Planning a fishing trip to Alaska has one thing in common with the actual fishing once you get there: abundant possibilities. With its five native species of Pacific Salmon, fertile populations of record-breaking Rainbow Trout, Arctic Char and Halibut, and ample lakes, rivers and streams, the state is a popular vacation destination for anglers from all over the world. The state is divided into five distinct regions, each of them full of full-service fishing lodges that will cater to your every need once you get there, so your only care should be making sure none of those fish get away.
Far North
The frigid far north, where the ground is frozen just inches below the soil all year long, can be a harsh environment for all but the native populations of caribou that breed along the barren coast of the Arctic Ocean and the Inupiat Eskimos who still live in traditional villages there. But the region's Nome, Barrow and Prudhoe Bays attract intrepid anglers all year long, and several full-service lodges offer guided fishing tours and will try to take the chill out of your stay. The Anvik River Lodge, which advertises that it has the entire Anvik River to itself, offers five- and seven-day packages with full service from Anchorage. Austin's Golsovia River lodge, about 300 yards from the river mouth and Norton Sound, offers fishing on a stream accessible only by boat and is about 40 miles from civilization.
Interior
Interior Alaska might be the only region in Alaska without a coastline, but that doesn't mean it is lacking in fishing opportunities. The region is full of rivers, lakes and streams, and in Alaska, that means abundant populations of trophy Salmon, Arctic char, lake trout, Dolly Varden, and grayling. Anglers looking to fish the King Salmon run on the Nushagak River can stay in the Nushagak Salmon Camp, a wilderness camp which offers tents with carpeted floors, hot showers and complete kitchen facilities that serve family style meals in the camps dining tent. Another option in the region is the Gakona Lodge, about halfway between Anchorage and Fairbanks. The lodge has access to the Klutina, Gulkana and Valdez Rivers.
Southeast
Anglers visiting southeast Alaska can expect to be waterlogged most of the time: the region is rarely dry. But the abundant water doesn't come only from rain. Southeast Alaska is the home of the island-pocked inside passage, where saltwater fishing charters regularly reel in fighting Chinook, King Salmon and 100-pound Halibut. The Boardwalk Lodge, in the rainforest on Prince of Whale Island, offers charter trips through the spring and fall, and guided flyflishing and lake fishing on the island's interior for landlubbers.
Southwest
Fishing lodges in Southwest Alaska offer expeditions to the seacoast of the 500-mile Alaskan Peninsula, the Aleutian Islands that extend from the peninsula's tip, Bristol Bay--the source of the world's largest source of red salmon--and the Pribilof Islands in the Baring Sea. The Alaska Rainbow Lodge, on Bristol Bay, specializes in Rainbow Trout. Also in Bristol Bay, Alaska's Fishing Unlimited Lodge limits its guests to 14 anglers per week. And at the Crystal Creek Lodge, near the Katmai National Park, flies its guests to different rivers or streams by helicopter.
Southcentral
Southcentral Alaska is one of the easier parts of the state to visit. Its temperatures are moderate compared to most of the rest of the state, and it is home to the state capital, Anchorage. But the region also has ample fishing in the Matanuska & Susitna River Valleys and the Prince William Sound, which features 10,000 square miles of protected waterways, islands, fjords, and 10,000 glaciers, according to Alaska Trekker, a regional tourism guide. Lodges in this region include the Northwoods Lodge, on Lake Creek, which caters to fly fishermen, the Orca Lodge, on the Kenai River and Redoubt Mountain Lodge, a fly-in lodge in Lake Clark National Park.
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