Many Fairbanksans go to Valdez when they want to catch salmon and halibut for their freezers. Homer may have better halibut fishing, and Kenai or Juneau may have better salmon fishing, but Valdez and Prince William Sound combines fantastic scenery, tidewater glaciers, and great runs of pink, silver, and red salmon. Fly fishing for salmon adds challenge and excitement. Halibut and other bottom fish can be enticed with flashy, shrimp-like, or flesh flies. There are hundreds of flies for salmon, but salmon can sometimes be frustratingly choosy.

Valdez is 355 miles from Fairbanks and 300 miles from Anchorage. The city has about 5000 residents and is the marine terminus for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. There is a fish hatchery near town and fishing for salmon is possible from shore when silvers and pinks return to spawn. Many charter businesses operate from Valdez and prices can be reasonable if you share a boat with 4 or more people. Fly fishing from a charter boat might require some special arrangements.

The most popular lure for pink salmon is a Pixie. This means that flashy flies can sometimes work. Shrimp-like flies often attract pink and silver salmon. I've found that oozy flies like black or purple Wooly Buggers attract pinks the most consistently. Chum salmon are hard to entice, but sometimes a shrimpy-looking fly piques their interest. I have found that flies that are killers on the Kenai Peninsula don't necessarily work in Prince William Sound. Flies that work well in fresh water may not work in the salt. Flies that work in June may not work in August. It's all part of the game when you're stalking salmon with a fly rod.

Bottom feeders can be caught with large flies jigged just off the ocean floor. Shrimp-like creations with some sparkle attract rockfish, halibut, and other bottom feeders. A flesh fly made of white maribou is a good choice for halibut because it imitates a piece of rotting salmon flesh. If you fish for halibut you had better have a ten weight or higher. (You really don't think you'll be able to pull a 125 pound halibut off the bottom with a 6 weight?!)

If you are driving from Fairbanks to Valdez on the Richardson Highway, you pass many road-side fishing opportunities. Fish can be found in Piledriver Slough, Salcha River, Harding Lakes, Birch Lake, Summit Lake, Paxson Lake, Gulkana River, Klutina River, just to name the more popular bodies of water. Just off the road (but definitely worth a look) are the Chena River, Quartz Lake, Delta-Clearwater River, Coal Mine Road Lakes, Fielding Lake, Tangle Lakes, and Lake Louise.

Prince William Sound is one of the most beautiful places in the world!

This page last modified on November 22, 2004

Return to MSFC Home Page