Corpusfishing.com

[OsoBent]

It looks like I may get a chance to go to Alaska in the first part on September. Does anyone have any fishing experience up there?
I will be south of Anchorage.

Thanks for any info.
OsoBent

[larry meinert]

I never made up to Alaska. I did fish Puget Sound from 82-86. About the time I figured out how to limit salmon each time, I moved back to Dallas. I had a nice boat with a hard top for the rain and a heat exchanger with heater and blower and full curtains. It never got bitter cold but the water was around 50 degrees. I used a down rigger w/a 10 lb lead ball. You can see the fish on the depth finder. I used cut herring, cutting the head off at a 45 angle and making the cut at a 45 angle if that makes sense. When you idle against the tide, the herring would screw through the water appearing injured. I tied one hook 6”below the first hook, hooking one in front and one in the tail. When the fish hits the bait, it pinches the line off the downrigger. You crank up the downrigger if you don’t have an electric one, and the fight is on. Once you get your two salmon, you can bottom fish for cod or halibut, but there’s no telling what you might pull up. If a pod of Orcas show up you can bet there aren’t salmon anywhere near. I had a freezer full of halibut so when I got my salmon, I would cruse to Seattle, go through the locks, get up on Lake Washington and go bar hopping. Man, I really miss living up there. I guess that’s why I’m trying to get to Corpus all the time.

[sotx23]

I worked 1 season in Alaska at a hunting & fishing lodge in the SE Corner of the state. We had a lodge on the Tsiu River which was pretty close to the Eastern Edge of the berring glacier and just west of the Chugash(sp?) Range which borders Canada. The fishing was simply amazing! The beginning of the season was pretty fun looking for fish...Had to find drop offs, places where the current wasn't as strong, etc to locate them. I think the spoons we were using were "Silver Fox" silver spoons(Cabelas)...I dont remember the weight, but they were quite heavy compared to the gold spoons we use for Redfish down here. Fly fishing was also amazing...We would tie our own flies and they would hit just about anything....I caught a 22# silver on a fly made from moose hair from my 1st moose killed in AK...Pretty neet! Towards the end of the season it was impossible not to HAMMER the salmon....Not to mention the INCREDIBLE duck hunting. I dont have any digital pictures to post...I will try and scan a few of the ducks, moose, bear, and incredible amounts of salmon we caught! Good Luck Man!

[rabbit]

Get ahold of TKFSTUBBS and ask him about fishing in alaska.

http://www.texaskayakfisherman.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=65126
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[ironmanstan]

going there as soon as i retire.
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I LIKE MINE FRIED.

[The Trash Heap]

"South of Anchorage" is a broad area. Perhaps you'd fish for silver salmon on the Kenai River. There's also a salmon derby at Seward on the south side of the Kenai Peninsula. It's a bit late, but you can still go for halibut on either the Cook Inlet or Prince William Sound areas. There are huge rainbows to be caught near the Kenai-Russian River confluence.

Friends have a B&B near the latter: http://www.upperkenairiverinn.com/

Other friends have a B&B on the Kenai River's edge downstream at Soldotna: http://www.alaskahollyhouse.com/

Best packaged fishing trips - halibut in Cook Inlet & salmon in peninsula streams: http://www.aosalaska.com/

In the last case, I've booked with Chick Kishbaugh about 8 times over a better than 20-year period. He'll set you up with everything you'll need. Contact him and he'll probably give you my phone # for a ringing endorsement. The Upper Kenai River Inn folks are C.H. Givens' cousins. Best home-cooked meals you can imagine. Try to get Peggy to take you berry picking if you want really fresh fruit pancakes, while James will grill your salmon on a gravel bar or the patio above your room. The Hollys have great lodging right in town and you can fish right down the bank below the back door.

It may already be too late to book a flight to Anchorage, though. If you're going to the Kenai-Soldotna vicinity, you can fly right into a local airport. But, since it's your first trip, you may want to rent a car in Anchorage and drive down to any destination on the peninsula. If you stay at James & Peggy's at Cooper Landing, you're about equidistant to Soldotna and Seward. Besides the charter (head) boat fishing at Seward, check out one of the tours to the Kenai Fjords NP to watch whales and glaciers. Take the wife & kids fishing first, and if they don't like it, give them the car keys for the drive down to Homer, where there be candy, cloths, knicknacks and more at the Alaska Berry Products store.
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[marcus1977]

never went to AK but spent 6 years of my naval career in Oak Harbor, WA which is in the Puget Sound. I love that place. The salmon aren't as big as AK salmon but still alot of fun. I have used different baits for different stages of the run. In the saltwater I used to throw buzz bombs (lead, blade like bait that flutters when jigged), had to fish from the shore though as my boat was still here. Once the salmon started heading up the rivers I would use orange-red yarn with either a small split shot or a small corkie depending on current. I will say that salmon fishing is a blast, sometimes you put in some time before you find them but when you do it is well worth the time.
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still chasing my 30" trout

[fishmicki]

I lived in Anchorage in 1970-72...was 10-12 years old, living on Elmendorf AFB and we'd watch people fish Ship Creek on the base and catch HUGE King Salmon! It was awesome! I never caught one myself as there were many that were about as big as me at 10...we also wade fished the Russian River somewhere around Kenai...Again, I don't remember catching anything, but do remember being in a strong current in waders with my dad and taking the car across the river on a hand pulled ferry.....thanks for reminding me about that...I also got to see Nixon in his motocade when he met Emperor Hirohito from Japan up there and the Northern Lights appeared that night too.

now at 47, I love fishing and would enjoy a trip back up there to try for one of those king salmon!
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No matter where you go, there you are....

[tunakilla]

My girlfriend helped build these cabins during her 16 year stay in AK: http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.rodnreal.com/&sa=X&oi=local&ct=authority&usg=__G1emA1J7ltSssvrOCqJZu2I5Ue4=
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Sam

Third Coast Holds the Most

[ironmanstan]

come on retirement,come on retirement, win lotto early retirement.
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[The Trash Heap]

fishmicki, the season for kings will be over by September, as it will be for most of the sockeyes. September is the month for silvers and, depending on whether it's an odd- or even-numbered year (can never remember which, but I think it's even) more pinks than you can shake a stick at. I prefer the non-humpy years myself.

The shallow-draft ferry on the Kenai River at the Russian River confluence about 1 1/2 hour's drive from the city of Kenai is a little more sophisticated these days, but still runs along cables. The place still draws so many wade and bank fishers elbow-to-elbow during the sockeye run they call it Combat Fishing. In September you'll still catch silvers there in the Kenai, while the Russian River itself will still have those famous double-digit rainbows.

On the Peninsula, kings run about May through the end of July. The Kenai River run has two peaks, the pre-July run being on average of smaller fish, while the record fish tend to start arriving around the 4th of July. Seasons vary a lot, and are micro-managed, so how you catch them (bait/no bait), where you catch them, and even if you catch them late in July can be changed from day-to-day by the AF&G. You'll need a special king tag in addition to your regular fishing license if you fish for them. To catch a king on the Kenai or the Kasilov Rivers, I definitely recommend you get a guide, because there are a ton of rules of law and of fishing etiquette, as well as in-depth knowedge of the holes, snags and hazards, that only an experienced guide can provide. Your chances increase at least five-fold with a guide. If you can, fish the Kenai from a power boat, and the Kasilov with a drift boat.

Sockeyes are best in July. Pinks and silvers come later, the latter peaking at the end of August and into September.

Halibut fishing in the Cook Inlet varies a bit seasonally, but the real key is catching the weather and tides in sync. I like it best in June or July when there are more calm days, and always try to go when the smallest tidal changes occur. One major headboat fishery runs out of Homer, while another from near Deep Creek, about half way between Soldotna and Homer. If you make the run to Homer, try to get lunch on the way at the Anchor Lodge; get the clam chowder in a sour dough loaf bowl. My favorite way is the Deep Creek fishery, where your launch is from the surf, not a dock, an experience not to be forgotten.

As posted earlier, my preferrence is to call Chick Kishbaugh at Alaska Outdoor Services, if he hasn't called me earlier (repeat bookings are a mainstay), and have him arrange a week of fishing. Of the 7 days, I want 2, separated by a couple, halibut fishing with Captain Robbie Carroll out of Deep Creek, and the rest spread over the Kenai and Kasilov Rivers if it's king season, or just over the Kenai River if it's silver season. Chick will include your fishing gear, lodging and subcharters like for halibut in the package. You need to bring plenty of clothing (temps can run from 30's to 80's in town, colder on the water), including good rain gear (dizzle and 40's being common in king season), rent a car, take care of your own meals (unless Chick sets you up at a B&B), and have your fish processed. We used to filet and Ziploc our own before having them frozen and boxed for the flight home, but found it cost very little more to have them processed from whole fish, which in the case of halibut are picked up by the packing company at Robbie's parking lot after the weighing and photo op.

One warning about fishing Alaska: get your reservations early, especially your travel reservations. Try to book the flight and the car by December of the previous year.

Why do I take the time to write all this? First, Robbie put me on a 180-lb halibut, while Chick put me on a 51-lb king (while the three others in our party that day were catching two 49s and another 51). Second, all my brothers and sister, to say nothing of my father, had the times of their lives doing this. Third, I watched Chick's kids grow up to become guides and a bride, so now think of them as family.
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[Tyler]

[OsoBent]

Thanks for all the info. I have a lot of homework to do on it.

Thanks again.
OsoBent

[Gib]

I just saw part of a show today on fishng Alaska. The guide asked which fish they wanted to limit out on first.

Those halibut look like flounder on some serious steroids. I assume theya re just as good as flounder. Looks like fun!!

Which is the best fish over all for catching, fighting, and eating in Alaska?

[The Trash Heap]

Haven't eaten any Alaskan bottom fish from salt water except halibut, but can't imagine anything tasting better. Looks like flounder, but our southern flounder are no way in the same league with halibut for flavor, especially when beer-battered, and of course they are heavyweight fighters. The fishing gear used for them, as well as the depths they're caught in, diminish the sportiness of halibut fishing.

The much lighter gear used for fishing silver salmon, plus their aerobatics, make them extremely sporty compared to halibut. It's a tough call whether I prefer fishing for sockeyes or silvers, but again there's a big difference in how much line you have out when you hook them. As far as flavor, though, give me halibut over any species of salmon.
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