Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Abundant opportunities in Alaska make it difficult to pick the best fishing spots. From salmon swimming upstream near Juneau, Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula to offshore halibut and interior lakes with char and trout, it is hard to imagine any limits besides those imposed by getting there and having the right permits, licenses and equipment.
Anchorage is a starting point for some of the best salmon and halibut fishing in Alaska. Fly to Dillingham and fish the Nushagak River, where more than 100,000 Chinook salmon will swim upstream in 2009. Drive 127 miles from Anchorage to Seward, to the saltwater Resurrection Bay near the Kenai Fjords national park and see tidewater glaciers, puffins and whales or fish from a kayak.
Head to the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, established to protect the Alaska Yukon moose. On the Northern Kenai Peninsula, take the spur highway from Seward and Soldotna to fish on the Kenai and Kasilof rivers for Chinook (king) salmon. Les Anderson caught the largest Alaskan salmon on record, a 97-pound king salmon, on the Kenai River. The junction of the Russian and Kenai rivers is a popular spot for "combat fishing," with rows of anglers lined up to catch red sockeye salmon.
Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge has 117 salmon streams, the highest density of species in Alaska, more than 2,000 brown bears and the highest density of bald eagles in the world. The Ayakulik and Karluk rivers are great spots to find Chinook, pink salmon, sockeye, and steelhead. Kodiak Island is accessible via plane or boat only.
Halibut is a large saltwater flat fish that lives offshore. Charter operations in coastal areas near Homer, Valdez, Seward, Kenai and Juneau can assist in landing halibut, which may require specialized equipment because they can grow to over 400 pounds. The Alaska state record for halibut is a 459-pound halibut caught by Jack Tragis in Unalaska Bay. Homer, known as the "Home of halibut," is a good starting point for those interested in catching a big one.
You are only limited by your spirit of adventure when you venture out from Juneau. Excellent fishing can be found in Juneau itself, or in the more remote smaller islands. Fishing in these areas is most likely to involve a boat or plane trip. Fly or take a ferry to the islands around Sitka, Ketchikan, St. Petersburg and Prince of Wales and fish for all types of salmon, Dolly Varden, halibut and trout.
Venturing into the Alaskan interior allows you to experience breathtaking scenery and wildlife. Fewer fish are available farther from coastal areas and as latitudes become more northern. Silt near glacial areas such as Denali National Park and Mount McKinley make fish less plentiful there. To see caribou or polar bears while fishing, go north of the Arctic Circle to the Arctic National Refuge. By road, you may fish along the Dalton Highway, an industrial route along the Alaskan Pipeline, to Prudhoe Bay or fly to the Inupiat Eskimo village of Kaktovik.
From Fairbanks, try the Coalmine Road lakes, the Tanana lake system for winter ice fishing to catch burbot, northern pike and Arctic char, or the Chena and Salcha rivers, with plentiful king and chum salmon.