Description
January 2016 | 2016 Epic Adventures
Departments
Alaska Traveler6
Editor’s Creel 8
Gear Bag 10
Fish Alaska Online 12
Fishing for a Compliment 14
Tackle Tech 18
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 32
Fish Alaska Recipe 70
Advertiser Index 72
Final Drift 74
Features
Sportsman’s Sweepstakes
by Marcus Weiner 34
Chip Saalfield of Ohio was the lucky winner of Fish Alaska’s 2015 Sportsman’s Warehouse Sweepstakes, and together with his son, Michael, he headed for the welcoming confines of Elfin Cove Resort for a week’s treating of good fishing, good food and good people.
Sheefish, Chums & Sand
by Paul Atkins 40
Floating and fishing his way through the Kobuk National Preserve, Paul Atkins takes time to marvel at the famous Kobuk Sand Dunes while also setting into a shoulder-sapping number of sheefish and Northwest chum salmon.
Sitka Summer Solstice
by E. Donnall Thomas, Jr. 44
Nestled in a maze of islands and inshore waterways on the Pacific side of Baranof Island, Sitka is one of the state’s most inviting towns, alive with wildlife, Native culture and history, but the real reason to visit is fish—the area’s complex shoreline offers shelter in weather from all directions and the ocean biomass along the outward-facing coastline is simply staggering. Here Don Thomas outlines the overview,
from king salmon to bottomfish and just a little bit more.
Controlled Chaos
by Andrew Cremata 50
Getting schooled with Alaska Premier Charters in Sitka, Andrew Cremata spends his time either tied to his rod on the well-used deck of the High Roller or enjoying the warmth and comfort of Wild Strawberry Lodge at the end of the day. Join him in Sitka for a genuine fishing adventure.
Destination Valdez
by Terry Sheely 56
Valdez is where sport-fishermen go to fish one of the fishiest and most accessible harbor-towns in Alaska, and while Contributing Editor Terry Sheely notes it as a “silver fishing town on steroids,” he also takes time in this feature to document the manifold of other fishing opportunities available to traveling anglers.
Angler’s Alibi
by Cecilia “Pudge” Kleinkauf 62
The wild and scenic Alagnak River offers visitors a classic western Alaska setting, with salmon and trout fishing to be envied anywhere else in the world. Contributing Editor Pudge Kleinkauf returns in this feature and samples a range of action from the river’s notable rainbows to salmon and even a few fat grayling.
