The Ultimate Planning Guide for your Alaska Fishing Trip
by Melissa Norris
Plan an epic Alaska fishing adventure. As experts at Fish Alaska magazine we are happy to offer our guidance. We fish all over the state and have a current perspective on areas that are fishing well. Whether you’re interested in the best guided fishing in Alaska or want to plan the perfect DIY trip for you and your group, you’re in the right place to plan your Alaska fishing trip. We share our multiple decades of experience on the pages of Fish Alaska and through our digital channels. Now we have boiled it down to a step-by-step planning guide for folks who are either new to fishing in Alaska or who are looking to change it up next time you visit.
- 1
Determine target species and preferred fishing style.
- 2
Decide on trip and accommodations style.
- 3
Narrow down best destination options for your preferences.
- 4
Learn best timing for desired species and style of fishing.
- 5
Review outfitter services like guides, charters, lodges, flight services, car rentals—depending on your trip.
- 6
Contact top service provider choices to ask questions.
- 7
Build your itinerary. View our sample itineraries here.
- 8
Book your dates with your services including any flights!
- 9
View our Before You Go section for frequently asked questions prior to travel.
You can choose to skip this whole guide and just fill out the form linked above. Outfitters and service providers in Alaska will reach out to you to answer your questions and help you choose. It’s simple and free.
But if you’re the type who wants to delve into the options available, read on!
Fish Alaska’s Ultimate Guide to Planning an Alaska Fishing Trip
Step 1: Determine Target Species and Style of Fishing.
First decide the style of fishing and the species or multiple species your group wishes to target. Do you want saltwater, freshwater or both? That’s the first decision to settle on. Next focus on what species of fish you want to catch. All of this will play into your selection of where and when to visit.
The sport-caught saltwater fish species of Alaska most often sought include halibut, Chinook and coho salmon, a variety of rockfish and lingcod. As for the favorite river-caught species in Alaska, that list includes king, silver and sockeye salmon, plus rainbow trout, steelhead trout, Dolly Varden, Arctic char, and grayling. In lakes, Alaskans mostly fish for rainbow trout, lake trout, Northern pike, Arctic char and sheefish. View our Alaska Fish Species Guide to learn more.
Once you determine the overall style and species you want, it helps to chew more on the style of fishing that most appeals to you. Do you want to be fully guided, self guided, or maybe a little of both? Do you want to fly fish or fish with conventional gear? All of this helps determine the best time to visit and the best destination to choose that most suits your wants.
In summary step one is answering the following questions. Once you have done that you can move on to step two.
- Saltwater, freshwater or both?
- What species do we you to fish for?
- Guided or unguided?
- Fly or conventional?
Visit our Alaska Fish Species Guide for interesting facts and fishing tips.
Yelloweye Rockfish
Pacific Cod
Arctic Char
Step 2: Choose your Style of Accommodations.
Next up is choosing the way you want to stay. Do you want an all-inclusive, full service fishing lodge to supply all the guided fishing, fishing gear, boats, meals and fish processing? Perhaps your speed is to rent a car and book a vacation rental home or cabin and book a couple charter days plus some guided river fishing, visiting multiple towns along the way. Some people prefer to camp, prepare their own meals, immerse themselves in the outdoors and DIY fish on a remote river float trip. Whatever your preference it can seem like the options are limitless. On top of that, prices range from on a budget to luxurious wilderness experience and everything in between.
So, how do you decide? In addition to knowing what comfort level you desire, meals should be under consideration when you think about planning your Alaska fishing trip. It could be more budget friendly to book a rental house and cook for yourself after a trip to the local grocery store, but some people don’t want to go through the effort. Some would rather focus their Alaska vacation on relaxing and fishing and viewing the gorgeous surroundings. Only you know what best suits you.
In summary, step two is to review this list of prevalent accommodation styles and choose what you want for your Alaska fishing trip.
- All Inclusive Fishing Lodge
- Vacation/Cabin Rentals
- Hotel with Day Excursions Planned
- Camping/Tent or RV Rental on the Road System
- Camping/Remote River Float
Remote Full Service Lodge, All-Inclusive
Riverfront Vacation Rental with DIY Fishing or Charters Booked Separately
Road System All Inclusive Fishing Lodge
Step 3: Select the Best Area for your Species and Style.
After you have identified your target species and chosen your accommodations style, it’s time to figure out where you want to fish. That’s step 3. Some people instinctually know where they want to fish. It’s probably somewhere they have heard about—through magazine and web articles, social media posts with fishing photos or from family and friends. Many want to fish the world famous Kenai River. They’ll make the Kenai Peninsula their playground, staying and fishing in either Cooper Landing, Sterling, Soldotna or Kenai (the major communities that surround the Kenai River). Then they will add on days to Homer, Seward or Whittier to round out the experience. They are likely to hang for a day in Anchorage too.
Others are drawn to Bristol Bay for the famous salmon or rainbow trout fishing and to see Alaska brown bear in the wild. They’ll choose one of the area’s famous rivers. They’ll seek a high-end fly out lodge or a home water fishing lodge that also provides a great experience but at a lesser cost. DIY trips are less likely found in the area, but they do exist if you know where to look.
Perhaps you had a family member who fished on Prince of Wales Island years ago and you grew up hearing the stories and always wanted to take a similar trip to the Inside Passage. You’re interested in a saltwater experience. You also want to check out the road system for the steelhead population. You’ll love it so much you’ll likely make an annual or bi-annual trip to the Last Frontier for more.
It might be that you’re on a mission to catch Chinook salmon. Maybe your dream is to harvest a king so you elect to take home a medium-sized king you caught and let the big one go back to spawn. For you the Nushagak River in Bristol Bay is a great option. Book with a full service lodge or tent camp for your Alaska river trip.
For others, it may not be so black and white. You might only know you want to go fishing in Alaska and there are tons of options. It helps to understand what Alaska has to offer on a regional basis, keeping in mind some communities or bodies of water, and to recognize the current best performing fisheries.
Alaska by Region
Alaska is traditionally broken into five regions classified as the Inside Passage, Southwest, Southcentral, Central and the Arctic.
The Inside Passage (Southeast Alaska)
Sitka, Yakutat, Prince of Wales Island, Juneau, Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Wrangell, Elfin Cove, Gustavus
Southwest Alaska
Bristol Bay, Katmai National Park, Lake Clark National Park, Dillingham, King Salmon, Bethel, Iliamna, Aleutian Chain
Southcentral Alaska
Kenai Peninsula, Kenai River, Homer, Soldotna, Sterling, Kenai, Cooper Landing, Seward, Anchorage, Whittier, Mat Su Valley, Valdez
Central Alaska
Fairbanks, Glenn Allen, Nenana, Chena River, Delta Clearwater River
Arctic
Brooks Range, Nome, Unalakleet, Kobuk, Stoyukuk, Yukon River
Step 4: Run Timing and Planning your Alaska Trip.
Run timing is a critical element when it comes to planning an Alaska fishing trip, especially if catching fish is one of your goals. For a narrower focus on Alaska’s sport caught fish run timing, check out our extensive species guide here. A broad overview is below beginning with April when steelhead can be found migrating into some rivers.
Early Season
April and May: Steelhead fishing begins in certain areas. The Situk River is one of our most famous fisheries for steelhead and they normally fish late April into late May on average. Steelhead trout also populate the Kenai Peninsula, Southeast Alaska and Kodiak Island to name a few.
May and June: Saltwater fishing starts up in areas around the Kenai Peninsula, Inside Passage communities in Southeast Alaska and all over Kodiak Island. Halibut fishing is good starting now through September when calm weather permits. Some outfitters are offering good savings during this timeframe because they have availability. Prime time is booked up solid well in advance with top outfitters. This time of year for fishing halibut and rockfish, and king salmon where it’s permitted, is a great option that should strongly be considered. In addition to less crowds you can take advantage of the savings. Early season discounts usually apply until the first or second week of June, before any first run sockeye begin to show up in rivers.
Mid Season
Late June and into July is game on everywhere for everything, well maybe not everything, but most. Kings are in, sockeye are in, saltwater is is full effect with a July 1 opening for lingcod in certain units. This is the quintessential primetime in Alaska. Roads are busy with locals and travelers alike running around soaking in all the adventure we can get. Top rated outfitters are traditionally booked solid these months although some openings are to be found with many excellent places available.
Late Season
Fall brings coho starting in the beginning of August and into September. That can stretch into October in some regions and also start early in late July too. Salmon run time does vary but you can fairly well lock in on some prime dates for coho. September and October are primetime rainbow trout fishing months. Avid fly anglers dot river banks and cast from boats, hunting for trophy-sized trout on rivers like the Kenai and Naknek. Saltwater is still happening but weather can delay trips here and there. It’s best to have an extra day built in to reschedule if that happens to your group.
For your best understanding of run timing, check out our Alaska Sportfish Species Guide here to learn about the individual species.
Step 5: Research Guides, Lodges, Cabin Rentals, Hotels, Car Rentals, etc.
Depending on the style you chose for yourself you may need a rental car and a full service lodge on the Kenai Peninsula. You might be flying out to Bristol Bay to spend your days on the Nushagak and need an extra flight and B&B in Dillingham. Whatever your trip style entails start with a short list of the services you need. For fishing and lodging related businesses, we know dozens of quality outfitters all over the state of Alaska. We feel confident when we recommend our friends and clients you’ll get the best available. You can either just fill out our free trip planning service form and we will have them reach out to you or you can check out different community pages for our recommendations. You’ll find a page on our website for each of these business owners and operators we know that we hope will help you find what you need. Additional resources include the Visitor Centers/Chambers of Commerce from the communities you want to visit. You can also do a web search for outfitters but we caution that list can be hard to narrow down. Utilizing a combination of these resources should yield your best results. You are also welcome to email info@fishalaskamagazine.com or call our main office at 907-345-4337. One of us will reach back to you to help however we can.
Step 6: Contact your Top Choice Service Providers.
Once you have in mind your destination and a handful of top outfitter choices in the area, we recommend reaching out to them to ask any additional questions. You’ll want to know about timing and their openings and availability. You can ask about pricing and what that includes. Ask about any fees not included and what may be unaccounted for in the price. Learn their booking policies and what to expect. You’ll also want to just get a vibe for the person you’re talking with. Part of your decision making will be about who you like best. Maybe they share fishing values that align with yours or they put you at ease naturally. If you happen to run into a grumpy person you can move on pretty easily. This stage of the research is one of the most important in our opinion. It’s your vacation and you want to spend it with people who love what they do. Take our recommendations and you will nearly always find that.
Step 7: Build your Itinerary.
Once you decide what you want to do and where you want to go in the great state of Alaska, start building your itinerary. It will help you determine what’s feasible in the time allowed. Let’s face it, you probably are not going to be visiting all five regions of Alaska in a single visit. Most Alaskans don’t even get to do that in a lifetime. But if you have 10 days or a couple of weeks or longer, you can pack a lot in. We think most people visit Alaska for a week to 10 days so we have crafted a handful of sample itineraries that work for these durations so you can start to see what’s possible for your Alaska fishing trip. Traveling here, you should be prepared for the occaissional weather delay, especially in certain regions,. If it’s built into your itinerary, it probably won’t throw you off your path too far. Thorough planning and understanding are great assets in this endeavor.
See our Sample Alaska fishing trip itineraries here for ideas on how to maximize your Alaska fishing trip time.
8: Book your Dates!
It’s official, you chose your lodge/guide/rental house etc. Their dates and availability line up with yours so you better get it locked down! You have already learned about their booking policies, so follow the procedure each service provider outlines. Most require a percentage down to hold your dates until they enact their selected payment plans. If it’s not on their website or any email exchanges, and you forgot to ask when you contacted them then it’s time to ask. Get your lodging, fishing and any flights booked first. The rest you have a moment or two to plan. If you are adding on any additional adventures like a flight seeing tour or a bear viewing adventure, make sure to get those booked too. Any specifics on the itinerary are best pre booked. Yes, you can probably find a Kachemak Bay wildlife cruise opening or a bear viewing fly out seat while you are on your vacation. However, you will be taking your chances and also spending your precious trip time on pinning that down.
9: Before You Go.
Congratulations on planning your Alaska fishing trip. We are excited for you to have an amazing adventure and hope that you will share photos and a short summary of your trip for us to print in our magazine and post on social media. Before you go, there are a few more items to consider, such as what to do if you plan to bring fish home. Head over to our Pre-Trip Guide for tips on what to pack, what to wear fishing, how to bring fish home and more. Have a great time with your family and friends on your Alaska fishing trip!
In summary, these are the most important questions you need to answer to plan your Alaska fishing trip.
- What type of fishing do you want to do?
- What timeframe is best for my desired fishing style and target species?
- Where do I want to stay? Full service lodge, RV campsite, vacation rental, hotel, etc.
- Will I want a guided or DIY trip?
- What type of budget can I expect?
- Do I want to bring fish home?
You could just skip this whole thing and simply fill out our online trip planning questionnaire if you want to take the guess work out of it. We will put you in touch with some of the best folks who can host your fishing trip in Alaska based on answering some important questions about your desired trip. It’s a free service we offer to our readers and viewers. No strings attached.
But if you enjoy the research process and have a general understanding of the options in Alaska, we encourage you to embrace it. Be sure to make it easier by using our planning guide that includes all of our tips and recommendations for your best trip. Fish on!!
Subscribe to our magazine to stay connected with the Alaska fishing community. We want to hear about YOUR TRIP! Send us your photos along with some details of your trip for our “Fishing for a Compliment” section of the magazine so everyone can see you out there living the dream! Your photos will appear in the print magazine and on our social media as our catch of the day!
Melissa Norris
About the Author Melissa Norris
Melissa Norris is the founder and Publisher of Fish Alaska and Hunt Alaska magazines. She has over two decades of experience fishing all over Alaska, writing about her time in the field, testing gear, planning trips and cooking and harvesting wild Alaska seafood. In addition to writing tons of content for the magazine and our website, Melissa heads our digital platforms and leads the design team.