My dad surprised me with a trip to Alaska! Literally, we’re leaving Tuesday morning.
I know nothing about what we’re doing and I don’t know if he does either. We’re going with his friends and have 4 days of guide trips for halibut and I think salmon and are on our own for the other 2 days. We’re staying near Soldotna and are fishing out of Homer for halibut and then in the Kenai for salmon.
Again don’t know much about the area or what we’re doing so any help or experience would be appreciated.
Fly all your fish home in a cooler next day air
Rock fish are amazing table fare!
Wish I could chime in, it’s on my bucket list. My aunt and uncle have been several times.
I would, however, bring a travel rod for the days you are on your own. Ask the locals and figure it out. Enjoy!
The river fishing for salmon is a bit different then what you are used too probably. Flossing for those salmon can be a challenge. The halibut fishing is awesome bring a rain coat.
Rain gear…..bring rain gear
Fly all your fish home in a cooler next day air
I just got back from AK. This is good advice. You can also buy insulated fish box’s for about $30 and check them as luggage on the plane. There are lots of process places that will package and freeze it until its time to go home. Shipping it is extremely expensive. Found that out the hard way.
Book a day trip on a fly in to the Kastastan river with Alaska west air. It is well worth it. Alaskawestair.com.
Take coolers up with you as checkon luggage then pack the fish in those and bring them home the same way. Every place we have stayed there has a freezer for you to use. This is the cheapest way to bring them home. A standard 50qt. Cooler will be close to the weight limit of 70lbs when packed. We pack our coolers with sweet corn and other stuff from around here, our friends in Alaska appreciate the gifts.
Do the Russian River hike and see the sockeye climbing the waterfall, you drive right past it. Drive up and see the exit glacier. Watch the halibut boats launch in deep creek, cool to see how they do it.
“Flossing”. A term most frequently used by folks who’ve failed to grasp the finer points of stream fishing for lake or ocean run trout & salmon. Those who are successful steeheaders are often accused of “flossing”, AKA, somehow maneuvering their flies into the mouths of fish, and hooking them from the inside out.
Well, if flossing is a tactic(it’s not), count me among the world’s best at it. Consider this: The mouth of a smolt is about the size of a nickel, yet on some days I may hook dozens of them during my pursuit of adult fish. I am able to find that nickel sized mouth out in the middle of a stream blindly. And do so repeatedly. MAN, I’M GOOD!
The reality is, that a steelhead or salmon bite is soooo subtle that most folks have never fished enough to develop the ability to feel it. Flossing is an excuse for not being able to catch fish, much in the same vein as wolves are to blame for not shooting a deer.
Just got back the salmon run is in full trottle now. July 22 they uped the daliy bag limit from 3 to 6 with 12 in possession. The bad is you pay dearly to get them home. Bag weights at 50 lbs watch it stay below 50 lbs. I’m retired from northwest that 3rd bags was 150 dollars. Pretty cool watching them
launch the 6 pack boats out of deep creek. Be prepaired eveything is really expensive gas was 5.55. There are a couple of really good brew houses in soldotna. And if you plan on cooking any fish I like fresh dill on mine you couldn’t find any to be found in town. You’ll have a blast. If you are staying in anchorage check out the 49th state brewery the food was great.
I just got back from AK. This is good advice. You can also buy insulated fish box’s for about $30 and check them as luggage on the plane. There are lots of process places that will package and freeze it until its time to go home. Shipping it is extremely expensive. Found that out the hard way.
This is what I’ve done several times in the past. Bring your fish to a local fish packer/processer in town, they will process it into food saver bags, freeze it, and package into exactly 50 lb boxes and then you bring the fish home with you on the plane. Go drop off the luggage you brought there to the UPS store and ship it home via snail mail. When we did this, it was much cheaper than paying to ship overnight shipping for the fish.
As someone else mentioned, bring rain gear. Good rain gear. Also a good set of rubber boots and/or waders (depending on where you will be fishing).
Lastly, after the first year I went, I always brought eye cover for sleeping, like a sleep mask. I usually went in late June and there is hardly any darkness that time of year, meaning it can be tough to fall asleep at night if the place you’re staying doesn’t have room darkening shades.
Rain gear…..bring rain gear
And rubber deck boots. Everything in Alaska is wet all the time.
“Flossing”. A term most frequently used by folks who’ve failed to grasp the finer points of stream fishing for lake or ocean run trout & salmon. Those who are successful steeheaders are often accused of “flossing”, AKA, somehow maneuvering their flies into the mouths of fish, and hooking them from the inside out.
Ahhh yes, the old “flossing”. I always took this as the meat flinger/hardware hocker’s attempt to defend their snagging tactics by inferring that the fly and drift guys get away with snagging all the time by using the mythical “flossing”.
It’s not a thing.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Craig Sery wrote:</div>
I just got back from AK. This is good advice. You can also buy insulated fish box’s for about $30 and check them as luggage on the plane. There are lots of process places that will package and freeze it until its time to go home. Shipping it is extremely expensive. Found that out the hard way.This is what I’ve done several times in the past. Bring your fish to a local fish packer/processer in town, they will process it into food saver bags, freeze it, and package into exactly 50 lb boxes and then you bring the fish home with you on the plane. Go drop off the luggage you brought there to the UPS store and ship it home via snail mail. When we did this, it was much cheaper than paying to ship overnight shipping for the fish.
As someone else mentioned, bring rain gear. Good rain gear. Also a good set of rubber boots and/or waders (depending on where you will be fishing).
Lastly, after the first year I went, I always brought eye cover for sleeping, like a sleep mask. I usually went in late June and there is hardly any darkness that time of year, meaning it can be tough to fall asleep at night if the place you’re staying doesn’t have room darkening shades.
June is way different than August for sunlight/sleeping. Since 6/21 you lose 5-6 minutes of daylight every day. No need for eye cover. Sunrise right now is 5:30 and sunset is 10:30.
The red salmon run is winding down on the Kenai, but get ready for the pink and silver run. They’re just starting to hit the river.
Have a great time! It’s definitely a different type of fishing. Be prepared that salmon fishing with a guide is basically catch your limit and then call it a day, most don’t really do ‘catch and release’ up there(for good reason). So if your limit is 2 silvers or something, once you catch two your day is done.
Still an awesome time, kenai river is absolutely beautiful, and wicked fast in spots.
My only real recommendation is to eat some good food while you’re there:
Anchorage:
Orso – one of the best meals of my life. Their seafood chowder, lobster corn dog, and crab stuffed cod were out of this world good. DO NOT LEAVE without eating here. Connected to a brewery I think too.
Moose’s Tooth: great pizza, fun atmosphere.
Kenai:
Louie’s steak and seafood – the teriyaki salmon balls are awesome. Halibut was great.
Also, not sure what your itinerary looks like, but if you have the time, I’d spend a day in Seward, it’s absolutely beautiful, and about 2 hours from Soldotna(if you don’t stop and take in any of the scenery). If you can fit it in, one of the glacier/nature 1/2 day cruises are fantastic. Your so close to Kenai Fjords National Park, would be a shame not to see it from the water! We saw jellyfish, porpoise, humpback whales, puffin, sea lions, mountain goats on the side of cliffs, etc. Resurrection Bay itself is just one of the most beautiful places, see if you can fit it in!
I absolutely love fishing, but I would give up one day of ‘on our own’ fishing to take a cruise to Kenai Fjords, and I don’t say that lightly!
Justin…Not sure which guide or lodge you used in Kenai/Soldotna, but the places I’ve been to my trip was based on hours, not limits. I can book either a 6 hour or 10 hour trip. FYI, you can catch and release after retaining a limit of reds, and same with pinks. But, once you retain a king, or your August limit of two silvers, you have to quit for the day. My guides have allowed me to release kings (when it’s open), and silvers if I choose to. When booking next time, ask your lodge owner or guide how they handle their day. With nearly 300 guides on the Kenai river, there will be one that will fish the way you want to fish.
Thanks for all the suggestions guys; I’m getting really excited and will post pics when we get back.
Do you know if you can find hip waders relatively cheap up there? My dads buddy advised to not check a bag and I’m not sure how I can get all my gear in a carry-on.
Thanks for all the suggestions guys; I’m getting really excited and will post pics when we get back.
Do you know if you can find hip waders relatively cheap up there? My dads buddy advised to not check a bag and I’m not sure how I can get all my gear in a carry-on.
Everything cost more in AK. I’ve never had an issue checking a bag but times are changing…like I said above, I pack most of our food and everything in coolers and check them. We take our food like steaks and pork chops up with us.
If you can try to get down to just one carry on. I always bring junk cloths up throw them away when dirty. There is a sportsman guide up there in soldotna. Where are you staying?
Thanks for all the suggestions guys; I’m getting really excited and will post pics when we get back.
Do you know if you can find hip waders relatively cheap up there? My dads buddy advised to not check a bag and I’m not sure how I can get all my gear in a carry-on.
The best prices for gear can be found at Trustworthy Hardware and Fishing in Soldotna. Since you’re coming up after the peak of the red run and dipnetting, inventory could be an issue.
If you can try to get down to just one carry on. I always bring junk cloths up throw them away when dirty. There is a sportsman guide up there in soldotna. Where are you staying?
LOL! I thought I was the only one that did this. Every time I go on vacation, I’ll bring shoes/shirts/pants that are toward the end of their life. Wear them while on vacation and just throw them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not walking around like a bum, but it was always nice not to lug stuff back home..
Justin…Not sure which guide or lodge you used in Kenai/Soldotna, but the places I’ve been to my trip was based on hours, not limits. I can book either a 6 hour or 10 hour trip. FYI, you can catch and release after retaining a limit of reds, and same with pinks. But, once you retain a king, or your August limit of two silvers, you have to quit for the day. My guides have allowed me to release kings (when it’s open), and silvers if I choose to. When booking next time, ask your lodge owner or guide how they handle their day. With nearly 300 guides on the Kenai river, there will be one that will fish the way you want to fish.
We fished with Jimmy Jack, and actually got to go out with Jimmy himself, it was great!
We were up in August fishing for silvers at the time, and we caught tons of pinks incidentally. But we weren’t really given the option of throwing a silver back to try and get a bigger one, once you boated it you kept it.
Which was fine! But just a different experience than say a Canada trip or something.
Same goes for our halibut fishing, but I would NOT recommend going with our charter, Puffin charters. I guess I can tell the story here and I’ll try to be brief.
We showed up to the charter boat with the other ~10 people, and unsurprisingly it was chilly and rainy nearly all day. Some of the other guests included a couple from Hawaii who were only wearing jeans, flip flops, and a sweatshirt, and quite a few older couples.
We went through the setup once out there, drop your line 500 ft down to the bottom, watch your rod tip, if you get a bite start reeling hard until you know you have a fish. Limit is 2 halibut per person with 1 being over 30″ or something(forget the exact number).
45 minutes in, half the guests are in the cabin of the boat because they are too cold to fish. My wife and I and one other couple are the only ones braving the elements. I catch a halibut that’s over the 30″ threshold, but not by a lot. They tag it with one of our colored zip ties and then tell me that from now on, if I get a bite I need to tell the crew so someone else can come and reel the fish in. “Whoever sets the hook keeps the fish, that’s the regulation. And if you catch another big one, we’ll have to throw it back. We want everyone on the boat to get a big one first before you catch anymore.”
So basically, ‘sit out here, watch your line, and if you get a bite we’ll go grab someone from the warm cabin to set the hook’. This happens a couple of times before I say F it, I’m not going to do that anymore.
Then my wife catches a halibut, gets it next to the boat and the crew gets excited, “Nice! that one’s under 30!”. They gaff it, get it on board, and it measures 30.25″. “welp, that’s your over 30.” I asked why they didn’t net it if it was close, because we would have thrown it back and tried for a bigger one and they just kind of ignored me.
So we were both ‘done fishing’ until the rest of the boat got their over 30″ fish, even though half the boat was just sitting in the cabin not fishing.
Then my wife sets the hook on a nice fish and is fighting it when the staff basically pull her off the rod and tell her she needs to let the person next to her reel it in. So they do, and it’s a big cod. My wife loves cod. They bring it on board, congratulate the other guy and put one of his zip ties on the fish.
I say, “hold on, that’s our fish.”
Crew member: “No it’s one, this gentlemen reeled it in so it’s his fish.”
Me: “But you told us whoever sets the hook owns the fish, that’s the regulation.”
Crew member: “He set the hook.”
Me: “Uhhh, he absolutely did not.”
Crew: “he’s the one holding the rod.”
Me: “Well why don’t we ask him. Sir, did you set the hook on this fish?”
Other guy: “uhhh, I reeled it in”
Me: “But who started reeling it in?”
Other guy: …. *eventually points to my wife*
Crew: *begrudgingly removes their zip tie and puts on of ours on it*.
I doubt that’s how all charters run out there, but I also doubt that this one is alone in how they operate. if you’re on a charter with a big group, their number one goal is to probably try and make sure everyone goes home with something. That’s an honorable goal, but it just didn’t feel like we got our money’s worth, especially when we were some of the only ones putting in any effort.
it just didn’t feel like we got our money’s worth, especially when we were some of the only ones putting in any effort.
Justin I’m a little surprised and disappointed based off of some of your previous posts, I thought you would recognize your privilege and work to give those disadvantaged boat riders an equitable share… 
just joking around!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not walking around like a bum,
LOL definitely the “bum” look 
You’ll have a blast! I would definitely agree with needing rain gear and rain boots. The Homer Spit is a big tourist trap, but still kind of fun to check out. The Homer Brewing Co is pretty solid. Hopefully the place you’re staying has a grill. Fresh caught salmon is probably the best meal I’ve ever had (just don’t over cook it, around 120-125 degrees is perfect for me).
As far as getting fish home, I typically check one bag on the way up, then buy a fish box while I’m up there and check it as a second bag on the way home. But call ahead ask one of your guides, when I was up last summer they were hard to find. If the fish are frozen solid before you leave they should stay frozen all the way home.
Seward is beautiful and worth the drive over.
Thanks for all the tips guys; definitely a different kind of fishing. I’m not trying to complain but it’s not necessarily a “fun” way to fish. We limited on sockeye 2 days and halibut another with some bonus cod and rockfish; going after halibut again tomorrow. I’m 36 and run 20-30 miles every week but reeling in a 4 lb weight with a fish attached in over 500’ of water is a real ball-buster. My left bicep was toast after that day.
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Rain gear…..bring rain gear
Just got back from a 14 day trip. To my surprise we only had a bit of rain 2 days. 10 days of sunshine. The entire trip was the best I’ve had. Record numbers of fish and great weather. We brought home 540 pounds of salmon. 100% self guided. We just hiked and fished from shore. It’s more work but we’re not reeling in any 4lb weights and we are on our schedule. Guides up there have you wake up at 3:00-4:00 am. Heck that’s about when we go to bed😁
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Homer was a blast and so was Seward. We played pool at the Salty dog in Homer and pool at Tony’s in Seward. We also climbed to the top of Marathon mountain which was a great hike.
We love fishing but there’s so much fun to be had up there.
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Thanks for all the tips guys; definitely a different kind of fishing. I’m not trying to complain but it’s not necessarily a “fun” way to fish. We limited on sockeye 2 days and halibut another with some bonus cod and rockfish; going after halibut again tomorrow. I’m 36 and run 20-30 miles every week but reeling in a 4 lb weight with a fish attached in over 500’ of water is a real ball-buster. My left bicep was toast after that day.
I can tell in your photo you fished the Kenai with Kyle. Red fishing is weird, but since they’re krill/plankton eaters, there’s nothing you can put on a hook to get them to bite. King, silvers, and pinks are all willing biters and are fished more traditionally. Plugs, spinners, spoons, spin n glo’s with eggs are trolled or cast. Almost all of it s done in a boat and not from the bank in waders.
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