My Fleep:
Fishing
Fishing
Fish Alaska!
Fisherman are famous for tall tales, but the stories many
fishermen and fisherwomen bring back from Alaska are far
from fiction. Nowhere on else has better fishing than
Alaska and even newbies and occasional anglers can do
extraordinarily well in these cold waters. Most cruise
ships touring Alaska offer numerous fishing excursions and
cruise passengers who tack on a few extra days in Alaska
before or after a cruise can join a land-based tour to go
fishing.
It's really better for the tourist to go with an excursion
or guide than to set off alone. The main advantage to the
tour is obvious: no gear. Traveling to Alaska is a bit of
an adventure in and of itself (it's the only state whose
capital can only be accessed by ship or plane). Traveling
with a rod and reel, tackle, and an assortment of lures is
asking for trouble.
Guides are also important if you will only have a very
limited amount of time to spend and want to maximize your
fishing opportunities. Guides know the best spots to fish,
can advise you of local regulations, and will assist you in
getting the most productive fishing time out of your day.
The most abundant fish in Alaska's abundant waters it the
sockeye salmon, sometimes called "reds." These fish are
best known as being fighters. Born to swim against the
current, a sockeye who takes a hook tends to explode and
fight. They're pretty good at it, too. Only one out of
every three sockeyes that gets hooked will get cooked.
That's because most sockeyes never are landed.
Alaska's most famous fish has to be the king salmon. Seward
is probably the best known fishing epicenter for king
salmons. The season starts in May.
Silver or Coho salmon come in fresh water and salt water
versions. Silver salmon season is July to September, and
the best way to go for these fish is by trolling. The
limits are six a day (saltwater) or three a day (fresh).
If you've ever seen pictures of fishermen with gigantic
fish caught in Alaska, you may be looking at a halibut. A
50-pound halibut is pretty normal, and it's not unusual for
these fish to top 100 pounds or more. They're prized for
their mild taste and gargantuan size. It takes a lot of
strength to land a halibut. Many fishing organizations
prefer that the monster halibut get tagged and released.
Ling cod is another popular fish but it has a reputation of
being tough to catch. Ling cod live in and around rocky
areas and often keep company with silver salmon and
rockfish. They are an appalling ugly fish but are known as
a real delicacy with flesh as mild as halibut. Most ling
cod have white flesh, but some of them are green in the raw
state and cook white. While raw green fish is not very
visually appealing to some consumers, fish connoisseurs
prize the green ling cod filets (which cook to be white
anyway).
Ling cod are best pursued with jigs and bait teasers. A
typical Alaskan ling cod is about 25 pounds or more, but
it's possible to land one that is 50 pounds or more.
They're wily fish, tough to attract, and when they bite
they tend to run to the rocks and swim around, which can
often effectively cut the line. Ling cod season runs from
July to September and the daily limit is one.
Cruise passengers who decide to try their hand at fishing
should find out in advance what they can do with any fish
they catch. Cruise lines may have special rules, so ask or
read materials first. You may be able to have your catch of
the day served for your dinner. Some fishing excursion
places will freeze fish and ship it. Airlines going in and
out of Alaska also have provisions for passengers to check
frozen fish. Please ask your airlines since regulations
change constantly, but at one time, passengers on most
flights in and out of Alaska could check up to 50 pounds of
frozen fish at no charge.
If you do have fish frozen, find out how it is packed and
how long it will last. Many flash-frozen products are
placed in insulated coolers, but still can only be expected
to last about 24 hours before they need to get in
refrigeration.
----------------------------------------------------
Mandy Karlik is a freelance travel writer specializing in
the cruise industry. She edits the website
http://www.thecruise-shopper.com and keeps up with industry
news at http://www.cruiselinesnews.blogspot.com .
Fisherman are famous for tall tales, but the stories many
fishermen and fisherwomen bring back from Alaska are far
from fiction. Nowhere on else has better fishing than
Alaska and even newbies and occasional anglers can do
extraordinarily well in these cold waters. Most cruise
ships touring Alaska offer numerous fishing excursions and
cruise passengers who tack on a few extra days in Alaska
before or after a cruise can join a land-based tour to go
fishing.
It's really better for the tourist to go with an excursion
or guide than to set off alone. The main advantage to the
tour is obvious: no gear. Traveling to Alaska is a bit of
an adventure in and of itself (it's the only state whose
capital can only be accessed by ship or plane). Traveling
with a rod and reel, tackle, and an assortment of lures is
asking for trouble.
Guides are also important if you will only have a very
limited amount of time to spend and want to maximize your
fishing opportunities. Guides know the best spots to fish,
can advise you of local regulations, and will assist you in
getting the most productive fishing time out of your day.
The most abundant fish in Alaska's abundant waters it the
sockeye salmon, sometimes called "reds." These fish are
best known as being fighters. Born to swim against the
current, a sockeye who takes a hook tends to explode and
fight. They're pretty good at it, too. Only one out of
every three sockeyes that gets hooked will get cooked.
That's because most sockeyes never are landed.
Alaska's most famous fish has to be the king salmon. Seward
is probably the best known fishing epicenter for king
salmons. The season starts in May.
Silver or Coho salmon come in fresh water and salt water
versions. Silver salmon season is July to September, and
the best way to go for these fish is by trolling. The
limits are six a day (saltwater) or three a day (fresh).
If you've ever seen pictures of fishermen with gigantic
fish caught in Alaska, you may be looking at a halibut. A
50-pound halibut is pretty normal, and it's not unusual for
these fish to top 100 pounds or more. They're prized for
their mild taste and gargantuan size. It takes a lot of
strength to land a halibut. Many fishing organizations
prefer that the monster halibut get tagged and released.
Ling cod is another popular fish but it has a reputation of
being tough to catch. Ling cod live in and around rocky
areas and often keep company with silver salmon and
rockfish. They are an appalling ugly fish but are known as
a real delicacy with flesh as mild as halibut. Most ling
cod have white flesh, but some of them are green in the raw
state and cook white. While raw green fish is not very
visually appealing to some consumers, fish connoisseurs
prize the green ling cod filets (which cook to be white
anyway).
Ling cod are best pursued with jigs and bait teasers. A
typical Alaskan ling cod is about 25 pounds or more, but
it's possible to land one that is 50 pounds or more.
They're wily fish, tough to attract, and when they bite
they tend to run to the rocks and swim around, which can
often effectively cut the line. Ling cod season runs from
July to September and the daily limit is one.
Cruise passengers who decide to try their hand at fishing
should find out in advance what they can do with any fish
they catch. Cruise lines may have special rules, so ask or
read materials first. You may be able to have your catch of
the day served for your dinner. Some fishing excursion
places will freeze fish and ship it. Airlines going in and
out of Alaska also have provisions for passengers to check
frozen fish. Please ask your airlines since regulations
change constantly, but at one time, passengers on most
flights in and out of Alaska could check up to 50 pounds of
frozen fish at no charge.
If you do have fish frozen, find out how it is packed and
how long it will last. Many flash-frozen products are
placed in insulated coolers, but still can only be expected
to last about 24 hours before they need to get in
refrigeration.
----------------------------------------------------
Mandy Karlik is a freelance travel writer specializing in
the cruise industry. She edits the website
http://www.thecruise-shopper.com and keeps up with industry
news at http://www.cruiselinesnews.blogspot.com .