Description

May 2016 | Hail to the King

May 2016Departments

Alaska Traveler 6

Editor’s Creel 8

Gear Bag 10

Fish Alaska
Online 14

Fishing for a Compliment 16

Salmon Sense 20

EZ Limits: A Guide’s Angle 22

Fish Alaska
Fly 24

Fish Alaska
Boats 26

Fish Alaska
Saltwater 30

Fish Alaska
Stillwater 34

Fish Alaska
Recipe 86

Advertiser Index 88

Final Drift 90

Features

The Game Changer
by George Krumm 36

Contributing Editor George Krumm has learned to let go of the kicker handle when trolling or back-trolling, thanks to the use of electric bow-mounted trolling motors. It’s a definite game changer for West Coast fishing applications, providing the ultimate solution for boat control in virtually all fishable conditions.

King Me! Five Tips
to More Kings 

by Scott Haugen 44

This season equip yourself to apply a range of presentations and then be open to change, because when it comes to catching finicky king salmon, changing presentations to find what they want is the key to putting great eating meat on the table.

Kings of the North
by Jason Rivers 52
The Chinook of the Interior may not always be dime-bright specimens, but they remain a special breed, traveling over 900 miles inland to spawn and give life to the Tanana drainage. These are tough and battle-hardened kings; do not underestimate them.

Bobber-Doggin’ for Kings
by JD Richey 60

A relative newcomer to the Alaska fishing scene, bobber-doggin’ is a fun andhighly-effective method for catching river kings. Here JD Richey details this slick hybrid technique that pairs the best attributes of two of the most popular river fishing styles: drift fishing and float fishing.

The Secret’s Out:
Gustavus Kings 

by Terry W. Sheely 68

In the icy waters of remote Gustavus it’s not a question of if you catch a king, but where—and when. Remote, lightly-fished Gustavus fills with migrant kings in the summer and grows big numbers of resident Chinook that are present year-round, and Terry Sheely takes us there with this comprehensive primer to the area.

Seward, Alaska
by Troy Letherman 76
Nestled against the waters of Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward is one of Alaska’s oldest and most scenic communities, along with the starting point to one of the state’s most spectacular fisheries. From Resurrection Bay to the waters of Prince William Sound just beyond, fishing from Seward puts the class in world-class.