up here? What kind of salmon? Salmon in the salt or in the rivers? lots of people, few people? How much are you willing to spend on fishing?

So many variables, you really need to let us know more about what you want to do.

[traveler]

gman; My wife and I have made 4 trips to the Kenai peninsula over the last 10 years...fished for everything, from shore, boat, saltwater. June and July. Slept in tents, vans, cabins...So, like 222 says, details...

[g man46]

Unfortunately, I don't really have specifics, I was looking for suggestions. It would probably be four of us. I would think the salmon would be easier for some of the group if we did it in saltwater, but I am up for suggestions. I was thinking other than the three days of fishing, I would love to see the wildlife and am up for suggestions on this as well. I have been looking on the internet for packages, but am a little worried as to who I should use...again any suggestions would be great! Thanks again for all the help.

[traveler]

Gman; OK...Heres what we've done; fly into Anchorage (charters are usually cheapest). Rent a vehicle; look for the best deal you can find and don't shy away from the smaller local Anchorage outfits. Camper/van/car?? Depends whether you're hauling fishing/camping gear. You don't need 4 wheel drive, strange as that may sound. From Anchorage, you can drive the whole Kenai peninsula; Seward, Homer, the Kenai river. If you're only looking at fishing 3 days, you can find plenty to do there. I like Seward; very good silver (coho) salmon fishing in the salt, good halibut fishing, very scenic. Toward Soldotna/Kenai river is Cooper landing, beautiful area; Russian river, although often crowded, is too cool to miss. Further down, Soldotna is ground zero fror Kenai King salmon fishing. It's a crazy busy fishery during prime time, some avoid it, but a shot at a true 50+ pound king. Down toward Homer theres more rivers, and great Halibut fishing, also very scenic. June is a great time to go; less rainy, less crowded, but some of the salmon fisheries aren't in full swing yet. July is the busiest month, rightly so; rivers are full of salmon (and fishermen). August is best for silvers and trout, september too, but getting pretty cool. Some deals to be had late season. Now, decide when you want to go, and where, and how you want to travel. Then ask for specifics on who to use. It's just too vast a subject to cover in less than a book, btw, there are several good books available:) Myself, I don't care much for package deals, but if you can find one thats just right for you...

[g man46]

Well again thanks for all the help guys. I was looking and started talking to a place called explore tours (ever heard of them?), and they sound like they are willing to set up whatever we want to do. She is putting together a quote for us, so we'll see what a customized package will cost. Most of the fishing packages were around $250 per person per day. Would you suggest setting up the halibut and salmon charters ourselves, and if so who do you use? I would go in late June or July.

[traveler]

What is the tour company setting up for you if not the fishing? Lodgeing? Vehicle rental? With the internet, and the advice you can get on various forums, it's pretty easy to set everything up yourself.One thing to keep in mind; most tour companies usually work with a select group of guides, and try to get them filled for the season. If thier Kenai guides are filled for the 3rd week of July, they might well suggest they have availability earlier in the month. It's still king season (on all the timing charts) but I'll take an average guide during prime time over the best guy on the river at the wrong time. Can't catch fish that aren't there yet. Setting at least the charters up yourself is smart; but you need to decide what/when you want to fish. Whats your preference? Kenai kings, reds? Boat or shore? Saltwater Silvers/halibut? Flyouts? It makes a huge difference timing your trip, and 2 weeks makes all the difference, especially for river fishing. I'd try to figure out exactly which species are most important to your group, and what you want to spend. A flyout to the nushagak is running about 650/per person now, but it's an awesome day. Tough to go to AK and not get up in a floatplane:)

[g man46]

Took me awhile to get back, but thanks again for the help. We definitely want to do some boat fishing for halibut and cod. We would also like to fish salmon, which I admit I have little knolwedge of, but I think the boat thing would suit our group better for those as well. I have also seen a few shows on the large northern pike that are in Alaska, but failed to catch where both times...Any thoughts as to where to catch them. I believe that I am slowly talking the group into more fishing so the trip is getting better and better. Would you reccomend no travel service at all? How do you get your fish back to the lower 48?

[traveler]

If useing a travel service makes you more comfortable, by all means do it. But with some planning, I think you can do a more customized trip. As far as i know most of the really good pike fishing (meaning better than you can do around here) is more remote and further north. The Kenai peninsula has some pike (that are invasive and they want OUT) but I don't think I'd spend time on them. Try to work in some shore fishing if you can, there are plenty of opportunities, and boats get pretty spendy in AK. As for bringing fish home, you can bring coolers filled with clothes/gear, use them for fish on the return and bring a couple duffles for the clothes; or (like I do) just buy the readily available "fish boxes" made from heavy cardboard and bring them back with you as excess baggage. Not cheap, but not much about a trip to AK is...