$6.99
Single Printed Issue
The April 2026 issue of Fish Alaska Magazine is your guide to spring fisheries, with stories covering Kenai River trout tactics, a fresh look at the underrated Dolly Varden, the heartwarming story behind the Women’s Valdez Silver Salmon Derby, and conservation efforts to protect Alaska’s anadromous fish habitat. Pick up your copy and get ready for the season!
Departments
4 Fish Alaska Online
5 Alaska Traveler
8 Creel
10 Gear Bag
12 Fishing for a Compliment
14 Salmon Sense
16 Fly
18 Saltwater
22 Flyfishing
24 Conservation
28 Wind Knots
54 Trawl Free Table
56 Ad Index
58 Final Drift
On the Cover
An average-sized, but extraordinarily gorgeous, Kenai River rainbow trout. © Mark Wackler
32
Talk Derby to Me by Melissa Norris
In honor of Meadow Riedel, the 2026 Women’s Valdez Silver Salmon Derby theme is Breast Cancer Awareness, and the theme color will definitely be pink! For Meadow, the derby became a milestone marker after diagnosis. Her tight-knit group of friends—self-nicknamed the “Talk Derby to Me” crew—had already weathered life together: raising kids, navigating divorce, supporting each other through illness. The trip to Valdez to fish was never really about the leaderboard. It was about showing up and celebrating for each other. The Valdez Halibut Derby and Silver Salmon Derby dates overlap the Women’s Silver Salmon Derby on August 8th, so you could bring the whole family to participate in the different derbies that weekend.
38
Kenai River Trout Fishing: Top 5 Mistakes by Mark Wackler
The Kenai River trout fishery has become much more popular in the last few decades. Competition is real, and though trout numbers are healthy, the fish are not as easy to fool as they once were. By avoiding the top five mistakes that Mark Wackler describes in this article, you will be on your way to more success on Kenai ’bows.
46
Hello Dolly! by Robert Campbell
Undeservedly maligned in Alaska, much like pink salmon, Alaska’s Dolly Varden don’t get the respect they deserve. In the Lower 48, they are considered special, and rare. In Alaska, they’re plentiful from Southeast to the Arctic Slope, are seemingly everywhere, usually cooperative, and are usually not the species being targeted. But maybe they should be.
24
Conservation
Knowledge = Protections by Marian Giannulis
The Anadromous Waters Catalog was developed to protect watersheds used by anadromous fish. It’s a great tool, but in reality, it is estimated that only about 50% of anadromous fish habitat has made its way into the catalog. Trout Unlimited’s Mark Hieronymous is on a mission to add more streams to the catalog through grueling, boots-on-the-ground effort in the rainforests of Southeast.
| Weight | 3 oz |
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