Best fishing tackle for Alaska fishing adventures is carefully selected to match the diverse fish species and challenging conditions found in the state’s rugged wilderness. These selections are among the favorites chosen by the editors at Fish Alaska.
Best Fishing Tackle
Maruto Glow Jig/Assist Rigs
These rigs are created using a 10/0 Maruto 1920-2X SS hook. This is an extra-strong, stainless-steel hook that will hold up to the abuse that halibut, lingcod and rockfish can dole out when they bite your jig. A glow tube and hoochie sit on the hook eye and drape down the hook shaft. Each rig is tied on high-strength assist cord and culminates in a pair of split rings. The rig is designed to be used as a replacement hook on a stock jig or to be used assist style. We did both. In the photo, we removed the stock treble on this jig and replaced it with a pair of rigs attached to the bottom. We were fishing for halibut in a soft bottom with little risk of snagging bottom. When we fished this same lure for lingcod in rocky reefs, we moved the hooks to the assist position at the top of the lure.
P-Line Kokanator Jig
This jig is an effective lure for kokanee, but it will catch more species than that as witnessed by this bull trout who wolfed the bait. The jig is UV enhanced and comes in many bright colors (9) and 2 sizes (1/2- and 3/4-ounce). We caught kokanee on the jig by pitching it at active surface fish and working the jig back horizontally. When this big bull trout ate the jig, we cast it and let it sink to mid-water column before retrieving. We have no doubt that this jig will catch many different species of fish that swim in Alaska’s freshwater.
Ahi USA Assault Diamond Jigs – Assist Hook
Available in 4 sizes (4-, 6-, 8-, and 10-ounce) and 5 colors, the assist-hook version has some advantages over jigs rigged with a treble hook on the tail end. First, assist-hook jigs are less likely to snag on the bottom. Second, fish hooked with assist-hook-rigged jigs are less likely to come unbuttoned. Third, for fish you intend to release, assist hooks are easier to remove from the fish than treble hooks, and assist hooks typically do less damage to such fish. These are heavy-duty jigs and you’ll have no problem landing the largest of Alaska’s lings and halibut with them. They feature a 300-pound-test split-ring, 300-pound-test Dyneema assist cord, and Mustad 3X Assist Hook.
Mustad Apex Dropshot Hook 10559AP sizes 1 and 1/0
We don’t do much dropshot fishing in Alaska, but Editor George Krumm looked at the shape of this hook and though it would make a great hook for baitfish patterns, and possibly as a good stinger hook for streamers and intruder-type flies. The 1x-fine wire is thin but strong, and the slightly upturned eye combined with a hook point that points towards that eye makes it an excellent stinger hook with great penetration. The TitanX finish is slick, further aiding in penetration. It’s available in sizes from 6 to 2/0.
Ahi USA Ikara Slow Pitch Jigs
We tested the 80-gram version, but it’s also available in 21-, 28-, 40-, and 60-gram versions in 5 color patterns. They are rigged with fore- and aft premium BKK assist hooks tied on 145-pound-test Dyneema line. This jig is made to be intentionally unbalanced, providing an erratic action on the lift and a pendulum-like action on the fall. These are great jigs for pelagic rockfish and salmon in relatively shallow water.
Pro-Cure Bottomfish Blend Bait Sauce
We used this fish attractant on jigs in 2024 when fishing for halibut, lingcod, and rockfish in Yakutat and again in Icy Bay. It works like crazy! Pro-Cure is the master at using real bait and other fish-attracting substances to create scents that draw fish to your lures and bait. We like how long the bait sauce remains stuck to our lures, even after many fish have chewed on our jigs.
Ahi USA Live Deception Jigs – Assist Hook
Live Deception jigs have been 1st-string players on Publisher Marcus Weiner’s “Jig Life” YouTube series. Editor George Krumm sees the assist-hook version as a significant improvement over the treble-hook-rigged original. Available in 4 sizes (2-, 4-, 6-, and 8-ounce) and 4 colors, these jigs will take virtually every fish that swims in Alaskan salt water. This jig features 300-pound-test assist cord and split ring, and a 3X Mustad Assist Hook.
Mustad AlphaPoint Apex Wide, Dry, CW58SAP sizes 2-6
This hook was designed for tying dry flies, but with its wide gap and excellent hook geometry (the point points at the hook eye), thin but strong wire, micro barb, TitanX finish, we looked at it as a promising stinger hook for some of our trout-spey flies. The wire is light, so if threaded through rabbit on a stinger loop, it doesn’t impede the swimming action of the rabbit. But it’s strong enough for 30-inch rainbows in sizes 2 and 4. It’s available in sizes 2 to 14. In sizes 6, 8, and 10, it’s an excellent bead hook, too.
Silver Horde 3.5 Kingfisher Green Herring Aide and Pink Herring Aide
The Kingfisher spoon is a proven Chinook killer, we’ve seen it time and again. Silver Horde added 2 new patterns to their lineup—Green Herring Aide and Pink Herring Aide—and both are deadly. Featuring UV on the Pattern Side and Solid Double Glow on the back, the contrasting colors and UV/Glow combination drives kings nuts. We agree with Terry Sheely in last month’s Saltwater column that you need to have an array of spoons in your Chinook trolling kit, and this is one that makes the starting lineup.
RIO Just Keep Swimming
This little baitfish fly originated by Brita Fordice works for everything from smolt-marauding rainbows and char in rivers and lakes, to rockfish and coho and pinks in the salt. It’s small enough to cast with a 6-weight. Truly a versatile pattern, we used the “Fry” color because it resembles a lot of different forage fish. It’s tied on a size 4 saltwater hook and is about 2.5” long. There are 3 other colors available, too. Not only is this fly effective, but it has proven remarkably durable for a store-bought fly.