Alaska Travel Forum

There will be two of us going to Alaska in June of 09. I would like to fly into Anchorage and spend 3 nights. Two days fishing for Salmon. I want to stay at the Sheraton in Anchorage because I have hotel points I can use. Does anyone know of someone who takes people Salmon fishing out of Anchorage and then brings them back? Or names of someone we can hook up with to fish if we drive to the location. I see many website showing lodges and fishing packages, but very few fishing only packages. I hope to have a car and after Anchorage to go towards Seward or Whitter to see Prince William Sound. Then up to Denali where i would like to do an overnight rafting, if anyone knows a good company to go with. ANY HELP would be greatly appreciated.

Don't spend 3 nights in Anchorage, it's a waste of time.

June is still quite early for salmon fishing. Some years they come in late, some come in early. I would call charters in Kenai River, Little Su River, and if both arn't catching them yet, Seward. Halibut fishing is good out of Homer and Seward. There are a lot of fishing only charters, but most won't leave out of Anchorage. Honestly, don't even spend one night in Anchorage.

He has a point. Anchorage is not a great spot to pick up fishing only trips and June is early for that far north. Late June the reds and kings start running on the Kenai. Not sure how far you have to fly to get to Anchorage, but a night might be all you need in the big city. Then about 3 hours drive south to Cooper Landing area and get a charter on the Kenai River. Princess has a lodge in the area. Or use Anchorage as a base and drive north to the Little Susitna for a charter, or fish on the banks of Montana Creek.
If you have to stay in Anchorage, there is Ship Creek close to downtown that gets a decent King run. Not real pleasant with the mud and all, but doable.

The Sheraton in Anchorage is the only one in the state (I believe). Nice hotel but not the best neighborhood if you want to walk around at night.

Staying in Anchorage isn't as bad as some people on this site would like to make it out to be. Don't worry – there is plenty to see and do around the city – day and night. If the hotel points get you a free place to stay that will likely cover your rental car for the remainder of the trip (based on Alaska hotel rates in the summer)! That is a fine reason to stay, in my opinion. If you do end up booking here and using it as a hub look up Rusts Flying Service. They do some really nice fly-in fishing trips all-around South Central Alaska. These can be day trips or with one night at a remote lodge with two days of fishing. Lake Creek and the Deshka River are two great destinations that can be great fishing and aren't a very long float plane ride away from Anchorage. You would also have the benefit of doing some sightseeing by plane on your way out. If you go south I would get a drift on the Kasilof River instead of the Kenai. Your chances of catching a King is far better than on the Kenai (Though this year has been a different story). The halibut fishing out of Seward can also be worth a look in June. I would like to suggest that if you do hire a guide on the Kenai (or Kasilof or anywhere in Alaska for that matter) you make sure that you will be getting a local guide with experience on that particular river. There are many guides from out of state that come up in the summer and work for some of the big outfits. Nice guys but quite frankly they don't know a thing about the rivers until the season is far underway. They learn to fish on your time and aren't nearly as successful as the guys that have been fishing those rivers for years. So ask some questions when you book and don't let the charter company talk to you like you are asking too much about their guides, boats and equipment. They are charging you a lot of money and you deserve the best guides and gear on the river for that! Good luck with your plans –

Scott

Thank you all for your suggestions. They are a great help. I have just changed jobs and have to take my vacation the last week of June and 1st week of July, so I will just hope that the fish are running at that time.

Thank you to my fellow travelers

Oh the last week of June! You'll be fine then, enjoy!