Help with trip planning.

mshsu · Jan-07-2009, 10:29 PM

Hey guys,

I've never fished Alaska before, but I've been wanting to go forever. This year, I finally have the time to get up there for a week. I have the 3rd week of June as vacation. I'm looking for a place where you can rent a house, have guided/unguided boat fishing, and most importantly, fish in calm waters (my family gets seasick pretty easily). Does anyone know of a place like this? Shore fishing would also be a plus.

I can't really afford the super fancy alaska lodges. I found Alaska Fishing Lodge, Ketchikan Alaska Fishing Vacation on the internet and they look okay. Anyone have any experience with this place?

Thanks,
Ming

Captain Ben · Jan-08-2009, 01:59 PM

Ming, your best bet would be to fly into Anchorage and go from there. The road system allows you get around better. On the panhandle (Southeastern AK) there are many islands and travelling to different towns/islands can be expensive. Calm waters are never guaranteed on the ocean. If you want calm waters for your family try planning a family river fishing trip in the Mat-Su Valley or on the Kenai Penninsula. That time of year is good King fishing in the rivers. Motorhomes are convient because you are mobile and do not have to eat out all the time. They can also be reasonably priced compared to hotels. Remember this state is huge. If you have a chance come over to Seward. June is a great month for halibut, it may be a little early for silvers but you never know. As for unguided fishing you can shore fish on the rivers. I have also heard that the military base in Anchorage rents boats to retired or active military. Just remember you will catch a lot more fish with a guide who is on the water every single day.

Ibgrizz · Jan-08-2009, 04:18 PM

That would be a great choice
I know the people that own it and have had friends stay there.

should be some good king fishing then few early run silvers.

the real nice thing about fishing here is even if its blowing 40 there is still water you can fish. all inside water lots of small islands to break the wind and waves

And i'm close for tech support

Quote:

Originally Posted by mshsu

Hey guys,

I've never fished Alaska before, but I've been wanting to go forever. This year, I finally have the time to get up there for a week. I have the 3rd week of June as vacation. I'm looking for a place where you can rent a house, have guided/unguided boat fishing, and most importantly, fish in calm waters (my family gets seasick pretty easily). Does anyone know of a place like this? Shore fishing would also be a plus.

I can't really afford the super fancy alaska lodges. I found Alaska Fishing Lodge, Ketchikan Alaska Fishing Vacation on the internet and they look okay. Anyone have any experience with this place?

Thanks,
Ming

double tap · Jan-09-2009, 12:55 AM

Ming,

Other areas to look at in Southeast Alaska would include Petersburg, Sitka, Craig, and Juneau.

I know there is a place in Petersburg that rents boats and cabins (I think they have cabins). It is called Doyle's Boat Rentals, I believe. Their phone number is 1-877-442-4010. Also, the Scandia House motel rents skiffs, and is a decent place to stay. The salt water areas around Petersburg are fairly well protected, and Petersburg is a very nice small community with enough to do if the weather is particularly bad and you want to stay off the water.

In Juneau, Alaska Boat & Kayak (907-789-6886) rents skiffs. You will likely need to venture a bit further out for halibut and/or rockfish, but king salmon will be fairly hot during the time you will be here, and you can be in good trolling areas 10-15 minutes from the harbor.

Craig is on Prince Of Wales Island, is very picturesque, and is a bit more difficult to reach than the other towns, but the fishing is generally great!

If you are looking for a day or two of guided fishing, any of these communities will have more fishing guides than you will ever need!

Good luck and have a great trip!

Chris

Jay Warner · Jan-09-2009, 04:37 AM

We went to Alaska last July. Flew into Anchorage and drove down to Seward. I called Andy with Cracker Jack Fishing Charters (sponsor here), he fished us inside the bay for calmer waters. Andy's top notch and good with the Halibut too. We fished Homer too, ROUGH! Caught fish but got pounded.

If you have more than a week go check out Denali then head to Seward for fishing. Get a Frommers or Moon handbook that will help a lot. Easy to plan everything yourself.

mshsu · Jan-09-2009, 08:03 AM

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the great info. I will definitely look into the places that you mentioned. Also, is there some place with car access where there is good salmon fishing from shore? I've seen pictures of huge runs of salmon in rivers, but are these areas only accessible by plane?

Thanks,
Ming

AKTuna · Jan-09-2009, 02:00 PM

There are river systems all over the place that are accessible by car. Try to find a Forest Service map to find rivers near the road systems. For the Ketchikan area, pm Ibgrizz on this site. He is very knowledgeable about that area. I am on Prince of Wales Island and know that area. I am also aware of Chinook Shores and have heard very positive things about their operation.

double tap · Jan-10-2009, 02:15 AM

Ming,

Most of the salmon you see in pictures of rivers packed with fish are either pink (humpies) or chum (dog) salmon. If you end up in Southeast Alaska, the third week of June will likely be a little early for the pink/chum runs to have started in full swing. I can't speak for areas other than Juneau, but the pinks/chums might have begun staging near the mouths of streams by then, and you could try fishing for them from shore where the stream flows into the salt water. Try Pixies or Vibrax spinners with pink inserts.

Generally, Southeast Alaska does not have the runs of red (sockeye) salmon you would find in South-central Alaska, but the reds tend to be more difficult to catch once they enter fresh water. If you are looking for reds, Southeast might not be your best bet. June will also probably be too early for silver (coho) salmon in most areas. One thing to keep in mind, in most areas, especially South-central Alaska (Anchorage, Kenai peninsula, etc...) if you have car access to a productive salmon stream, so does everybody else! In many places (Kenai river, Russian river, Ship creek) this means you will be elbow to elbow on the river with other fishermen.

If you end up anywhere near Juneau (although it would not be my first choice) feel free to shoot me a p.m. and I'll try to get you some more specific info.

Chris

Keta · Jan-10-2009, 06:12 AM

There are plenty of of sockeye in SE. Karta River on POW has a good run of sockeye, as well as USFS cabins. Kegan Creek and Yes Bay are two more good spots for sockeye in the KTN area.

To top it off why would anyone want to fish South Centeral for river slugs with 100,000 idiots when one can fly into a place like Kegan Creek and be alone most of the time.

My choices would be,
#1 KTN, only because I have access to a 28' boat in Saxman, have friends I'd like to visit and know the area better
#2 Crag/Klawalk, Some of the best fishing in SE and hundereds of miles of road.
#3 Hoonha, Small village, good people and very good fishing. Fly or
Ferry from Juneau, stay at Tina's Bunkhouse in town. Good steelhead fishing in the late winter/early spring.
#4 Sitka, Upscale and touristy but good fishing.
#5 Petersburg

trunew · Jan-10-2009, 03:22 PM

Well, living in South Central, I might be a little biased. I'm not a guide so I have nothing to advertise. Weather can be rough anywhere. I've seen it flat as a lake in Homer, and rougher than hell in Juneau. I think getting an RV and exploring hitting up places like Valdez, Seward, Homer, and perhaps go see a little of the interior like going lake trout or grayling fishing for some unique variety.
The ferry system up here is pretty good and there are plenty of fishing opportunities at Kodiak, where you gotta take the ferry from Homer. Or you can go to Whittier or Valdez and take the ferry over to Cordova for some sockeye fishing in the rivers (the Copper River is there but I don't suggest attempting to fish that river. One look at it and you'll know why.) Eyak River and 7.5 mile river are productive for those fish. As for fishing the ocean in Cordova, it is protected pretty well with good halibut fishing, but there are not many guides there.
So, I would hit up south central if you have a lot of time to be up here. Have a lot of time in Southeast and you're kinda stuck in whatever town until the next ferry comes in. I like having my mobility. Another thing about Southeast is the cruise ships, I don't really care for that area of town in Juneau, Ketchikan, and Sitka. Whittier has the ships, but there isn't much to Whittier. Seward has the ships too, but never been there when the ships were in so... anyway, plenty of choices.
I would not necessarily start with "where to go in Alaska?" but "how do I want to see Alaska?" because there is so much to see and good fishing darn near anywhere you go.

double tap · Jan-10-2009, 05:21 PM

Keta,

I understand there are places in Southeast where there is good fishing for sockeye, but I was trying to answer Ming's specific question about shore fishing access by car.

Ming,

Trunew brings up a good point. You would certainly have less "easy" mobility in Southeast, as almost every community in Southeast Alaska has no road access to the outside world, and you will need to rely on either airplane or boat to move from town to town.

You might want to determine, as Trunew said, what kind of a vacation you are looking for. If it's strictly a fishing vacation, and you want to stay in one location (i.e., rent a house for a week), then many places in Alaska will fit the bill. If it's a family vacation that will involve some fishing when you can, then the issue of mobility might be a big deal.

Alaska is a big place, with lots to offer, and wherever you end up you should have a great time!

Chris

trunew · Jan-10-2009, 09:49 PM

Thanks double tap.
Anyway, as for a guide if you RV around, you'll see plenty available. I tend to be the nicer guy on the river that will show you exactly what I'm using and will share information of what might work and what to look for. Tackle shops can be good (key word being CAN.) A little fishing hint if you make it towards Homer, the Anchor River can be really good for kings, however it tends to close the middle of June for salmon fishing until July 1st. There is the Kasilof River near the south side of Soldotna and the same techniques should work there for bank fishing for kings. Recognize where holes on a river are by looking at the water and to try and tie your own egg loops to adjust the length. There are videos on youtube (that's how I learned.) Even though there may be a fair amount of people on the Russian/Kenai Confluence, fishing can be still be good. Lots of people still get there limit of reds there. Sometimes it's just best to sit back and watch what successful anglers are doing and feel free to ask them. Some people, usually Non-alaskans from what I've noticed, may be a little protective of their efforts to catch fish. Typically that time you're going is a little early for the silvers, but kings should be in the ocean, Kasilof, and Kenai. There are also the rivers up north like the Little Susitna, even though I never fished it, I think you need a boat and there are plenty of guides in the Wasilla-Houston area. Ship Creek in downtown Anchorage can be interesting to at least people watch (real combat fishing...CRAZY packed with people)
Deep Creek has a launch for boats with plenty of guides and you can easily see what is going on by going to the beach since there is no harbor to determine if you'd get sea sick. Again, lots of options and lots to see. You can live up here and there is so much to see. Just because you see something in summer, go back in the early fall and it can be a whole new world.