# Planning a trip to Alaska (help)



## drsx (Sep 8, 2010)

It will be my first trip to Alaska. Me and my wife. I'm overwhelmed with the options. I want to try and do all the "must" items. If it were me I'd spend the whole time on the water fishing, but my wife will be there. Need to do some other type of sight seeing etc to mix it up.

As far as fishing goes this is what I'm thinking... fly into Anchorage, drive down to Seward, I've got rewards points I can use for a couple free nights in Seward aa hotel. Maybe do the sight seeing stuff and possibly Halibut fishing over there? Then really want to do some fishing over on the Kenai and anywhere else thats a "must". I'd love to catch as many different fish as possible; Salmon, Trout, Dollys, Char, Artic Grayling etc.....

I don't really want the cookie cutter, fish the kenai with a bazillion other people... I'd like to get away if possible. I've looked at some neat options for some fly in's that would be cool.

Suggestions from any one who has done it would be appreciated!!! Thanks


----------



## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

I went 2 years ago and went with "The Gone Fishin Lodge", for the first time I wanted to have guides to make sure I caught fish and to know the fishing regs, the regs vary from area to area and different parts of the same river have different regs and they vary depending on the date, then the fish and game will have emergency regs in place that you have to watch for with the changes in the runs, reading the proc I thought I needed to be a lawyer.

Anyway I am going again in July with the same lodge with some different trips. If you search some of the different guide services they tell you when the best fishing is for the type of fish you want to catch. For example you don't catch silvers in June but you do later in July, for just one example.

You will love combat fishing on the Kenai 

[attachment=0:2b6mxywg]Alaskan_Combat_Fishing.jpg[/attachment:2b6mxywg]


----------



## drsx (Sep 8, 2010)

Haha exactly I'm looking to avoid the combat fishing. Thanks fir the reply. Any others?


----------



## P-soup03 (Dec 18, 2012)

I haven't been up to Anchorage, but have gone to Juneau. There are some good sites there such as glaciers, fish hatcheries, and old Juneau. As for fishing, you can catch halibut, all of the Salmonid family, ling cod, rock fish (yellow eye, china rock...), kelp greeling, lantern jaw... the list goes on and on. Went to an island and only saw some commercial fishers and a few other boats. It was a great place.


----------



## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

drsx -- so, your trip will be Anchorage -- Seward -- Kenai Peninsula, correct?

You didn't mention when you'll be going, which is a pretty important thing concerning fishing.

The Kenai Peninsula is the most popular destination for salmon fishing, so avoiding crowds will be difficult. But, you still have options, even if you avoid the Kenai and Russian rivers. Check out the Anchor River, or maybe even the Swanson River (August coho) near Captain Cook State Recreation Area.


----------



## scott_rn (Sep 11, 2007)

You may want to look at doing a float trip. I moved up in 09, so I am still no expert but could probably give you a little perspective. Shoot me a pm with a phone number if you want to chat sometime.

I am going to try to float one multi-day interior river this year and hopefully a bristol bay float too. I may try to go halibut fishing this year for some meat. clamming is actually pretty fun too.


----------



## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

drsx this might help,

[attachment=0:1lb5zuwf]fish-runs.jpg[/attachment:1lb5zuwf]


----------



## drsx (Sep 8, 2010)

scott_rn said:


> You may want to look at doing a float trip. I moved up in 09, so I am still no expert but could probably give you a little perspective. Shoot me a pm with a phone number if you want to chat sometime.
> 
> I am going to try to float one multi-day interior river this year and hopefully a bristol bay float too. I may try to go halibut fishing this year for some meat. clamming is actually pretty fun too.


Thanks guys. Scott I'll be in touch. I'm shooting for the week of July 21st through the 28th. Pretty much got my itinerary planned out; just booked my flights. Whooooooo hooooooooooooo!!


----------



## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

Hey, I will be there the same time, I fly up on the 19th and back on the 28th.
I rent my car from Adventure Alaskan Car Rentals, they are on the main highway just leaving the airport, they have what is called a fishermans special. I just booked my flights Friday, I hope Jet Blue is an ok airline they were the cheapest, $375 round trip from Las Vegas.

Here's the trip, except I changed one of the Halibut trips to a fly out to a river across the Cook Inlet where we land on the river and fish the sand bars.



> Plan I 7 Nights/6 Trips •2 King Salmon Trips
> •2 Halibut Trips
> •1 Fly out for Salmon
> •1 Seward Multi Species Trip for Halibut, ling cod, salmon, rockfish & snapper OR 1 Saltwater Silver Trip
> July $2,695


Also, you may want to get your reservations for motels unless you are camping, that is supposed to be one of the best weeks of the year and it will be busy.


----------



## kstorrs (Oct 29, 2012)

My wife and I are also planning an Alaskan trip for July. We checked out the 'Gone Fishin Lodge' website. Any other lodges anybody recommends?


----------



## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

kstorrs, if you are going to the hunting expo next month there will be a lot of guides there but July is the busiest month and everything is filling fast.

I just received my email from Adventure Alaskan Car Rentals and he said I got to him just in time since his last 2 weeks of July are full, he is giving me a minivan on the fisherman's special for $550 for 8 days. I haven't priced others so I don't know if that is good or not but I reserved it.

Ralph with Gone Fishin Lodge is from Salt Lake and he should have a booth at the Expo.


----------



## kstorrs (Oct 29, 2012)

Ok thanks for the info. I guess we will be going to the hunting expo


----------



## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

Maybe I shouldn't have said a lot since that is comparative, but there will be some, now the Sportsmans Expo in March there will be a lot more.


----------

