Fishing in Alaska

I am excited that it is almost spring and in just a few months I will return to Fishing in Alaska. What are my favorite things about Fishing in Alaska? Well let me list my top ten.

1. The pull of a big King Salmon
2. The smell of the air.
3. The taste of fresh fish off the grill.
4. Time spent with friends.
5. Seeing more bears and eagles then people in my favorite fishing spot.
6. Quiet.
7. The trees.
8. Cooling off in a waterfall on a hot day.
9. Watching children catch fish.
10. Just fishing.

Leave a comment and talk about your favorite fishing experience.

Haines Alaska Fishing in the Chilkoot River

Earlier this year I had a great trip out Fishing in the Chilkoot River in Haines Alaska. Fishing in Haines Alaska is fantastic. The town is beautiful, the fish are brite, and when you are done there is always good food to be had at Mountain Market in town.

The Silver Salmon were in and they were slamming Pixees. Silver Salmon are really fun to catch, coho are known for their acrobatic jumps and strong fight.

I am really looking forward to the next time I am in Haines.

All About Salmon (Part 1 of 5) Coho Salmon

This is going to be a five part series that covers the 5 different types of species of Salmon that live in Alaska. You can thank my wife for this, as last night we were talking about all of the different names of Salmon and how sometimes its hard for people new to Salmon fishing to tell them apart or to even remember all the names. Today we will talk about Coho Salmon.

Coho Salmon are known by some other names, these include Silver Salmon, Silvers, Coho, Bluebacks, and Greenies (when they are spawned out).

Coho are very good eating and have an excellent flavor, especially when they are caught in salt water. They are agressive fighters and are agressive feeders making them a favorite of fishermen like myself.

They average about 8-12 pounds and 30 inches in length.

Florida Largemouth Bass Fishing

So for a change of pace I was down in FL recently fishing for bass with some freinds on a small golf course pond.

Before you think pond fishing is boring kids stuff, let me tell you that many large bass live in these ponds some over 10 lbs.

We were working plastic worms along the bottom with a twitch drop and drag technique. The bass loved it. Between the three of us we caught 14 fish in about 2 hours. All of them were between 1 and 4 lbs with one larger bass that was estimated at about 6lbs.

All and all it was a fun relaxing day.

Bear Safety when fishing on the water.

Bear safety is very important when fishing in Alaska, especially in salmon streams that also provide food to the bears.

I found this great blog post that has a 10 step plan to stay safe in BEAR COUNTRY. It is at another Alaska Fishing blog.

The article is all about Bear Safety when Fishing.

I could not agree more and I think that every day of salmon fishing is made better when everyone comes home safe.

Best Halibut Baits for Southeast Alaska

What is the best chunk bait for big Halibut in Southeast or Southcentral Alaska, That was the question on my mind today.

My conclusion was either chunk herring or chunks of pink salmon. For sheer numbers the herring seem to carch more often, but for size, I have caught more halibut over 100lbs on big chunks of pink salmon then anything else.

Another advantage is that Salmon is basically free if you live in here. You can always purchase cheap whole pinks from the commercial guys, and if you head out to the rivers and catch your limit of pinks in season, you can use the fins, heads, and what not as bait as well, just not the filets.

Cut the bait into large chunks, I also like to slice some slits into it to allow the scent to travel and be more potent. Hook the chunks on to a circle hook, weight your rig as needed, and you are ready to go.

This may seem like a no brainer but I have found many people being lazy. Once you drop your bait to the bottom, be sure to lift it jsut slightly off th bottom. Having the bait a couple to a few feet off the bottom greatly increases its scent cone as well as its visibility. Halibut Fishing in Alaska is not all luck, a skillful Halibut Fishing Guide uses techniques like these to put his clients on the fish.

When a big Halibut comes up to hit your line you will be happy.

Chilkoot Lake Silver Salmon Fishing in Haines Alaska

I really enjoy fishing in and around Chilkoot Lake, a picturesque glacially fed lake just a few miles north of Haines, AK. The Chilkoot river flows into and then out of the lake, before emptying into the Lynn Canal. Silver Salmon spawning up the river typically make a short stop where the river meets the lake, as well as in pools in the river.

I was fishing in one of the pools with a blue and red rattling Pixee when the first big chrome ocean fresh Coho Salmon attacked violently. He tried to run up stream, then alternated between diving to the bottom of the pool and jumping violently out of the water trying to throw the hook. It was a mixed blessing having no other people fishing that section of the river with me, I liked the tranquility but there was no one to man the net.

Finally I got the big Silver Salmon on shore, and just as I cut a gill to bleed the salmon out I noticed a large brown bear across the river started wading into the water. Within moments the bruin was swimming across the river towards my area. I grabbed my gear, the coho, and walked back up the bank to the road. As I was driving away I saw the bear standing on the same boulder I had been fishing on. Just another amazing day of Alaska Fishing.