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| I know it is not musky but at the end of May I am going to SE Alaska to help my sister and her husband with a building project. They live on an inlet off Icy Straits and supposedly the salmon will be in the inlet and the nearby river. I am buying a pack rod but don't know what to take for lures. I am thinking spinners?
My brother in law has been a commercial fisherman with his own boat for 40 years but hasn't really sport fished because he is at sea when they run. I can't carry much because of weight and space restrictions on the little single engine plane that goes to the gravel runway by their place. |
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Posts: 51
| Do you know what kind of salmon are running in that area that time of year? Kings, pinks, coho/silvers? I would say to bring some blue fox size 4/5, Little Cleo or KO wobbler spoons, and a few crankbaits. If it's kings... you may want to upgrade your split rings/Trebles on whatever you are throwing. Pink, blue, green are pretty standard salmon colors.
In terms of terminal gear, if it's king salmon... have a reel that holds at least 250-300 yards of line. I'd go with a 4000 or 5000 size spinning reel with 15/20lb braid. Baitcasting gear, something 300 size or bigger and probably 30lb+ braid to avoid reel dig in. If it's pinks or coho's... you can get away pretty much regular bass type gear, they may give you a 30/40yd run, but nothing like a king. You can also take some jigs/twister tails and bounce them off the bottom for cod and halibut if they have some deepwater (20+ feet) that's in casting range.
Edited by jhillman17 4/26/2017 1:39 PM
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| jhillman17 - 4/26/2017 1:34 PM
Do you know what kind of salmon are running in that area that time of year? Kings, pinks, coho/silvers? I would say to bring some blue fox size 4/5, Little Cleo or KO wobbler spoons, and a few crankbaits. If it's kings... you may want to upgrade your split rings/Trebles on whatever you are throwing. Pink, blue, green are pretty standard salmon colors.
In terms of terminal gear, if it's king salmon... have a reel that holds at least 250-300 yards of line. I'd go with a 4000 or 5000 size spinning reel with 15/20lb braid. Baitcasting gear, something 300 size or bigger and probably 30lb+ braid to avoid reel dig in. If it's pinks or coho's... you can get away pretty much regular bass type gear, they may give you a 30/40yd run, but nothing like a king. You can also take some jigs/twister tails and bounce them off the bottom for cod and halibut if they have some deepwater (20+ feet) that's in casting range.
Thanks. There will be kings nearby but since I will be shore fishing I am told more likely to see silvers and that there may be some Dolly Varden as well. The river has trout year round and steel head in the spring. I hadn't thought of jigs but that is good suggestion as well. The inlet is bordered by steep mountain sides and the water drops away quickly. My sister was in commercial sea food processing business as quality control for over 25 years and some species of cod are her favorite fish. A few miles away in the Icy Straits, the halibut fishing is supposed to be some of the best in SE. The good thing is that if I do catch something, between her and her husband they will make quick work of cleaning and preparing for the table. I will be working most of the time but plan on getting in some fishing in the evening.
Edited by North of 8 4/26/2017 2:17 PM
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Posts: 1405
Location: Detroit River | If you see any of those so-called "Alaskan Bush People" from the Discovery Channel show, please punch any of the sons in the face for me.  |
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Posts: 51
| Yeah, i wasn't sure if the kings would be running yet or not... I haven't fished the SE part of Alaska but have been up to Valdez a few times to chase the silvers in the fall. I'd just stick with spinners/spoons if you are limited on space for lures for the salmon. I tried cranks a few times, but the majority of our success was on spinners. Take polarized sunglasses as well, a lot times the silvers will cruise right along the shore and you can spot them and cast right out in front and watch them slam it.
Another option if you don't have the tackle already would be to just place an order to cabelas/basspro/gander and have the lures shipped directly to your sisters house... that way you don't have to deal with that part. Assuming she has pliers you can use as well.
And most importantly, have fun... Alaska is beautiful, enjoy it and it's tasty fish! |
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| Zib - 4/26/2017 2:31 PM
If you see any of those so-called "Alaskan Bush People" from the Discovery Channel show, please punch any of the sons in the face for me. :)
That family lives about 40 miles away, on the other side of icy straits. Last year I met the barge/transport owner who is shown in one of their episodes cutting a deal with them on the use of his skiff if they help him with small delivery jobs. The attitude up there seems to be one of live and let live, not big on judging. Not a lot of people so they pretty much have to help one another. I said something about the Browns and they just rolled their eyes but didn't really comment. |
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Posts: 1405
Location: Detroit River | North of 8 - 4/26/2017 4:12 PM Zib - 4/26/2017 2:31 PMIf you see any of those so-called "Alaskan Bush People" from the Discovery Channel show, please punch any of the sons in the face for me. :) That family lives about 40 miles away, on the other side of icy straits. Last year I met the barge/transport owner who is shown in one of their episodes cutting a deal with them on the use of his skiff if they help him with small delivery jobs. The attitude up there seems to be one of live and let live, not big on judging. Not a lot of people so they pretty much have to help one another. I said something about the Browns and they just rolled their eyes but didn't really comment.
Edited by Zib 4/27/2017 11:53 AM
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| I was up there last year, building a shed to house their generator and spoke to one of the neighbors and apparently about 10 miles away there is some of the best king fishing in the region, out in Icy Straits. But, it is such an incredible place, just seeing all the scenery makes it worth the trip. Standing on a ladder and nailing rafters in place, I looked out and saw killer whales feeding close enough to hear them clearing their blow holes when surfacing (without my hearing aids). If I catch something in the evening, I will post a photo when I get back in June.
By the way, my sister and her husband both say if they only could fish for one sport fish on a charter, it would be halibut. She is retired from 30 years of sea food processing and he is semi-retired from over 40 years of running his own commercial fishing boat. Big, powerful and the meat is great. Also freezes well. Most of the outfitters in SE Alaska will clean, package and ship the fish for you. Make sure to leave time for that on your salmon trip. Next year I am going back just for pleasure and have a standing invitation from a guy that lives about a mile away from my sister to go fishing with him.
Edited by North of 8 4/27/2017 12:14 PM
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Posts: 51
| Be careful with those halibut! I went on a halibut trip when I was last up in Valdez, i wouldn't really call it sporting at all...at least the way we did it... but it sure does taste good when you get one. But if you like holding a rod with a 2-3lb lead weight on a shark fishing rod/reel, fishing with a circle hook the size of your hand and then cranking up a what feels like a trashcan lid from 2-300ft deep each time you hook one, then have at it (i'm 37 and my back was shot after a day of halibut fishing!). The biggest one I caught was about 50lbs, I can't imagine trying to bring up some of those 100-200lb'ers they catch. I'm sure if you have more modern gear than the charter we were on would be helpful too... but still!
The scenery, whales, otters, seals, etc... was much more fun/exciting to me than the halibut catching. It's hard work, but again, they taste great. I'll probably never go on another one unless I'm with someone who really wants to go... it's probably cheaper to buy at a local market at $20/lb than the $400 it cost to go again on a charter. |
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Posts: 343
| Pixie spoons are an Alaska salmon fishing fixture, Spin n glows tipped with salmon roe are another staple. Kings pull like heck and have a really bony mouth so a stout rod is a must. |
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Location: Kodiak, AK | jhillman17 - 4/27/2017 1:58 PM Be careful with those halibut! I went on a halibut trip when I was last up in Valdez, i wouldn't really call it sporting at all...at least the way we did it... but it sure does taste good when you get one. But if you like holding a rod with a 2-3lb lead weight on a shark fishing rod/reel, fishing with a circle hook the size of your hand and then cranking up a what feels like a trashcan lid from 2-300ft deep each time you hook one, then have at it I suggest fly fishing for them. Gives new meaning to the words "frustration," "struggle," and "agony." As for the salmon, May sounds a bit early for silvers in the rivers, but each part of the state is different. They may be approaching the rivers, but may not be up in the rivers actually holding and fishable. But I've not fished down that way, so I'm not sure. For me, silvers are September-November in sweetwater. Take some pixees and vibrax of varying sizes and colors on a spinning rod. And while kings are big and strong, you don't need an offshore, reef spinning rod like a lot of guys use.
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 halibut fly.jpg (53KB - 311 downloads)
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| Thanks to all who offered suggestions. Now I just have to hope the building project goes without too many problems so I have some time to fish! I will be taking some spinners and some pixies. |
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