Anglers pursue Arctic grayling, northern pike and sheefish across Northern Alaska.
Some fish, such as sheefish and whitefish, have traditionally harvested by people following a subsistence lifestyle but are becoming more popular as game fish.
The Dalton Highway provides relatively easy and cheap access to lake and river fishing in the North. Such guides as Tony Route's "Flyfishing Alaska" and "The Highway Angler" by Gunnar Pedersen suggest where and how to fish.
Chartered trips into the wilderness on boats and air taxis are an option as well. Some of the towns and villages have guides who can be hired.
Grayling -- Grayling are happy eaters and can live in most bodies of Alaska's freshwater, which endears these sail-finned game fish to anglers. Grayling are most commonly found in Interior Alaska but can live just about everywhere. The largest grayling, 4 pounds 13 ounces, was caught in the Ugashik Narrows near Bristol Bay.
Arctic char -- Arctic char are found in lakes in the Brooks Range and the Kigluaik Mountains near Nome, as well as in areas as far south as Kodiak Island. In salmon country, they like to eat salmon smolt.
Lake trout -- Lake trout, a member of the char family, are the state's largest freshwater fish. In the Arctic, they can be found in the deep lakes of the coastal plain, as well as in the Brooks Range. Fish up to 10 pounds are frequently caught, and the state record is 47 pounds. Ice fishing also is good for lake trout.
Northern pike -- Pike may be found in lakes, sloughs and some rivers in Northern Alaska, although the best pike fishing is in the Minto Flats area west of Fairbanks. They'll attack just about anything in the water, from salmon smolt to small waterfowl. Pike up to 30 pounds have been caught.
Sheefish -- Sheefish, also called inconnu, are most abundant in the Kuskokwim and Yukon river drainages and in the Selawik and Kobuk drainages of Kotzebue Sound. A few are found in the smaller rivers of Norton Sound. Its size of up to 60 pounds, its fighting ability and its tasty flesh make this tarpon-like member of the whitefish family a popular target.
Sheefish can be taken on summer feeding grounds such as the Selawik-Kobuk areas, the Minto Flats west of Fairbanks and the Holitna River of Western Alaska. Just before winter arrives, the Koyukuk River at Hughes and Allakaket provides the best fishing on the Yukon system.
Whitefish -- Whitefish is the most common fish in Arctic Alaska. Its eight species include the sheefish.
Source: Alaska Department of Fish and Game
