Category: Fishing in Alaska
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Sockeye II Part 2 AND Coho Count I
During the latter half of our 6-day “Sockeye II, 2024” I finally caught my first sockeye salmon by flossing. Three of the four in the photo below are mine. It was a lot of work and in a crowd, so I am still not a fan of this type of fishing. July 29 we fished…
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Bore Tide and Bears, Sockeye II, 2024

We planned this 6-day trip around the Turnagain Arm bore tide. C was working on the best predicted days, but we still had a shot on his first full day off. (We will have a chance at a better bore tide in August, but not sure if we will try again.) We likely would have…
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Russian River and Nikiski

We had a splendid week on the Kenai Peninsula, July 10-16. After C worked 9.5 days on the Riley Fire he took 7 days off. We spent much of our time fishing for sockeye on the Russian River. We saw two black bears and one grizzly. Each bear was closer than the last, with the…
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Hatcher Pass and Eklutna Tailrace

Our 6-day weekend was shortened to 4 days before we left, and then to 3 1/2 on our way back (doggone wildfires). We had fun exploring and fishing in the Palmer area. Our first night, we stayed at Matanuska Lake Campground. Since the Palmer Musk Ox farm had 4 babies, we decided to take a…
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Denali Highway June 2024

We had 6 fun days camping, fishing, and wildlife viewing along the Denali Highway. C’s new schedule of 8 work days followed by 6 days off is great for exploring Alaska. Two weeks ago we traveled on the Dalton Highway and went over the highest highway pass in Alaska (Atigun Pass). This time we drove…
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Dalton Highway, Part II

Everyone we met said the same thing about the Dalton, “take your time”. I would say we planned 5 days and they would relax a bit. We only needed to average 200 miles a day. Surely that would leave loads of time for fishing and exploring. Actually it was barely adequate. There was a lot…
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March Fishing

Fishing in Virginia in March is different than fishing in Alaska in March. We were more comfortable and more productive this weekend. We also have a LOT more practice bass fishing than ice fishing, so it is easier for us to catch a meal. Three weeks from today, we hope to be crossing the border…
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Alaska in August

C and I think August is the best month for sportfishing as we enjoy fishing for silver salmon (coho). https://roaming-nature.com/2023/08/15/long-weekend-with-coho-count/ If you want to fish and visit Denali National Park, spend several days (or more) in Southern Alaska to fish, then head north for several days (or more) in Denali. We ate a lot of salmon…
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Alaska in September

A number of people have asked about a good time to visit Alaska. I am guessing July will be my winner, but I will consider one month at a time. Since most of the folks asking live in Virginia, this week is a good time to post about September. The recent weather here in VA…
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Day Two, Palmer to Valdez

Beautiful day! It was shockingly sunny, barely rained at all. The scenery was gorgeous – snowcapped mountains, sparkling rivers, shimmering waterfalls. We saw various stages of fall color throughout the day, often brilliant yellow, but sometimes all green and sometimes past peak. We stopped for two glaciers. The Matanuska is a relatively stable glacier that…
