Alaska Fishing

FISHING

Boy, 9, claims derby with 22-inch rainbow

Travis Recer, 9, hauled in a gorgeous 22-inch rainbow trout at Knik Lake on Saturday to win the Gettin Jiggy 2010 Kids Ice Fishing Derby.

Fish and Game weighs splitting of most populous region

The state Department of Fish and Game is considering splitting the state's most populous region to make wildlife management more efficient.

Upper Kenai River fishing guides form a professional association

More than 50 professional Kenai River fishing guides have formed their own association.

Pro-hunting candidates elected to Mat-Su advisory board

The Mat-Su Fish and Game Advisory Committee has eight new members supported by pro-hunting and fishing groups, following an election Wednesday night that boasted a record-setting turnout.

Anchorage gun-rights advocates dominate Fish and Game advisory election

Mat-Su Fish and Game advisory board election draws hundreds

Hundreds of people turned out Wednesday night to cast ballots in the Mat-Su Fish and Game Advisory Board's annual election at Wasilla High School.

Fish Board ordered to clarify Copper River dipnet decision

A Superior Court judge has directed the Alaska Board of Fisheries to revisit a 2003 decision in which it reclassified dipnetting salmon in the Copper River at Chitina as personal-use fishing instead of subsistence fishing.

Anchorage gun-rights advocates dominate Fish and Game advisory election

Eight people, most of them strongly in favor of gun rights, were elected to the Anchorage Fish and Game Advisory Committee on Tuesday night at a meeting that attracted an overflow crowd and became a battle between consumptive and nonconsumptive interest groups.

NOAA establishes permit system for halibut charter boats

Aspiring charter boat captains will have to find someone willing to sell them a permit before they take clients fishing for halibut in an area ranging from the central Gulf of Alaska to Southeast Alaska as part of efforts to avoid overfishing.

Board of Fisheries stalled on Pebble letter to Legislature

Alaska Board of Fisheries members adjourned Tuesday without finalizing a letter they plan to send to the Legislature asking it to determine if additional protection for Bristol Bay's fisheries is warranted.

Blog: The Pebble Blog

Fairbanks hatchery cut back to control cost

Construction crews work on the Ruth Burnett Sport Fish Hatchery Dec. 4, 2009, in Fairbanks. The $45 million state fish hatchery won't have all the planned features when it opens next summer.

A $45 million state fish hatchery under construction won't have onsite housing for employees or laboratories for University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers when it opens next summer.

Charter boat captains to offer veterans free halibut trips

A Whittier charter boat fishing captain is organizing another Alaska fishing tournament aimed at helping veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and during Desert Storm.

Court upholds 1 halibut a day on Southeast charter boats

Halibut charter operators lost an attempt Monday to rid themselves of the one-fish-a-day rule, which they say is putting them out of business in Southeast Alaska.

OUTDOOR BRIEFS

Homer fisherman wins diehard derby

Gary Lyon of Homer boated a 22.5-pound king salmon Oct. 11 to capture the Homer Elks Lodge's Winter King Salmon Derby.

Battle against northern pike moves to Peninsula

Division of Sport Fish staff place rotenone into a boat for dispersal into Sand Lake Oct. 7, 2009.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game on Tuesday expanded its efforts to kill northern pike in trout lakes by applying the pesticide rotenone to 85-acre Scout Lake near Sterling.

Heavy flatfish nets hefty purse

The wait for Tom Youngblood was long -- and lucrative. Youngblood, the Homer resident who caught a 354.6-pound halibut more than three months ago, on Wednesday night was declared the winner of the 24th annual Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby and earned $40,400.

Steelhead or rainbow: The great fish debate

Fishermen float the Kenai River under a rainbow as they fish for rainbow trout near Cooper Landing recently.

For years, anglers, guides and biologists have debated whether the powerful Kenai River receives a steelhead run, or if the big trout that delight anglers are freshwater fish moving between the river and Skilak or Kenai lakes.

Photos: Alaska fishing

Forum: Where are the fish biting?

Photos: Nice Catch

More fishing coverage

Crab fishermen surprised by deep-dwelling mystery fish

From ship-encircling serpents of Norse mythology to the multi-armed beast of a more modern Jules Verne tale, sea monster accounts are found in virtually all cultures that have contact with the sea. Homer is no exception.

Pixee lures: Alaska favorite endures

Don't look now, but just about every fishing tackle box in Alaska is inhabited by Pixees. Even local non-fishermen recognize the metal spoon-type lure with the distinctive "egg-sac" insert.

Alaskans dominate two derbies in Valdez

Chuck Gard with his derby-winning silver salmon.

Alaskans caught the heftiest silver salmon and halibut in Valdez this year, as the Valdez Fish Derbies ended Sunday. Led by hometown angler Chuck Gard's 19.42-pounder -- the only fish to break the 19-pound barrier -- Alaskans claimed the top seven spots in silver salmon derby.

FISHING