Fishing Information

North to Alaska


For many fishermen Alaska is the ultimate "mecca" of fishing. Early childhood dreams of Salmon choked rivers and Bears of every shape and size basking in the sun, their bellys full of fish- and the occasional "slow" fisherman- help to fuel the vision that is Alaska.

The north country.

The place where even a blind man can catch a fish. At least I hope so, because after forty-seven years of talking about it, buying books on it, watching videos and saying "next year"-- the time has come for me to make my Alaskan pilgramage.

Bags packed and flights booked.

Come mid August I will be on the upper Kenai River casting bugs to Silver Salmon and Graylings and Dolly Varden Trout. I sure hope I don't get skunked.

I literally have travel guides that date back to the mid 1980's, that I picked up, because that was the year I was heading north. For one reason or another the trips always got cancelled or put off.

Not this year!!

Every time I picked up a map of Alaska, I was always amazed at the immense size of our 49th state. So much so, that I always felt I needed three full months to explore it. With that kind of self-imposed mind set, I just kept putting it off.

I finally decided that one week is better than never, so I'm going!

A friend of mine has a son who will be guiding up there this summer, so it seemed like an ideal time to go. Besides, now I can blame him if I come home fishless. My real worry is that I am a lot slower these days so I will have to be selective as to who I fish with while I am up there. I have been having time trials here in Southern Oregon and anybody that can outrun me over 100 yards has been eliminated as a fishing partner. You know the old saying about not having to "outrun" the bear--you just have to be faster than the other guy. Unfortunately, if the bear happens to be a "long distance" bear-- I'm screwed, because I think both of my current fishing partners are marathoners. Maybe I can size up some of the other fishermen while I am up there and situate myself as close to a 250 pound out a shape smoker as possible.If he was to have a prosthetic leg, that would help also, but I'm not sure exactly how to check for that. I certainly don't want the guy to be too large, because then the bear might be intimidated by his size and opt for me as an appetizer??!!

A lot of things to think about before fishing in Alaska.

Another concern of mine that I have heard about, is the abundance of mosquitoes that apparently are everywhere. If there is one mosquito in a 50 mile radius he will find me, so I am concerned that millions of the tiny buggers might cover me like a bee colony drawn to the hive. Based on past experiences, I think my body must be made up of 90 percent carbon dioxide-- which I believe is what they are drawn to-- because I can stand next to ten people outdoors and while I am flailing and swatting like an epileptic, spasmatic fool-- they will stand there calmly looking at me like.... well... like I'm some epileptic, spasmatic fool!!

Again, not being one to enter a wild country unprepared, I am currently undergoing some slightly painful yet necessary skin grafts with a very fine screen mesh that should do the trick.

If not, I will be offering myself up to some rather slow and undernourished Grizzlies.

I know this sounds rather drastic, but my wife was once able to read the entire braille alphabet on my back after I was bitten so many times on another fishing excursion. That and the fact I have heard of guys having metal plates inserted into their head from to many bites. Oh, and of course there is always West Nile virus to worry about--but I can get that here in lower 48 as well.

Other than that, I can't wait to be fishing in Alaska.

AJ Klott-Author, blogger, and peddler of "fly tacks". AJ writes of fishing humor, and the events, people and characters that surround the fishing world. His first book is due out in December of 2005.

View his articles and fly tacks at: http://www.twoguyswithflys.com/ or http://www.twoguyswithflys.com/blog/blog.html


MORE RESOURCES:

Fishing report: Week of Feb. 8
Fresno Bee
Compiled by Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, a central San Joaquin Valley native and local fishing expert. New Melones trout on fire, Melanie Lewis said. Delta sturgeon action awesome, Tony Lopez reported. Delta Mendota stripers ramp up bite, ...
Fishing Line for Feb. 8Buffalo News
Fishing Report (2/8/12)Sacramento Bee
Fish FinderStockton Record
U-T San Diego -Royal Oak Daily Tribune
all 8 news articles »


NOAA

Fishing Regulators Double Catch Limits on Gulf of Maine Winter Flounder
MPBN News
Federal fisheries regulators say they're doubling the allowable catch of Gulf of Maine winter flounder for the current fishing season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it's increasing the amount of the fish that commercial ...
NOAA doubles Gulf of Maine winter flounder catch limitsNOAA

all 2 news articles »


Fish Factor: DNR mission statement trades 'conserve' for 'responsibly develop'
Capital City Weekly
Section 3; Common Use, says: "Wherever occurring in their natural state, fish, wildlife, and waters are reserved to the people for common use." The governor was also asked at the press conference about recent law violations with some staff at the ...

and more »


Fishing Report: Tarpon starting to make their appearance
Naples Daily News
More water movement means more feeding fish. Instead of a midday high tide of 1.4 feet, we will be jumping up to 1.8 or 2.2, and those few inches mean a lot in terms of a good bite. Everything from snook and reds, to sheepshead and pompano, ...

and more »


John Berry's Fly-Fishing for Trout: Fishing on opening day with Lori
Baxter Bulletin
By not fishing over them during their spawn, we encourage them to spawn and protect them during this important period of their life cycle. When the browns spawn they do not take nourishment. As a result, at the end of the spawn, they are hungry and ...

and more »


Scientists Find Radioactive Fish In New Part Of Vermont
WPTZ The Champlain Valley
FRANKLIN, Vt. -- A new report finds fish in the northern part of Vermont are radioactive like the fish living in the waters near the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. The significance of this finding is not just that these fish have radioactive ...

and more »


Alaska Dispatch

Ex-Murkowski aide gets prison term in fish case
Juneau Empire
The former fisheries aide for Murkowski, who falsified commercial fishing records for profit, is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012. Fuglvog pleaded guilty in federal court in Anchorage last August to one count of violating the Lacey Act ...
Former federal fisheries regulator Arne Fuglvog sentenced to prisonAlaska Dispatch
Former Murkowski Aide to be Sentenced TuesdayKTUU.com

all 5 news articles »


Mark Sampson: Log on and speak up about fisheries
Delmarva Now
This week I'll also take care of my "HMS permit" and after that my Maryland fishing license. Let's see... I've already renewed my Maryland "guides license," the documentation for my boat, my membership in a "random drug testing program" and the renewal ...

and more »


TheNewsTribune.com

5 months in prison for former fisheries official
TheNewsTribune.com
Lisa Murkowski who worked as a commercial fisherman while sitting on the council that regulates fishing off Alaska's coast was sentenced today to five months in prison for falsifying his own fishing reports. Arne Fuglvog, former fisheries aide for Sen.
Former Murkowski aide to be sentenced Tuesday for falsely reporting where he ...The Republic
Fuglvog Sentenced to Five Months In PrisonAlaska Public Radio Network

all 22 news articles »


Craftsmen have a passion for bamboo fishing rods
Bellingham Herald
He's fishing a bamboo rod again. But he didn't buy it. Bamboo rods are prohibitively expensive for most anglers, running from $800 to $3000 or more. So, in his retirement, Johnson learned to make bamboo rods. He buys bamboo from the south of China.

and more »

Google News

home | site map | Ocean Photography
© 2006