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The king salmon is the largest fish found in Alaska's fresh water, ranging from the southernmost Inside Passage to the Chukchi Sea of Arctic Alaska. It is immensely popular with anglers, especially in Southeast Alaska and on the Kenai Peninsula's rivers and bays.
The name "halibut" is derived from the Middle English "haly-butte," meaning the flatfish to be eaten on holy days. And Alaskans do revere the halibut.
Alaskans love to eat red salmon, but the red (or sockeye) is the hardest of the state's five species of salmon to catch.
Pink salmon -- also known as humpbacks or humpies because of the males' distinctive physique -- are fun to catch as they return in immense schools. Pinks are important to the state's canning industry.
Silver salmon, or cohoes, are fighting fish. Their acrobatics and reel-humming runs make stream and saltwater fishing a thrill.
From kids catching 8-inch stocked fish to giddy grownups landing a 30-pounder on a remote stream, rainbow trout are a big part of Alaska's fishing culture.
Long and aggressive, the northern pike makes a fearsome predator to Alaska's trout and salmon populations in Southcentral Alaska. But in the Minto Flats of the Interior, the pike has become a sought-after trophy.
Steelhead trout are perfect for anglers pursing freshwater fish with saltwater instincts.
Salmon sharks take a bite out of Alaska's salmon runs, but they're not at the top of the food chain when fishing charter boats are in the area.
More than 30 species of rockfish live in Alaska's coastal waters. A dozen or more species range as far north as the Bering Sea.
Lingcod -- often considered one of the ugliest fish in the ocean but also one of the tastiest -- are a popular saltwater sportfish usually found in water 30 to 300 feet deep and sometimes 3,000 feet deep.
The burbot got its name from the French word "bourbeter," which means "to wallow in mud." And although the burbot, sporting a single chin barbel, is called an ugly fish, its mild white flesh is considered quite tasty.
Whitefish are the most common species north of the Alaska Range. There are eight species, including the sheefish.
The sheefish -- called inconnu (unknown fish) by early explorers and now sometimes called the "arctic tarpon" -- is found only in arctic and subarctic North America and Asia. In Alaska, it is most abundant in the Kuskokwim and Yukon river drainages and in the Selawik and Kobuk drainages of Kotzebue Sound.
Lake trout -- really a variety of char -- take to Alaska's cold lakes.
The arctic grayling, with its spots and sail-like dorsal fin, is instantly recognized. The grayling lives in many streams and lakes. It's fun to catch, and its light flesh is tasty.
The arctic char is the most northerly distributed of char and char's closely related cousin, the Dolly Varden.
The colorful Dolly Varden is locally abundant in all coastal waters of Alaska.
Brook trout are relative newcomers to Alaska's waters. They are found in Southeast Alaska.
Cutthroat trout are aggressive, as one might guess from their name and red slash mark under the jaw.
Chum salmon are colorful as they make their way into fresh water, and a little fearsome with the hooked snout and large teeth of the males.
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