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The Best of Alaska Fishing Ask the Pros Q & A

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Most anglers are going to have a lot of questions when planning an Alaska fishing trip – especially when it’s their first trip. Thatss why we started our "Ask the Pros" feature…it lets anglers submit their questions and get answers from experienced Alaska fishing guides and lodge owners.

The questions we get cover a lot of different Alaska fishing topics. So, we pulled together a list of the three most common topics and the best questions from them for this blog post. Below are quick summaries of some recent "Ask the Pros" with links to the full article and thoughts from the experts – take a look and send us your questions for the Alaska experts here.

Alaska Fishing Trips with Kids

Courtney has two boys (6 and 10 years old) that already have good fishing experience and she’s planning a trip with them and her dad. Possibly based out of Anchorage, she's interested in a trip for both freshwater and saltwater options…smaller fish species to bigger ones like halibut.

Question: I am wanting to plan a fishing trip with my two boys (ages 10 and 6 at the time we are planning to go), and my dad. Both my dad and I are decently experienced with fishing, but the boys are still up and coming little fishermen of varying skill level. We have fished the Snake River in Island Park, Idaho along with the Quality Waters of the San Juan in New Mexico, along with other rivers in the Western US, so they are no stranger to getting wet when fishing.

What are some good tours or places that could do freshwater fishing, and could potentially combine with saltwater fishing for halibut and other ocean fish. The 10 year old in particular is very keen to do salmon and halibut, but I wonder about the feasibility for a 6 year old.

I'm not sure if I would base out of Anchorage, I'm still trying to figure out where, but there is a good likelihood that I would. We are looking at early to mid July 2021.

Amy suggestions on where to base the trip out of would be helpful as well! Thank you for your input and advice!

Read the Alaska Experts Thoughts on an Alaska Fishing Trip with Kids

Kenai Peninsula Fishing & Nature

A couple seasoned fly fishermen were looking to fish the Kenai Peninsula (with a focus around Cooper Landing) but the interest was in lake fishing. They asked a few questions that covered specific lakes to target, options for boat and cabin rentals, etc. This is a good 'ask' here with very specific interests.

Question: We are 2 kin (fly) fishermen from Belgium. We are organising a self-guided fishing trip to Alaska during the first 2 weeks of September 2020. It will be our 4th time visiting Alaska. We plan to spend a good amount of time on the Kenai Peninsula (Cooper Landing). This time we would like to undertake some lake fishing. On smaller lakes we could access from the road system via a walking trail or via a canoe trail. If possible we would like to rent a cabin to camp overnight. We hope to enjoy some productive trout/grayling fishing while spotting a moose and listening to the enigmatic sound of a loon…

• Which areas and specific lakes would be most suitable to bring us close this ideal picture?
• Where/how to rent a cabin+boat on a lake accessible by foot (up to 2/3 hours walk from a road)?
• Who would you advise for canoe/cabin rental?
• Any other areas (between Anchorage and Talkeetna) we should consider for lake fishing?

Thank you so much for responding and providing some guidance. We love Alaska, even more the friendly Alaskan people.

Read the Experts Thoughts on a Kenai Peninsula Fly Fising & Nature Experience

Bucket-List Alaska Fishing Trip

Larry had a good question about salmon fishing. He was planning on a bucket list fishing trip in late July or early August and knew he wanted to target salmon but wasn’t sure the best species to target. He asked the pros their favorite salmon to fly fish for and any other species he should consider.

Question: Planning a bucket list fishing trip to Alaska this summer in either July or August. I know I won't be able to fly fish for every species of salmon due to run times. So if you had to pick what is your favorite type of salmon to fly fish for? And what are your other favorite species to target on the fly?

Read the Experts Thoughts on a Bucket-List Alaska Fishing Trip

Self-Guided Trips (DIY Fishing)

Lucas had a trip with a lot of fishing and solitude in mind. He was renting a camper for two weeks in September with plans for some guided fishing but also self-guided days. All species were in play and he was wondering the best options when starting in Anchorage, obviously was open to driving the Alaska Parks Highway but any other options could be considered.

Question: I'm blown away by the shear number of opportunities for great fly fishing in Alaska. I'm in desperate need of a reset, so I booked some plane tickets and a camper van for Aug 29th - Sep 12th out of Anchorage. After reading through the Highway Angler and the Roadside Angler's Guide, it seems my best bets for a semi-DIY trip on the road system are either the Kenai Peninsula or the Alaska Parks Highway. I'll fish every day for 2 weeks, and hire a local guide for 1-2 days each week. There's so much good fishing in both directions from Anchorage, I had to ask the pros. If, as professionals, you had 2 weeks to yourself to fish either area, would you head north or south? (And what rivers/ creek would you target?) Nobody wants to spread the word about their favorite honey hole, and I appreciate any/all advice!

I'm seeking solitude but I understand that Labor Day weekend will make it hard during the first few days. I'd love to catch some salmon, but rainbows, dollies, and grayling fit the bill just as well if it means being in a beautiful location with some solitude. Thank you for time and advice!

Read the Experts Thoughts on an Alaska Fishing Trip Away From the Crowds

Hiking & Fishing Adventure

Hiking and fishing are common interests of visitors to Alaska. This couple had a trip to Cooper Landing planned with dates for salmon fishing but also wanted to hike to some more remote fishing spots between Cooper Landing and Anchorage.

Question: We will be in Alaska August 2-6th with a house on the Kenai River by Cooper Landing. August 3rd we have an 8 hour salmon guide, and then on the 4th and 5th we were looking to do a combination of hiking and fishing.

We found a few trails such as Quartz Creek, Ptarmigan Creek and Resurrection pass. We were wondering if you have heard of those trails or know of any hiking where we can get away from the crowds but still fish for great Dollys and Trout?

On the 6th we are driving back to Anchorage and are looking to hit some spots on the way. Our flight isn't until 1130pm so we have some time. Any suggestions on places or hikes in between Cooper Landing and Anchorage?

Read the Experts Thoughts on an Alaska Hiking & Fishing Adventure

Unguided Fly-Fishing Adventure

A small group of anglers were looking into a two week trip to Alaska but didn’t really have a target destination. They were looking for DIY fishing suggestions and lodging options to consider.

Question: A group of us (2-3) from Lyon, France are planning to make a trip of fly fishing in Alaska for 10 or 12 Days of fishing in June 2020. We plan to fish mostly without a guide. We may get a guide for the first few days but the majority would be unguided.

We are looking for a location to base our trip out of. It should have affordable accommodations and access to a variety of drive/hike in fly fishing that would not require a boat.

Do you have any suggestions on where in Alaska to stay and what waters we should look into fishing near where we'll be staying? Also if you have any specific suggestions for a hotel/motel to stay please let us know. We are planning to book flights soon.

Read the Experts Thoughts on an Unguided Alaska Fly-Fishing Adventure

Alaska Fishing & Wildlife RV Adventure

The Alaska Wilderness…Wildlife viewing in Alaska is something almost all anglers want to do a little of. This couple was renting an RV for two weeks and wanted to get ideas for places to fish but experience (and photograph) the wildlife of Alaska

Question: Hi my wife (Doesn't fish but loves wildlife) and I will be in Alaska from July 8th.- July 23rd. most of which is already booked from the 8th-19th. We do have a RV rented on the last leg of our trip from July 19th.- July 23rd. So would like to know if there are any good trout or salmon fly fishing creeks, streams, accessible by RV which maybe we could spend the day or two fishing and photographing wildlife?

We will be picking up the RV in Anchorage on the 19th, and really had no plans as of now so anywhere within a reasonable drive for Anchorage for our trip.

Read the Experts Thoughts on an Alaska Fishing & Wildlife Adventure in an RV

Remember our Ask the Pros section as you plan your Alaska fishing trip…getting the right information is important no matter if it's a bucket list trip, part of a bigger trip, or you'll be back to Alaska again. Ask your questions here.

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