Many anglers practice road fishing in Alaska. Many rest stops along the highways provide opportunity for fishing, camping, and sight seeing along any trip. Workers set up these stops to make it easy for visitors to camp or fish, or even just enjoy the state's natural beauty while stretching their legs.
Highway
Alaska boasts the fewest miles of paved roads of any of the 50 U.S. states. The Richardson, Parks, and Alaska Highways take the title as the three largest, but other roads to exist regionally. If you're planning to see Alaska first hand through traveling and fishing off the highways, you not only need to pack fishing and camping gear but you will want to make sure to have plenty of emergency supplies for any worst case scenario. Always use detailed maps of every region you plan to fish.
The Kenai
Many anglers find Kenai one of the easiest places to enjoy road fishing. While small in area compared to the rest of the state, the Kenai boasts a large number of rest stops and pull off sites. Dozens of salmon choked streams sit right next to the rest areas throughout the Kenai, giving anglers many opportunities to catch salmon, or sometimes even Dolly Varden or trout depending on the area and season.
The Interior
Anglers working the interior regions of the state can find many opportunities for good fishing right off of the road. Anglers fishing the interior need to be ready for long trips as sometimes 50 miles or more of road stretches between two rest areas. Lake trout and Arctic Grayling dwell in abundance around the interior water ways, and some lakes will hold a healthy northern pike population.
Best Gear
Assuming you're not going to be dragging a trailer, the best fishing gear is easy to carry and works well on the surface or just below the surface. Many streams and lakes run swift but fairly shallow. Healthy populations of fish still live and feed in the shallow waters. Fly-fishing gear tends to work well for shallow streams, and many anglers use fly gear to fish for salmon, trout, Dolly Varden, or grayling.
Game Management Units
Alaska allows local management of fishing and hunting laws, which means that legal daily catch limits can vary from one Game Management Unit (GMU) to another. Rangers offer detailed GMU maps that anglers use to know which rules apply to the waterways and rest stops they're planning to fish at.
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