Alaska.com: Alaska's Travel Website

Paul Cyr stood motionless in the riffles, his eyes fixed ruefully on a slick near the center of the stream. For a long moment he stared, seemingly unaware of the current tugging at his broken leader. Then, as if awakening from a dream, he shook his head and held his hands three feet apart. Over the hissing current he called, "I just lost the biggest rainbow trout of my life."

And that was going some, considering the longtime state fisheries biologist has spent much of his life stalking rainbows in Alaska's wildest, richest waters. More surprising was that he hadn't needed a Bush flight or even a riverboat to fish over 30-inch-long trout. Like a growing number of Southcentral anglers, Cyr has discovered that outstanding fishing for rainbows, grayling, salmon and more waits only a tank of gas and a summer afternoon away in the Susitna Valley.

Fast becoming one of Alaska's worst-kept angling secrets, "the Valley," as locals collectively call the adjoining Susitna and Matanuska valleys, offers some of the finest, most accessible fishing opportunities in the state. Sculpted thousands of years ago by receding ice-age glaciers, this West Virginia-sized region is now a place of lush forests broken by open muskegs and thousands of lakes and streams. Even with word of incredible fishing slipping out, there's enough water and space -- and fish -- here for everybody. Those big Valley rainbow trout Cyr likes to catch are only part of a much larger whole. Beginning in late May, streams here serve as avenues for massive runs of salmon -- kings, reds, pinks, chums and silvers. Trout, Dolly Varden and grayling follow the salmon runs and grow fat scavenging stray eggs dropped over gravel spawning beds.

Meanwhile, the region's lily-pad-fringed lakes are home to northern pike and lake trout as well as rainbows, arctic char, grayling and landlocked salmon. Anglers savor these lightly visited waters not only for the excellent fishing they offer but also for solitude and tranquility.

CLOSE TO THE ROAD

Space, wild waters and fish in uncommon numbers are traits frequently attributed to all regions of Alaska. But what sets the Valley apart, the feature that truly places anglers' dreams within reach, is its road accessibility. The main thoroughfare is the George Parks Highway, 358 miles long and completed in 1971 to directly link Anchorage to the Interior city of Fairbanks. The Parks, as it is locally called, bisects the Valley, more or less paralleling the Susitna River from Willow north almost to Denali State Park. Along with various spurs -- such as Knik-Goose Bay Road out of Wasilla, the Talkeetna Spur and Petersville Road -- the highway leads anglers to dozens of popular fishing holes.

To enjoy some of the Valley's best and most easily reached fishing, anglers need look no farther than the scores of lakes scattered from Palmer to Talkeetna and beyond. Often no more than a stone's throw from the highway or a back road, lakes here range in size from fewer than 10 acres to several hundred acres in surface area. Anglers use skiffs to troll spoons and spinners in the bigger lakes or cast flies from canoes or float-tubes in smaller, easily worked waters.

Most popular are the more than 70 local lakes included in the state's long-running stocking program. Initiated in territorial days (records show that the first Valley lake to be stocked was Echo Lake, across the Glenn Highway from Kepler-Bradley lakes outside of Palmer, in 1953), the state stocking program has since produced pleasant fishing memories for thousands of anglers.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game annually enhances area lakes with rainbow trout, arctic grayling, arctic char and landlocked silver and king salmon. All fish are from native broodstocks and, after spending a year or two growing large feeding and fending for themselves in lightly fished lakes, are as strong, wily and beautiful as any of their native counterparts.

And some of those fish do get big, according to Craig Baer, a fisheries technician involved in the stocking program for the state Division of Sport Fish in Palmer. Although he has heard rumors of 30-inch-long rainbows taken from state-enhanced lakes, he can personally vouch for fish up to 26 inches long.

"In many of our lakes, it's not a rarity to catch something over 20 inches," he said.

Popular regions for lake fishing include the Palmer-Wasilla area where, within an easy hour's drive of Anchorage, anglers can find good action in the lakes of the Kepler-Bradley complex; the Willow area, including the Nancy Lake State Recreation Area, where northern pike lurk in shallow bays; and the lakes of the Talkeetna Spur.

Meanwhile, there's plenty happening in Valley streams. Once the king salmon start arriving in May, followed by scattered runs of reds in June, pinks in July and chums and silvers in late July and August, roadside creeks and rivers tend to get crowded. Hot spots include the Little Susitna River -- particularly the lower reaches west of Wasilla off Burma Road around the Little Susitna Public Use Facility campground and boat launch -- and Willow, Little Willow, Montana, Sheep, Sunshine, Byers and Troublesome creeks. If the salmon are in, fishing within sight of the road in these places can be a shoulder-to-shoulder affair.

Even so, anglers who don't mind sharing the water with others will enjoy good salmon fishing. Bear in mind that most of these streams fall under special, and sometimes complicated, state fishing regulations. At certain times of the year, some streams may be open to fishing only on weekends or may be closed to fishing with bait or treble hooks on certain dates. To stay on top of the rules, pick up a copy of the current Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary and study it carefully before you head for the water. These free booklets are distributed in tackle shops, sporting goods stores and grocery outlets throughout Southcentral, or at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game offices in Anchorage or Palmer. An online version can be found at www.admin.adfg.state.ak.us/license.

Often, escaping the crowds is simply a matter of hiking up- or downstream away from campgrounds, boat launches and other public facilities. In most cases, anglers willing to walk a half-mile or so will find plenty of water to themselves. This can be especially important for those hoping to find good fishing for trout and grayling, both of which tend to grow more abundant once you leave the salmon-hungry hordes behind.

THE WILD PLACES

Those popular roadside streams aren't exactly the fishing secrets most anglers refer to when talking about the Susitna Valley. It's the waters just beyond the crowds where the action can really be good.

Cyr, who lost that huge rainbow trout last summer, discovered his fishing hole by studying maps, using his imagination and taking a good, long hike off the road. He knew salmon were spawning in the creek (as they do in all major Parks Highway streams in August) and that trout and grayling would be nearby, pilfering eggs. All he needed was a stretch of water to himself. And so with a little sweat -- along with some noise-making bear bells and a can of pepper spray -- he found a likely spot and, after losing that first big trout, ended up catching many more of up to 6 and 8 pounds apiece.

Trout that size are considered big anywhere in the world. And there are plenty of places where such fish can be found waiting in the Valley for anglers willing to bust a little brush.

Of course, not everyone has the time, energy or wilderness knowledge needed to bushwhack far off the beaten path in search of solitude and fantastic fishing. No problem. There are plenty of savvy, seasoned Alaskans running air and riverboat charters ready to lead you on the fishing trip of your dreams.

Air taxi operators based in Anchorage, Willow, Kashwitna and Talkeetna provide fly-out charters for fish of all species. Most air taxis charge by the plane by the hour (for example, flights in a De Havilland Beaver capable of hauling six passengers will generally cost $450 to $500 per hour; a Cessna 206, which can carry up to five passengers, hires out for $300 to $350 per hour). To cut costs, many anglers travel in groups -- like sharing a cab in the city.

To reach some of the region's best fishing, many anglers hop into river boats, using the main rivers as highways. For visitors, a selection of riverboat charter operators and guide services are based out of Wasilla, Palmer, Houston, Willow, Kashwitna and Talkeetna. Do-it-yourself anglers who simply need a ride can choose day drop-offs -- where riverboat operators leave you at remote locations in the morning and return to pick you up in the evening -- or opt to bring camping gear and spend several days on the water.

Those new to local streams would be wise to hire a guide. These local experts know where the fish are and how best to catch them, truly increasing your odds of success. Tackle is included in most guided packages with prices ranging from $125 to $195 per person per day.

To find the best deal on Valley guides as well as air and boat charters, shop around; use online search engines to find air taxi services in the community from which you intend to depart, or contact the local chamber of commerce for listings.

Ken Marsh is a Daily News copy editor.