Anglers interested in Alaska sport fishing have a variety of options. From saltwater to freshwater sport fishing opportunities, popular fish species include trout, salmon and halibut. Controlled by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, anglers must follow specific regulations while sport fishing in Alaska, including fishing gear, fishing licenses, zones and bag limits.
Gear
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game regulates the gear used while sport fishing to reduce the injuries given to the fish during the catch. Typical regulations, as of 2010, include no hooks with longer than 1/2 inch between the point and shank, no snagging and no fixed or weighted hooks and lures. While fly fishing, you may only have one unweighted, single-hook fly. Ice fishing is allowed but restricted to two fishing lines with one hook on each line. Using a spear is allowed for northern pike.
Licenses
You must purchase an appropriate sport fishing license before fishing in Alaska. Licenses can be purchased online at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website. As of 2010, the prices for resident licenses are $24 for an annual sport fishing license, $48 for a sport fishing and hunting license and $62 for a hunting, sport fishing and trapping license. Nonresidents have several options for sport fishing licenses depending on the length of the fishing trip. The choices include one-day, three-day, seven-day, 14-day or an annual sport fishing license that costs $20, $35, $55, $80 or $145, respectively. Nonresidents may also combine an annual sport fishing license with a hunting license for $230 or seven-day sport fishing and hunting license for $140.
Zones
Alaska divides the sport fishing regulations into five major zones--Bristol Bay, South Central, Interior, Kodiak and Southeast. Bristol Bay includes Lake Clark, Iliamna Lake, Cape Newenham, Cape Menshikof and Kamishak Bay. The South Central zone includes Cook Inlet, Kenai Peninsula, Resurrection Bay and Prince William Sound. The Interior zone includes the Arctic, Yukon, Kuskokwin, Tanana, Upper Susitna and Upper Copper Rivers. The Kodiak zone includes waters in the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands. Regulations in the Southeast zone cover the Juneau, Ketchikan and Prince of Wales area. Each zone may have specific regulations regarding seasons, bag limits and gear.
Limits
To preserve the long-term success of sport fishing in Alaska, many species of fish have bag limits that regulate how many fish can be taken in a day, season or year. For example, the Bristol Bay zone has a yearly limit of five king salmon. However, only king salmon measuring over 20 inches are included in the yearly limit. A yearly limit of two sharks--species including Lamniformes, Squaliformes or Carcharhiniformes--may be taken from any Alaska saltwater.
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