Fly Fishing in Alaska

Fly fishing in Alaska is unlike fishing anywhere in the lower 48 states. Nowhere else will you find such a high concentration of high quality, cold water streams and rivers that support such huge numbers of fish. Being fly fishermen, we generally practice catch-and-release religiously for trout. Fly fishing in Alaska is no different. Please practice catch-and-release. The salmon species are viewed a little differently, though. Many fly fishermen will take their limit of salmon primarily because there is such a vast number of these fish that return to their native streams each year that their numbers are not threatened by the fishing kill each year. In fact, this is managed so closely and so well by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game that it is encouraged by them, especially for pink salmon in the even numbered years (because there are so many of them). Whatever your choice, please make sure you visit the Alaska Fishing Regulations website and familiarize yourself with the area you plan to fish.

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If you are planning to fish for various species, I recommend bringing two rods with you. My recommendations would include a nine foot, six-weight rod for smaller trout streams and a nine foot, 8 weight rod for the larger salmon streams. If you are an avid fly fisherman and have other specific goals in mind while fly fishing in Alaska and want to use a smaller or larger rod, by all means, do it. For instance, if you are hunting the mighty kings, you’ll want to bring along a 10-weight rod to have a fighting chance of landing one of these monsters.

As with fly fishing in the lower 48, if you will be pursuing the smaller trout, dolly varden, grayling, etc. a high-priced, quality reel isn’t quite as important. If you are going after the larger rainbows, steelhead or any of the salmon species, you’ll want to make sure you equip your rod with a good quality reel with a strong but smooth drag system that will be able to stand up to the rigors of a fighting silver or king salmon. Carry along a spare spool already filled with a different weight line so you can easily swap spools and be fishing in a matter of minutes. And don’t forget to fill your reels with the appropriate weight of backing. When a hooked salmon makes its life saving attempt to free itself, you’ll want to make sure you don’t run out of line prematurely.

Fly fishing in Alaska is becoming more and more popular, especially for king salmon. As word of mouth spreads, fly fishing in Alaska will continue to become increasingly more popular. That’s ok. It’s a huge state and quite capable of handling additional fishing pressure. Enjoy your time fly fishing in Alaska and respect and care for the environment like you would your own home.

Now we’ll walk through each species and talk a little about technique and the flies you’ll want to use while fly fishing in Alaska. Click on the links below to learn more about the particular species you're interested in.

Fly Fishing for King Salmon (chinook salmon)
Fly Fishing for Sockeye Salmon (red salmon)
Fly Fishing for Coho Salmon (silver salmon)
Fly Fishing for Pink Salmon (humpies)
Fly Fishing for Rainbow Trout
Fly Fishing for Steelhead Trout