Last winter in Montana

[J_Edwards]

Looking like it might be a good one 

I'll be in Alaska next winter 

[Robbi]

No kidding.......where?

[Robbi]

Not a walleye in the whole state........!!!

[J_Edwards]

I know it, but I can still catch lakers, arctic char, grayling and pike 8 months a year on ice 

[J_Edwards]

I'm going to Elmendorf, my boat is already sold But I can keep it until August  I don't think I need a boat for the short open water season up there, but I might change my mind down the road.

[HVFD14]

What are you going to be doing up there Henry?

[J_Edwards]

I'm in the Air Force, I got orders this afternoon.

[Robbi]

What you want for Alaska is a nice 16-18 foot flat bottom with a 60-90 horse motor with a jet foot and always carry an extra impeller.......lol.  I spent five years at Eielson and wish I would have had a boat for the rivers up there.  Salmon fishing is much easier when out on the water.  On most of the lakes you can get by with a 14 foot aluminum with a 20 horse.  Anchorage is ok as far as cities go and the fishing is better around Anchorage than up in Fairbanks.  You'll probably have a good 5-6 months on hardwater, but it's not all that cold around Anchorage.  Us frozen people in Fairbanks used to call guys at Elmendorf lightweights........LO L.

[J_Edwards]

I have a couple good buddies at Eielson, well one is in Korea, but he will be there.  I'll make trips up there if I can and be ice fishing longer

I'll be looking into boats, I'm thinking about a couple a snowmobiles for me and the woman now that the boat will be leaving, I know it'll be a lot cheaper picking them up down here.  I'm more worried about ice fishing than anything, but I'm sure that'll change. 

[ice cracker]

I know it, but I can still catch lakers, arctic char, grayling and pike 8 months a year on ice 

Wait you guys have ice 8 months a year?

[Seedtree]

I know it, but I can still catch lakers, arctic char, grayling and pike 8 months a year on ice 

I was stationed at Fort Richardson back in the day, which is right next to Elmendorf.  You won't be ice fishing 8 months out of the year.  Actually, the winters there aren't as cold as winter in many areas of MT.  It is right next to the ocean (the City of Anchorage abuts Elmendorf) and has a maritime climate.  The interior of Alaska is a different deal, but even there 8 months of ice fishing is a stretch.

[Robbi]

seedtree.......did you know that they combined Elmendorf and Richardson now??  Weird to us old timers......but, they way of the new world I suppose.  LOL

Air Force Base's in Alaska are Alaskan Air Command or AAC which for my 5 years there translated to Always Away Camping..........LOL  I tried to stay there and always tried to get back there......but, the AF didn't cooperate and I landed in Montana........about 23 years ago now.......  Not the same, but the best compromise there could be I think.

[J_Edwards]

8 months was supposed to be an exaggeration, 6 is a stretch but possible and yes it does get colder here, but my buddy up there now has a much longer ice fishing season than me, not that he doesn't travel a little.

AAC?! You old dog,  They reorganized it in 90, it's the 11th now.

[Robbi]

LOL.........yeah, it's been a few years for me........

Near Eielson is a lake, called Birch Lake......Every year when the ice started forming someone would put there vehicle through the ice.  When I heard about that I waited three more weeks to go and it was plenty safe by then...........and oh yeah........get an extension for your auger......you'll need it!!

[J_Edwards]

How difficult is the trip from Eielson to Elmendorf in the winter months? 

[Robbi]

As long as there is not an active storm it's not too bad.  Going north it gets colder and is normally too cold for anything to stay on the road.  Ice breaks up an is shoved off, or you get dry snow that blows off the road.  Early and late season of course you get the same stuff we just had, wet and freeze, wet and freeze........that can make that 6 hour trip alot longer.......

Of course this is 25 year old memory talking here.......the roads might have improved since my time up there........but, maybe not......lol

[Cornbread]

How difficult is the trip from Eielson to Elmendorf in the winter months? 

Does the airforce not do space available flights anymore? When I was in the Marines my first two years we used to go to the airforce co-located base in RAF West Ruislip or up at RAF Mildenhall and catch space available flights all over the place for our weekends off. Can you not do the same between those two air stations in Alaska?

[J_Edwards]

Yeah, we can do space A flights, but if we don't returned as plan it's leave out of our pocket and I've heard flights between Eielson and Elmendorf are few and far in between these days.