Sandy Sonnichsen, former biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game gives great tips for fishing in Southcentral Alaska.

1. Sport Fishing in Alaska

2. Alaska is really big…

3. So let’s stick with affordable trips on the road system.So where to start?

5. Look for a variety of experiences.

6. You can even fish in downtown Anchorage.Fishing in Ship Creek for King Salmon

7. How much Time? Remember this is vacation, so don’t try to do too much. Need a day for driving to anywhere. Figure at least 10 days. Assume you will come back. Chena River

8. When? Lower Cook Inlet king salmon What do you want to catch? There is good fishing all summer and fall. Best weather is generally June, July, and September.

9. What to bring? Clothes for all weather may be 35º or may be 90º in the same day. don’t rely on cotton-plan for cold and wet.Pile and wool is best. good raingear. Gulkana River

10. The water is always cold. Bring and wear a PFD !!

11. What to bring? Fishing Gear – Assume you will go with a charter for king salmon or halibut. Bring your own gear for other salmon and trout. Gulkana River rainbow trout

12. Fly Fishing Gear- 4 wt and 8 or 9 wt fly rod Reel that you can palm or that has a good drag Flies: Gold ribbed hare’s ear Elk hair caddis Egg sucking leech Flesh fly Streamer (Micky Finn) Wooly bugger Outlet of Upper Russian Lake

13. Spinning Gear- Light wt (6 lb test) and heavier wt (17 lb test) rods 0 and 1 spinners Pixies in various colors for salmon If you have treble hooks, cut off all but one of the barbs. Swan Lake Canoe System rainbow

14. What can you catch? All five species of North American Pacific salmon

15. What can you catch? Trout, char, grayling and more…

16. The Rules Know where you are. Know what you are fishing for. If you aren’t sure of the regulations, get help from the local Fish and Game office.

17. Where to stay Campgrounds US Forest Service Cabins Alaska State Parks Cabins In all cases you must make reservations far in advance Anchorage Kincaid Park beach Maybe not here.

18. State , Federal, and City Campgrounds Reserve spaces at some Federal campgrounds 180 days in advance. Spaces are especially hard to find on the Kenai Peninsula. Consider Dolly Varden Lake or Ptarmigan Creek. Homer, Seward, and Valdez have good city campgrounds. Deadman Lake campground, Tetlin NWR

19. Russian River Campground Seward City Campground Notice how very clean this camp site is.

20. We keep camp sites clean , not because of raccoons, but because of …

21. BEARS My heart goes boom boomboom

22. Bears Make human noise as you hike through the woods. Keep a spotlessly clean camp. Don’t eat bacon, steaks, or sardines in camp. Wash with unscented soap before you go to bed. Cut your line and back away if a bear comes by when you have hooked a fish. Never, ever run from a bear. Don’t worry, they don’t like you either.

23. US Forest Service Cabins Crescent Lake Cabin For cabin information: http://alaskacenters.gov/cabins.cfm Barber Cabin at Lower Russian Lake Reserve FS cabins 180 days in advance

24. West Swan Lake Devil’s Pass

25. Alaska State Parks Cabins James Lake in Nancy Lake Recreation Area Quartz Lake

26. Reserve AK State Parks cabins up to 7 months in advance North Fork cabin, Chena River Spruce Creek cabin, Thumb Cove

27. A Few Good Places to Fish Kenai Peninsula Bird Creek Russian River upper Russian River Crescent Lake Kenai River Seward Homer Clam Gulch Kenai River king salmon

29. Pink salmon in even-numbered years

30. Be careful of tides and shifting sandsBird Creek coho salmon

31. Pink salmon Valdez

32. Russian River sockeye salmon Fly –fishing only, but not your typical fly fishery. No room to play the fish, so use strong line, a reel with a star drag, and a sturdy rod. Use weights to keep your fly bouncing along the bottom.

33. Russian River at its confluencewith the Kenai River Very crowded, very crazy, but lots of fish.

34. Russian River in the river

35. Russian Lakes and Upper Russian River 3.3 mile handicap-accessible trail to Lower Russian Lake. USFS Barber Cabin with a boat. Dolly Varden char and rainbow trout. Lots of peace and solitude.

36. Lower Russian Lake

37. Upper Russian River Russian River trail follows the river Between Lower and Upper Russian Lakes Rainbow trout

38. Crescent Lake Grayling

39. Crescent Lake grayling Fishing opens July 1. USFS Cabin with boat. Trail is 6.4 miles to lake.

40. Kenai River king salmon

42. Highest success rate is from boats, so get a charter.

43. Fishery is crazy-busy so don’t expect a pristine experience.Kenai River king salmon

44. Most Kenai kings are 25-50 lbs World Record king salmon 97 lb 4 oz Two runs of Kenai River king salmon: Early run mid May to early July Late run early July to late July

46. The Ninilchik River is stocked

48. Launch from the beach at Deep Creek

51. Seward Silver Salmon Derby in August

53. Harvest limit is 2 halibut/day

55. Dress in lots of wooly layers & wear a hat.

57. Razor clams Need at least a -2 tide at Clam Gulch. Don’t drive your car down to the beach! Use a shovel or your hands. Prepare to get very muddy.

58. Must keep every clam you dig. Don’t take more than you want to clean!

59. Cheap Canoe or Raft Trips Swan Lake canoe system Swanson River canoe system Nancy Lake recreation area Gulkana River Swanson River

61. Canoe Rentals and shuttle service available in the town of Sterling.

62. Takes about 2 days.

63. Coho Salmon

64. Rainbow trout

66. Nancy Lake RecreationArea Invaded by northern pike. Several lakes connected by short portages. Many state park cabins. Canoes available to rent at the lakes or trailheads-arrange the rental before you arrive. Red Shirt Lake

67. Lynx Lake Red Shirt Lake cabin

68. Gulkana River

70. Put in at the BLM campground on Paxson Lake.

71. Take out 47 miles later at BLM Sourdough campground.

72. Could do it in 3 days, 5 is better, 7 is nice.

75. There is a good, well marked portage around these class III-IV rapids

76. Chena River

78. State Parks cabins available.

79. Chena Hot Springs resort at the end of the road.

81. If you have the money, you can charter a small plane and fly out to areas with spectacular scenery and amazing fishing.

82. Talachulitna River Fly into Talachulitna Lake from Anchorage Take out on Yentna River About 5 days Catch and release rainbows king salmon

83. Wood River Lakes A series of large lakes connected by short rivers. Great for kayaking. Fly scheduled jet service to Dillingham, then charter out a small plane. Lake Aleknagik rainbow trout

85. Goodnews River Fly to Goodnews Lake from Dillingham Take out at the village of Goodnews Scheduled small plane service in Goodnews About 7-10 days

87. Pilgrim River Fly scheduled jet service to Nome Shuttle service along the road to start and end points

90. Don’t camp in Wal-Mart,

91. Get out!

92. Don’t be greedy,

93. Spend money in Alaska,

94. Be nice to the Fish and Game biologists,