You ask most Alaskans if they have been out fishing and they will answer "not enough." Usually, even those of us who fish all season will respond "not enough." And since it seems there is never enough time to go fishing, or to spend with your family, why not get everyone together for some good, old-fashioned family angling?

Let's face it: our economy has reminded us of the need to be more conservative, while also showing us if we feel the fear and stop spending all together, then we will surely doom ourselves further. So, why not take your vacation within Alaska? You'll help support the tourism economy in your own backyard and have a REALLY good time. Plus, if you plan your trip accordingly, you should have fish to feed the family for the upcoming winter.

The Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau is advertising to Alaskans to "Staycation" this year (www.anchorage.net/alaskans). Encourage your families and friends to visit and take them out to see Alaska like never before. While the economy is not quite booming, life is too short to save it all and you can't take it with you.

My husband and I are fortunate to have his parents living right here in Anchorage. You would think we spend all kinds of time together, but when we get going in our daily grind, we are often too busy to get together. So, last September we set aside some time and went out to the Talachulitna River to fish and stay at Talaview Lodge.

Talaview Lodge sits up on a bluff overlooking the Talachulitna River (the Tal). With its many gravel bars and clear, low water, learning to fly fish on the Tal is a good option. A 40-minute flight from Anchorage on one of the floatplanes out of Lake Hood is a scenic and easy way to get out to the Skwentna. The lodge guides will meet your plane by boat, transfer your gear and drive you up the Skwentna to the Tal.

The fishery is home to all five species of Pacific salmon, rainbow trout, Dolly Varden and Arctic grayling, plus bear and wildlife viewing opportunities. King salmon first show up in the river in mid-June, reds around the last week of July and into the first two weeks of August. The last week of July and throughout August, the Tal hosts chum and pink salmon. This is a great window for a novice angler for the most action. Coho arrive during the month of August. Rainbow trout and Arctic grayling are available after the last three weeks in July, but during August and September, the Tal is full of grayling and the larger (22- to 26-inch) rainbows. Contact Chris and Sarah Poynter at Alaska's Big 5 Lodges for more information about the Talaview or any of their sister lodges: 907-733-3066 or visit www.talaviewlodge.com. The accommodations are comfortable and the food was outstanding.

My in-laws, John and Linda Norris, were raised in Alaska, but my mother-in-law had never fly-fished. Donned in a spare set of my waders, wading jacket, boots, fly rod and reel, Mom looked the part right out of the gate. Then she fished harder than some of the diehards I know. She was in the water from the time we set out until the time we reeled in our last cast. No boat-side reading for Mom, she was here for the fishing and she had a smile beaming the whole time.

For other family-trip ideas this summer, take advantage of "Local Appreciation Days" with Alaska's Big 5. On the morning of July 13, guests can fly out to the Talachulitna until the morning of the 14th for only $100 a person, which includes meals, lodging based on double occupancy, and semi-guided fishing. Rust's Flying Service offers discounted floatplane rates for "Local Appreciation Days" at $220 per person roundtrip. Guests will need to bring their fishing gear. The package does not include licenses or gratuity and is open to Alaska residents and their guests and limited to availability. Also of interest, you could win a free trip for two, worth over $33,000, to Alaska's Clearwater Lodge, Lake Marie Lodge, and To-toy-lon River Lodge, just by signing up to receive the Lake Marie Lodge newsletter at www.lakemarie.com (see ad on page 33). And finally, don't forget to sign up to win a trip to Anchorage, as described in the scrapbook ad on pages 6-7; enter at anchorage.net/fishalaska.

As far as our fall trip went, we all got into some nice rainbows, had a great time with our hosts, enjoyed some quality time together, and I learned something about my mother-in-law that I sort of already knew. She knows how to appreciate what she has in life. What a lesson we should all take with us after a day of fishing with family.

-Melissa Norris
Publisher