Fishing

Outdoors columnist John Schandelmeier relays his experiences and gives his best practices for reeling in big ones.

Youths at a session hosted by Fish and Game used shrimp on small hooks to try to catch king salmon and rainbow trout with jig sticks through holes drilled into the ice.

The Valdez halibut and silver salmon derbies end Sunday night, and the Kenai silver salmon derby is set for Sept. 14-19.

A Juneau man caught the winning fish with two hours left in the nine-day derby.

“Coho salmon keep coming into Ship Creek with each tide,” according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

The creek near downtown Anchorage was home to a new one-day fishing event on Saturday, the Coho Rodeo.

The Coho Rodeo runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with an awards ceremony set for 8 p.m. at the Bait Shack.

Although the June 11 opener was off to a slow start, people were eager to fish under the Kenai’s sunshine and blue skies.

The derby is scheduled for June 11-20 at the downtown fishery in Anchorage.

Aimee Pike used her bare hands to bring the 34.5-inch burbot onto the ice.

Jay Hicks was fishing from a kayak in Kodiak when he landed a monster 80-inch halibut.

An Anchorage angler won the 65th annual derby with the smallest fish in derby history.

Fish and Game officials urge caution to keep wildlife from associating people with food.

Some salmon catchers were wearing masks this week at the mouth of the Kenai River, but mostly it was situation normal for the popular annual opening.

Commercial set-net sites will also close in upper Cook Inlet.

Some might say saltwater fishing separates the tough from the weak, but even the tough can get seasick.

King salmon caught while fishing for other species may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately, the agency said.

Anglers were out trying their luck from the muddy banks of the creek near downtown Anchorage.

The personal-use fishery on June 7 is open to Alaska residents only.

Hundreds of people bounced dipnets along the bottom of the silty waters of Turnagain Arm east of Anchorage on Sunday to catch the tiny fish.