by Melissa Norris

We have it good here in Alaska—with bountiful fisheries in our surrounding oceans, running river waters, and still lakes, even in a world with a changing environment and changing fisheries. So, how do you ensure your trip is a success when the opportunities seem endless?  Kvichak, Yakutat, Homer, Valdez—There are many places we love to fish in Alaska but unfortunately we can’t get to all of them every year. With that in mind, here are some of the Alaska destinations our editorial team is planning to fish in 2025 that you too may want to consider.

Alagnak River

The Alagnak is nicknamed The Branch due to its braided nature. Hosting five species of Pacific salmon plus rainbow trout and Arctic char, it’s a fly fisherman’s dream that you can also fish with conventional gear. I can’t wait to get back to the Alagnak. I plan to stay with Angler’s Alibi in August of 2025. The owner John Perry tells me they saw solid salmon runs in 2024. Their coho fishery proved decent this year in addition to plenty of chum, pinks, kings and sockeye. I am very interested in species variety and that’s the ultimate charm of the Alagnak.

Clients can fly out to several popular Bristol Bay waters as part of their trip to Angler’s Alibi, but they’ve got incredible home water right in front of the lodge. It’s no hardship when weather grounds planes or delays the day’s adventures. You can simply get in the boat with your guide and have a banner day without lifting off. This summer, instead of housing guests in all weather tents, they are building permanent guest cabins with private bathrooms. The new upgrades plus the quality of the fishing on this incredible river put Anglers Alibi on our best place to fish in Alaska in 2025 list.

Unalakleet River

Talk about off the beaten path. Unalakleet River Lodge is as remote as it gets on the Northwest coast of Alaska. You fly into the village of Unalakleet where their lodge staff grabs you to take you up river by jet boat. Then it’s cozy accommodations and quality dining meets solid salmon fishing. The new owner Mitch purchased the lodge from the family that owned it for a long while a couple year ago after guiding for them for 5 years. He’s obviously in love with the place to want to make it his own. That’s a real tell for the enthusiasm they have for Alaska. They are fortunate to be the only lodge on the river which means such little pressure and plenty of water to fish. We are going to target chums, pinks, silvers and dollies. I am looking forward to this experience in late July.

Nushagak River

This June I am headed to the Nushagak to witness a rather special event. Longtime clients of Nushagak River Adventures Lodge are having their wedding at the lodge. In between fishing, they’ll be married by the lodge owner who they’ve asked to officiate. It’s a favorite destination for this family of outdoor enthusiasts and I couldn’t resist the invite to such a special occasion. If it weren’t for the wedding I would probably go later in the summer to target coho, but kings are holding their own and I am down for some catch and release king fishing. The Nush is one of the best remaining river fishing opportunities to catch and harvest or catch and release kings.

Larsen Bay, Kodiak

There is no place I want to harvest fish for my freezer more than Kodiak Legends Lodge. It’s the combination of their crew, the excellent saltwater fishing, consistently meticulous fish care and the ease and comfort of the lodge. I’ll be heading there the day after I get back to Anchorage from the Nushagak. It’s a short trip this year due to other commitments, but three days of ocean fishing in Uyak Bay and Shelikof Strait should yield some incredible, quality protein for my family, plus a lot of laughs and good times with my friends who work there. For me, Kodiak Legends easily makes the best place to fish in Alaska list.

Trout fishing on the Kenai

It’s one of Fish Alaska’s top places to fish trout for a reason. For many folks, fishing is not about the harvest. The excitement of outsmarting really smart fish, improving your fly casting and technique and the possibility of netting a solid rainbow trout is enough to bring hundreds of anglers to the Kenai each day in August, September and October. A word of advice, if you don’t have a boat and fish there yourself regularly, hire a guide who is on the river day in and day out. They will have an idea of water conditions, where the trout are, what they’re feeding on, and have gear dialed in to fish them. I recommend the guides at Alaska Drift Away Fishing or my buddy Sean Smart at Kenai River Recon. Hit me up if they’re booked up for the days you need and I’ll share some other contacts.

Early season Seward with Big Dan’s

I was excited to hear about a couple of new fishing options offered by Big Dan’s this spring. They have dialed it in, fishing charter clients in Homer and Seward and from their fishing lodge on the Kenai River. They have top boats, high quality fishing gear and customer service that is bar none. Known for overnight charters out of Homer where guests can harvest two days of bag limits as long as it is after midnight on the second limit, they are now offering overnight trips out of Seward from mid May to mid June. And they are also offering a Buy the Boat special where your group can bring up to 6 anglers for the flat rate of $1800, plus the local tax, for a day of halibut fishing from Seward. That special offer is available from May 10 to June 10, 2025. That’s definitely a sweet savings and well worth it to have the boat and crew to yourselves.

Day tripping with Whittier Marine

This summer I am looking forward to getting out on the water with Matt Kopec from Whittier Marine. Matt is a gem of a captain, making his career for the last 30 years showing Alaskans and tourists the beauty and bounty of Prince William Sound. In addition to their fleet of charter boats with excellent captains, the business provides transporting services for hunters and a fleet of rental boats for capable boaters/anglers who want to DIY fish or hunt at their own pace. Whittier is the closest saltwater port to Anchorage which naturally makes it a best place to fish in Alaska with ease. Imagine that convenience plus some of the most stunning mountain views that epitomize Alaska and you have Whittier.

Other Fish Alaska Team Adventures

That’s my short list of fishing trips in the works for 2025. I checked in with my colleagues George and Marcus to see what they have lined out and each of them has some pretty exciting trips mounting. Editor George Krumm is headed to Sitka this summer on a DIY adventure with his kids for bottomfish and salmon in mid August. He’ll work with Fish Baranof who rents Hewescraft boats to experienced boaters wanting to fish their way without the restrictions of charter boats. That suits George’s needs well. As an added adventure after the fishing trip, half their group will return home, but George, Marty and Blake will stay to head into the backcountry on a deer hunt.

Back to Naknek

Later that fall, George will make his annual pilgrimage to the Naknek River with the possibility of fishing some other Bristol Bay streams. We work with several great lodges based on the Naknek River. George will be headed to fish with Katmai Trophy Lodge as he has forged some great friendships there over the years. There is little he enjoys more than swinging flies for rainbow trout and he has caught some dandies over the years. He is arriving in time for prime trout fishing at the end of September into October. I believe if George were a salmon, the Naknek would be his natal stream and he would always find his way back there.

Kodiak Island

My co-Publisher Marcus Weiner is planning some exciting adventures as well. For 8 days in July he has got a Kodiak Island bonanza on the agenda. It starts in the city of Kodiak saltwater fishing for the Big 3 bottomfish—halibut, lingcod and rockfish. He’ll also get to run out to the Saltery River for a day or two for sockeye. He’s fishing with our clients Kodiak Alaskan Adventures alongside the Executive Director of the Kodiak CVB who will offer plenty of local insight to the trip. After his time in the city he will fly out to Kodiak’s village of Old Harbor to fish with our longtime friend and client Jeff Peterson of Kodiak Combos. They’re targeting king salmon and bottomfish. He’s in for a treat because Kodiak is amazing and these anglers know their stuff.

Northern Bristol Bay Trip

In August, Marcus has a trip on the calendar back to Togiak River Lodge. Last summer Marcus filmed his latest Jig Life episode with Togiak River Lodge catching sockeye on jigs. Now he is headed back to apply his skills at jigging for coho, chum and pinks. He’ll also do a little fly fishing for rainbows and dollies. Our whole team enjoys fishing with Togiak River Lodge and feel it easily makes our best place to fish in Alaska list. The lodge is owned by brothers Zack and Jordan Larsen and we appreciate their conservation approach to fishing. The lodge is the only one on the river so there is very little pressure.

Best Place to Fish in Alaska in 2025—Does your destination make the list?

Sitting here in January I am itching to get outside and go fishing. You probably are too! I love Alaska’s winters, but thinking about the trips I have planned and hearing about what George and Marcus have in store has me ready to wade right in. I wanted to share our 2025 lineup in case you’re looking for the hot spots to plan your summer forays. Be sure to keep an eye out for the articles, blogs and videos that will develop from all these adventures.

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.

For Melissa Norris’s full bio, read more.