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Home > Fishing > Locations > Arctic

Fishing Arctic Alaska

Facing the Challenges of Fishing the Arctic

To fish the Arctic regions of Alaska is to face the extremes or isolation, nature and expense. The fishing season is just a brief window when the treeless tundras and mountain ranges free themselves of ice and for a brief number of weeks becomes a heaven on earth for mosquitos.

The logistics of fishing the Arctic region are almost overwhelming. Other than the Dalton Highway and some closed oil industry roads, the region is almost completely roadless. There are no regular commercial flights into anywhere other than Barrow. Travel is limited to pricey bush flights.

In many ways it seems that everything is against planning a fishing trip to the Arctic region. So what is there that would attract you to the area? Almost non-existent fishing pressure. There are many pristine fishing spots that harbor huge Lake trout, Grayling and Arctic Char. But, conservation of these fisheries are very important. The growing season is painfully short for the area fish and trophy fish are difficult to replace.

What you will get from visiting Alaska’s Arctic slope is a unique and memorable trip. If you have the money, time, equipment, and wilderness experience, I wouldn’t talk you out of going on the trip, but there are many areas with far less limited fishing options and challenges. Perhaps the best way to fish the region is on float trips through ANWAR. I wouldn’t make fishing the goal of the trip, but throwing in a rod can let you catch an incidental char or two.

Arctic Region Fish Species

The list of species available in the Arctic region is very limited. Salmon are nearly non-existent. Only pink and chum enter the area, and they are at the limits of survival.

Arctic Char
Dollie Varden
Grayling

Lake Trout
Whitefish

Burbot
Northern Pike

Arctic Region Rivers

All the rivers of the Arctic Region run north to the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. They are rocky, turbid, and heavily braided in general and choked in ice until late into the season with strong spring floods. What the rivers do offer are big sea-run Char, grayling and burbot.

Colville River
Kuparuk River

Sagavnaniratok River
Ivishak River

Canning River
Kongakut River

Arctic Region Lakes

The area lakes are gripped in ice throughout the long and dark arctic winter. Any lake shallower than twenty feet has a good chance of freezing to the bottom, making it inhospitable to fish. Many of the lakes are locked under feet of ice into July. The deeper lakes of the area offer nearly untouched lake trout fisheries.
Due to the short open water seasons on many of these lakes and difficulties of summer travel, many of the lakes see much more pressure in the winter than in the summer.

Teshekpuk Lake
Karupa Lake
Cascade Lake
Chandler Lake

Itkillik Lake
Elusive Lake
Galbraith Lake
Campsite Lakes

Toolik Lake
Itagakinit Lake
Schrader lake
Peters Lake

Arctic Region Climate

The arctic region’s weather is notoriously harsh and unpredictable. During the nightless summer days, fog, clouds and wet lowland tundra make it hard to believe the area receives less precipitation that many desert areas. The wet landscape is caused by an underlying permafrost which makes the water pool up in the tundra regions.

Arctic Region Guides Services / Lodges / Services

There is almost no infrastructure for the visiting fisherman. There are some guide services in the area, and many center on the Arctic National Wildlife refuge. If you offer any services in the area or know of a good service, let me know and I will make sure it gets added here.