Cruise passengers to Alaska get plenty of opportunity to take fishing excursions, but it is hard to prepare a newcomer to Alaska for thrill of landing a 20-pound king salmon or the thrill of fishing for 100-pound halbiut. If you'd like to come home from your Alaskan cruise with some fish stories even your best fishing buddies would not believe, just test the icy waters of Alaska.
It's really better for the tourist to go with an excursion or guide than to set off alone. The main advantage to the tour is obvious: no gear. Just getting in and out of Alaska can be a bit of an adventure; so can travel within the state. After all, this is the only state in the Union whose capital city can only be accessed by ship or plane. Traveling with a rod and reel, tackle, and an assortment of lures is asking for trouble.
Guides are also important if you will only have a very limited amount of time to spend and want to maximize your fishing opportunities. Guides know the best spots to fish, can advise you of local regulations, and will assist you in getting the most productive fishing time out of your day.
The most abundant fish in Alaska's abundant waters it the sockeye salmon, sometimes called "reds." These fish are best known as being fighters. Born to swim against the current, a sockeye who takes a hook tends to explode and fight. They're pretty good at it, too. Only one out of every three sockeyes that gets hooked will get cooked. That's because most sockeyes never are landed.
The king of all Alaskan fish is the aptly named king salmon. Seward is probably the best known fishing epicenter for king salmons. The season starts in May.
Silver or Coho salmon come in fresh water and salt water versions. Silver salmon season is July to September, and the best way to go for these fish is by trolling. The limits are six a day (saltwater) or three a day (fresh).
If you've ever seen pictures of fishermen with gigantic fish caught in Alaska, you may be looking at a halibut. A 50-pound halibut is pretty normal, and it's not unusual for these fish to top 100 pounds or more. These fish are best known for their mild flavor and enormous proportions. It takes a lot of strength to land a halibut. Many fishing organizations prefer that the monster halibut get tagged and released.
Ling cod is another popular fish but it has a reputation of being tough to catch. Ling cod live in and around rocky areas and often keep company with silver salmon and rockfish. They are an appalling ugly fish but are known as a real delicacy with flesh as mild as halibut. Most ling cod have white flesh, but some of them are green in the raw state and cook white. While raw green fish is not very visually appealing to some consumers, fish connoisseurs prize the green ling cod filets (which cook to be white anyway).
Ling cod are best pursued with jigs and bait teasers. A 25-pound ling cod in Alaska is considered just about ordinary, and it would not be unheard of to land one that tops 50 pounds. They're wily fish, tough to attract, and when they bite they tend to run to the rocks and swim around, which can often effectively cut the line. The ling cod season is from July to September with the daily bag set at one fish.
Cruise passengers who decide to try their hand at fishing should find out in advance what they can do with any fish they catch. Cruise lines may have special rules, so ask or read materials first. You may be able to have your catch of the day served for your dinner. Some fishing excursion places will freeze fish and ship it. Airlines going in and out of Alaska also have provisions for passengers to check frozen fish. Please ask your airlines since regulations change constantly, but at one time, passengers on most flights in and out of Alaska could check up to 50 pounds of frozen fish at no charge.
If you do have fish frozen, find out how it is packed and how long it will last. Many flash-frozen products are placed in insulated coolers, but still can only be expected to last about 24 hours before they need to get in refrigeration.
Alaska fishing can be great fun, but most of all it could be very exciting. A new adventure in a new and different place is a unique experience. Fishing is relaxing and peaceful but going to places like Alaska are quite different. Alaska fishing offers salmon swimming along the coasts, giant halibut in the waters and brings about beautiful scenery.
Alaska climate ranges from summers that are moist and cater to winters that are cooler. Snowy winters are not uncommon, but less cold than portions of Alaska not warmed by the ocean. What affect does Alaska weather have on the fishing? Salmon return in large numbers to thousands of streams in Alaska, while the halibut move into near shore waters in the summer time. A variety of other fish such as shrimp and crab can be caught in some areas.
In South central Alaska you will find most of the state's population and some of the state's most famous fishing areas. Salmon runs through the flood coastal waters and larger rivers. Halibut on the other hand can be caught in coastal waters along with other fish in the ocean. In the watersheds fish like trout, grayling, pike, Dolly Varden, burbot and whitefish are all year long residents.
Alaska's oceans, rivers and lakes are full of salmon, rainbow trout, char, barndoor, halibut and many other challenging fish. Alaska is the home to five species of Pacific salmon and holds the world record as the much sought after King Salmon.
Alaska Fishing brings many reasons to come to the state. One of the many is the different variety of fish that are popular to catch and the mere quantity of the fish. Salmon and halibut for instance are very popular and are located in the waters throughout the state. This is definitely a fishing state and attracts many fishermen locally and nationally for a great fishing adventure. Many fishermen have their objectives already set for what kind of fish they are looking for and how much quantity they plan on catching. If the objective is salmon or halibut then the perfect fishing location is Alaska.
Alaska Fishing is the perfect getaway or vacation to go do something you love. The best part of it all is that you can do it all year round as long as you pick the right regions for the right season. Alaska fishing is a great getaway because it has so many selection of fishing lodges and special packages that can be purchased. While fishing you also get to experience the different regions of a great fishing state.
Both Mandy Karlik & Paul Winter are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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