DESTINATION, AN-COHO-RAGE ‘IT DOESN’T TAKE LONG TO GO FROM BAGGAGE CLAIM TO FISH ON’ WHEN IT COMES TO COHO FISHING NEAR TED STEVENS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
BY BRIAN KELLY
A
t least for now as I write this, there are no COVID-related restrictions for travelling to the great state of Alaska! This means it’s time to book a flight and get in on the season’s remaining salmon action, which is often my favorite scene. This is the silver run! Whether you have a week available or just a long weekend, there are plenty of options to score limits of fresh silvers around Anchorage itself, or by taking a short drive up to the Mat-Su Valley.
NO GEAR, NO PROBLEM Ship Creek is a great first stop on a silver salmon tour of Anchorage. Located just 6½ miles north of Ted Stevens International Airport, it doesn’t take long to go from baggage claim to fish on! With an average annual plant of over 250,000 coho smolts from the William Jack Hernandez Sport Fishery Hatchery – conveniently located on the banks of Ship Creek – there are plenty of silvers to be had at this fish factory. Silvers tend to make their first appearance around the end of July, with the heart of the run coming in waves through the first two weeks in August. The beauty of this scene is that all you need to show up with is, well, you! The
Alaska’s largest city is typically Alaskan in that anglers don’t have to cast far from Anchorage’s city limits to hook into some excellent salmon fishing. Author Brian Kelly caught this fat silver in Ship Creek, only an hour after landing at Ted Stevens International Airport. (BRIAN KELLY)
aksportingjournal.com | AUGUST 2021
ALASKA SPORTING JOURNAL
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