Where is everyone? The Alaska section is dormant.

[TGF]

Why is that the Hank Pennington that shaves his testicles with a weed-eater??? Just kidding ya. Looks like you get some nice bows Kodiak. I've only been to Alaska once but that was only to Hyder and I'm sure that is no comparision to the rest of your state.

[fish_slayer]

Wow, its good to see all the people from Wisconsin that live in Alaska now, I am from Chippewa, and plan to move to Alaska, I was up there this summer, when the salmon where running, I drove up, went to fairbanks, then to anchorage, then to kenai, then down the coast, almost to hyder, and I loved every minute of the trip.  the only thing is I don't know which area to go to, it was mentioned that the interior had more variety to fish, can someone fill me in a little bit, and maybe some opinions of where the best fishing is. I liked the area near hyder, but I don't know what is there for fishing, because I was just traveling through there, but if there is great fishing near fairbanks i could go there, or anchorage, or whatever.  Marshmiller lake is still a hotspot for panfish just like the old days in wisconsin, just to let you know, and all the other lakes you mentioned as well.  actually i just forgot who mentioned it, but anyway.  Thanks for the info                           
fish slayer

[Kodiak Commando]

This is a tuff question since i don't know what you do for a living but i will fill you in on fishing since i have been all over the state. The mainland definitely has the advantage for variety but remember alaska is twice the size of texas so some parts of the mainland may have better fishing or a certain fish another part does not have. The the mainland has more spots to fish over a huge area but many places are hard to access. The mainland has things kodiak, the chain and southeast does not have like pike and sheefish. The mainland without question has the best ice fishing in terms of water, size of fish and variety of fish. Open water fishing is totally a matter of opinion everywhere in the state excluding the very far north and the chain has all 5 species of salmon. Some areas like Kenai have the largest kings but don't have the numbers of the nushagak but the nush has less accessibility as the kenai. In my opinion for freshwater salmon fishing i would choose anywhere in bristol bay, The large are around anchorage or Kodiak. For saltwater salmon fishing Kodiak,Southeast or seward. I'd like to add that it's hard to go wrong with salmon i alaska cuz there are so many places with quality fishing. The only thing you really need to consider is crowds. There are lots of local fisherman and tourists and that is why kodiak is king for me when it comes to salmon. The mainland gets so many tourists and locals the combat fishing makes me sick. For rainbows i would go to the mainland. The fall fishing is great it's still crowded but not as much as with salmon. The size of these rainbows are legendary especially in the fall cuz of the millions of eggs floating around mixed in with dead salmon flesh! Some of these fish may gain a full pound in two weeks according to fish and game. The mainland has the advantage in pike event though the pike have bounty's on their head. When it comes to halibut and lingcod kodiak and homer are the best in numbers and size in my opinion. Southeast is king for steelhead and i believe it's the best kept secret in America for steelies. There are so many streams with steelhead it's amazing. Really each place i have mentioned has great fishing with advantages and disadvantages when it comes to the fish available and and quality of fishing.
I would boil it down to these questions for what you want?

How many people can i put up with?

What type of fish and fishing is most important to me?

If you have any other questions just post them and i will be happy to answer them. Also some reading is a good idea, i would recommend ALASKA FISHING in the latest edition because it describes all the places to fish, the fish themselves and top spots for them plus techniques for both spin and fly anglers.

[trout slayer]

Is any one fishing?  Is any one home?  I hope eveyone is on the ice and just does not have time to go on line because the fishing is too good!

Help me Icy-Wan-Kenobi... your my only hope.


IM

cape breton island fishing capital of the east coast of canada!

[fish_slayer]

Thank you very much for your information Kodiak Commando,  I hunt for a living, and want to move my operations up there, and fishing is what I do when I don't hunt or trap.  The issue of how many people a person can deal with is very important.  That is one huge reason I am moving there, over the  last 3 years, my territory has gone from 2,000 acres to 80 acres (I can no longer survive here), with the growth of the town, I almost have no place to hunt anymore, there are no places in the state with no people, and I won't even begin to bring up the problems I have had with incoming neighbors, that are are against my hunting, I am so sick of it, I can't stand it anymore, and what alaskans may think is alot of people, it is great compared to the everyday threats I recieve from people complaining about my hunting and fishing and my dogs are too loud, and this and that, I am about to go crazy, anyway, I could go on about that forever, but i know that there are fewer people up there, and I will find that spot where there is almost noone, with great fishing, pike, salmon, etc.  (Your information is very valuable in that search)  and I know, that I may seem like an intruder too, but I will do anything to hunt and fish again like it was back in the old days.  I don't want to sound mean, but I think you agree it is a big issue.  thanks for the information, I will send another question when I htink of it,
Fish Slayer

[Kodiak Commando]

Yeah there are a lot of fisherman but you will be hard pressed to find any anti hunters or anti fisherman alaska. This is because pretty much everyone is and outdoorsman up here and more importantly the whole state depends on the strength of oil and gas, commercial fishing and the tons of money we get from fishing and hunting tourists. As for what you do for a living do you do any guiding or are you just a trapper? If you are a trapper you are in luck alaska has lots of beavers,rabbits,minks, foxes and other critters. In fact i do not trap for a living but i have a trapping subsidence license along with a fishing one. Every alaska resident in rural areas are allowed a FREE subsistence trapping and fishing license. This is for you only, you can't sell your catch but it does save money. You are allowed to trap a certain amount of game for meat consumption and fur usage for your family. In kodiak you are allowed to harvest a limit of crab and 25 red and silver salmon for each member of your family. This illustrated how alaska is comparable to the old days. The fact any resident with a boat can harvest 25 red and silver salmon for each member of their family for FREE shows that alaska still has an abundant amount of wildlife and few opposer's to the outdoor life style.

[fish_slayer]

Yeah, guiding and outfitting is what I plan to do up there, and I do some that of down here, but other things as well, the subsistence fishing sounds great. trapping isn't my living, but I love it, and it sounds like there is some of the best trapping up there.  the fishing will take a lot of learning for the new species, but after a while I think its possible. Are there northern pike or muskies by fairbanks or anchorage? or anchorage south.  At least I know how to fish for those, I have caught a few arctic grayling and that was awesome.  What species of fish do most out of staters fish for, I can guess salmon is one, but are any interested in pike and walleye, and grayling?  Is it mostly out of staters that go on guided fishing trips, or do in staters do that  alot too (I have a good guess, but I don't know for sure).  Guiding fishing trips is something I haven't done, but I think it is a good idea for a side income to the hunting guiding/outfitting.  When I was up there the pinks and I think the silvers too were running, and WOW there were alot of salmon being caught, It was early august and I was so temped to take an extra day for fishing, but I didn't have time.

[Kodiak Commando]

There are lots pike in the anchorage and fairbanks area, too many for a lot of rainbow enthusiansts. There are lots of out of staters who fish with outfitters but since this can be expensive there are also lots of do it yourself anglers. Salmon are definetely one with rainbows and halibut close behind. There is little interest for pike even though there are great oppurtunities. Most of the pike in the anchorage area are in trouble because they were illegally stocked by civilians into lakes meant for bows. But there are still tons of desiganated pike waters with lots of 6-12 pounders that don't get fished much in the summer but are targeted during ice fishing season. The yukon is the place to go, I've caught over 50 fish in my lifetime there that were over 45 inches and i hav only made a few 3 to 6 day trips. My biggest fish there was 55, and i caught it with no one in sight. I suppose this is because when people think of trophy pike they think  of canada and not northern alaska. Grayling are fun and easy to catch and fisherman especially fly fisherman can catch them. As for walleye you are out of luck, none in alaska. How do you fish open water, spin or fly? It would be wise to do both! i am a die hard fly fisherman but realize there is a time for both. In small rivers for salmon and trout or float tubing fly fishing is my preference but in large rivers like the kenai i will back troll and i love jiggin for halibut.

[icy mike]

Amen on jigging for halibut!!!  Whenever I go out in the salt water I always bring along a baitcaster with 20lb line and a spinning rig with 8-12lb line.  These are great for jigging for black bass, yellow eyes, ling cod, silvers, etc...  If you have little kids the boat harbors in Seward, Homer, Valdez (and I would guess Kodiak) are great as well.  I have taken mine own kids with lite tackle in the harbors from the docks and caught cod, flounder, sole, Irish Lords (yuck!), small halibut, etc...  When the kids get antsy we pack up and move, watch the boats, watch the harbor seals and occasional sea lion, feed the gulls, etc...  But I prefer the ice fishing above all else.  Hardly ever a tourist, barely any crowds, and the challenge.

Icy Mike

[The Common Man]

Hey Fish Slayer: You're from Chippewa?  Chi Hi or McDonnell?  Do you hunt in Chippewa County?  I hear you about shrinking hunting land.  I went back a couple of years ago and drove past some land near Jim Falls I used to bowhunt on and it is now a housing development.  In fact, there is now a house right on the spot where I dropped and gutted a spike-buck in 1987.  I was seriously saddened.  I miss the variety of fishing there, but fishing here is absolutely wonderful.  If you want to avoid people, ice fishing is the way to go!

[Kodiak Commando]

Jigging for halibut, whether from the docks or in a boat, is pretty awesome, I definetely prefer it over just lowering herring to the bottom just like i like jigging better than deadsticking when ice fishing. I guess i like to be in constant motion and feel the bite rather than see. Nothing like a 100 plus pound halibut or 30 pound laker slamming your jig when the rod is in your hand!

[fishermanjake]

Yeah where are you Fisherman Jake? I'm looking forward to a little burbot competition at the tourney

Yo! my bad....not living on campus anymore.  I have'nt got to go out much this year on account of work and school...caught a couple small burbot and a grayling on my famous burbot jig.  anyhow i'll only be on periodically sorry guys.

[fish_slayer]

Fly and Spinning rod, like em both, and wow, those are incredible numbers on the pike, and I can see where people wouldn't like them where bows are.  Common Man:  McDonnell, then Fall Creek then to Chi Hi, I got around, I do hunt in chippewa county.  Do you know of donkeyball,  thats us.  The chippewa river is home.  Have you ever hunted the tom lawin public land, or the chippewa county forest, the chippewa county forest has a few good lakes with nice panfish in them.

[The Common Man]

Sure, I've been to few donkeyball games.  I have never hunted the tom lawin land, but my dad and I did a fair share of coon hunting in the Chippewa County forest.  I shot a few grouse there, too.  I grew up on the Chippewa River, about a mile North of Four Corners.   We would throw in some tip-ups and watch them from the house.  We were always fishing for walleyes but usually pulled in Northerns. 

[fish_slayer]

yeah, I got some huge coon out of there this year, I hunt some walkers and black and tans, yeah there are alot of northerns in the river, I like to go up the river on 178 to the boat landing past the old bridge, and there are a couple of huge rocks straight out from the landing, with a concrete wall behind them, smallmouth bass are everywhere around those two rocks, you can fish those all night and catch one after another

[The Common Man]

Sweet!  My dad used to run blueticks...he had some decent ones and one really good one.   If you can, you should try to get on the ice out in front of the Elks Club golf course and fish the drop-off.  It can be a good spot for walleyes.  There is also a rock pile under water around that area that can be good.

[fish_slayer]

Thanks for the tip

[TGF]

Yeah where are you Fisherman Jake? I'm looking forward to a little burbot competition at the tourney

Yo! my bad....not living on campus anymore.  I have'nt got to go out much this year on account of work and school...caught a couple small burbot and a grayling on my famous burbot jig.  anyhow i'll only be on periodically sorry guys.

Life calls for now heh Jake. Gonna miss ya

[Fat Boy]

Yeah, I was liking those burbot pics!