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Ninilchik may not be as well-known for an abundance of fish as is the Kenai River, but its lack of competitive fishing makes it worth the trip.

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"There's not near as many fish as the Kenai and Kasilof rivers, but you have more space. No combat fishing," said Arthur Baldwin, 33, of Ninilchik. He said you need to be on the water early in the morning or late at night, but it's worth the strange hours for the amount of river you get to fish alone. "You can have a whole big section of river to yourself."

Ninilchik is about 180 miles south of Anchorage and 40 miles south of Soldotna, far enough away from the more populated areas to give visitors a sense of what fishing in Alaska is really all about. There's a variety of activities for every kind of interest: halibut, salmon, catch-and-release steelhead and trout fishing in Deep Creek, the Ninilchik River, the Anchor River and in Cook Inlet, as well as clam-digging, a popular family activity, all along the beach. King fishing opens for weekend fishing on Memorial Day weekend and you're typically looking at 20- to 40-pounders, and silver salmon fishing opens Aug. 1. Sizes of the silvers vary, but they are always strong and agile fish that are a challenge to bring in.

Eric Hanson, 42, born and raised in Ninilchik, likes fishing later in the year, when the area is calm and quiet.

"The silver fishing late in the season can be really, really nice because you don't have the influx of people here. Everyone's pretty much gone after the king fishing is over," Hanson said. "A lot of people leave and don't recognize that it's such a fantastic time of year to be fishing. They think that after the king fishing is over that fishing is over and that's not true."

Hanson recommends using eggs for king fishing, and flies or Pixees for silvers. Baldwin uses Glo Bug egg flies for kings and Egg Sucking Leech flies for silvers.

Razor clams on Ninilchik Beach attract a lot of visitors to the area. The clams used to be bigger, but they're still worth getting dirty for, said Hanson, a lifelong resident of Ninilchik. "You couldn't put 60 clams in a five-gallon bucket back in the '70s. You could probably put 100 clams in a five-gallon bucket now."

Hanson said that Ninilchik, Clam Gulch and Happy Valley are all fantastic for clam digging, especially because of the convenience of road access to the beach, and that the variety of fishing combined with clam digging makes Ninilchik one of the best places to fish.

Clams can be dug for at any minus tide, but a tide of minus 2 feet or lower is recommended for the best results. State law requires that all clams dug be kept regardless of size or condition, so keep in mind that even broken clams are edible. Anyone 16 years or older needs a valid Alaska sportfishing license to join in the clam digging.

Hanson's biggest piece of advice for visitors who want to try fishing in Ninilchik is to keep it clean so that the area will continue to be as appealing for fishermen in the years to come as it is now.

"Whatever you bring in, take it back out with you," Hanson said.

The quality of fish and generally laid-back atmosphere of the area is a big part of what draws locals and visitors alike to the Ninilchik area.

"It's worth the trip. If I were a tourist and coming up here, I'd hit the Ninilchik River and Deep Creek. It's hike-in access and there are not a lot of trails," said Baldwin, who's been fishing in the area for years. "There's parking right off the highway. Walk a little ways up or down the stream. Watch for the signs that tell you when you have to stop when you can't fish any farther up the stream."

Hanson also advises to keep an eye on the tall grass for bears, who like to frequent the river to look for fish and can be easy to miss.

For more information on fishing or other activities in the Ninilchik area, look at the Ninilchik Chamber of Commerce Web site at www.ninilchikchamber. com or the Alaska Department Fish and Game Web site at www.adfg.state.ak.us.

Freelance writer Naomi Hagelund lives in Soldotna.