Alaska fishing is undoubtedly some of the best in the world. And not only do you have the incredible opportunity to hop on a sea charter and scour the depths of the ocean with your fishing rod, but you can also explore the mainland rivers and lakes in search of freshwater fish.
Whether you stick to the rivers in and around Homer itself or choose an excursion that flies you out to a more private fishing location, we can make your angling dreams come to life.
If freshwater fishing or fly-flying is your passion, then Alaska is a perfect destination with its many lakes, streams, and rivers. In fact, Alaska has more than 3,000,000 lakes and untold thousands of creeks and rivers. But when and where you fish is mostly going to be determined by what fish you have your eye on. Here are some of the most common freshwater fish you can look forward to hooking into:
King or Chinook Salmon
Silver or Coho Salmon
Rainbow Trout
Pike
Dolly Varden
Grayling
Steelhead
Sockeye or Red Salmon
BEST FISHING SPOTS
Major Rivers in Alaska
Kenai River Probably the most famous of Alaska's rivers, the Kenai sparkles an azure teal color that is unlike anything you have ever seen in freshwater. Plus, it's wide and long (80 miles!) and supports one of the largest and most diverse freshwater fishing opportunities in Alaska.
Famous for its King Salmon and huge Sockeye, it also contains an abundance of other species such as rainbow, lake, and steelhead trout. With both native and stocked species of trout, it's not uncommon to pull out a 30" trout from the waters of the Kenai (sizes almost unheard of anywhere else.)
But that's nothing compared to the millions of salmon that push their way up the Kenai River to spawn. Prized by anglers for both their unmatched taste and the thrill of the fight, words simply don't do justice to the experience of going to battle against a 100-pound King Salmon against the stunning backdrop of the Alaskan Wilderness.
Kasilof River
The Kasilof River is a glacier-fed river that stretches from Tustumena Lake to Cook Inlet. Fishing and recreation are the big draws for this river. With no motors allowed on the Kasilof, this is for drift fishing, kayaking, and canoeing, but the fishing is on par with the Kenai.
Expect a shallow river with a milky color and excellent angling. The best time to go for King Salmon begins in mid-May, which starts to wane in late June/early July. But there is a second run, made up mostly of wild fish with 50 pounders not uncommon that begins in mid-July.
Sockeye begin their run in mid June and in an average year more than 900,000 of these Red Salmon come through. Silver Salmon peaks in mid-August, ending at the end of September. Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden call the Kasilof home year-round.
Anchor River
Just 15 miles from Homer is the Anchor River, one of the Kenai Peninsula's most popular rivers for fishing. Starting before Memorial Day weekend, a wide variety of fish move through this beautiful river from King Salmon to Silver Salmon and Dolly Varden.
It's close enough to the properties of Alaska Luxury Adventures that you can try your hand on the Anchor River every day if you are an avid angler.
If you are coming to Alaska for the fish, consider a freshwater fishing excursion, put together by your personal concierge at Alaska Luxury Adventures.
