Many fly fishing enthusiasts dream of fishing in Alaska, and some will visit the country on a holiday centred on fly fishing.

The beautiful countryside and crispy fresh waters are ideal for outdoor enthusiasts, especially fly fishermen looking to hook a king salmon or rainbow trout. Here you can read up on some basic information on fly fishing in Alaska.

There are many rivers and streams along the Kenai Peninsula which are ideal for fly fishing, and there are lessons and guided fishing trips available in the area. Visitors can look forward to the opportunity of catching a variety of salmon, including the red salmon, pink salmon, silver salmon, dog salmon and of course the king salmon.

It is true that you may need to adjust your technique for catching salmon, which makes it a little more challenging. The fly fishing equipment you will need for catching salmon depends on which salmon you will be going after. Of the salmon mentioned above, all but the king salmon can be caught with a seven to nine weight fly fishing rods gear with a matching fly fishing reel. This rod will be appropriate for catching rainbow trout as well. The king salmon will require a ten or eleven weight fly fishing rod with slow action and a reel able to hold 150 yards of backing. A floating or sink tip line are recommended for most scenarios.

When visiting your fly fishing shop make sure that you get the appropriate tackle. The fly fishing flies that you should use depends on the conditions, but sinking fies are often the winning bet, although a dry fly may win out in some conditions, especially when after silver salmon or trout. Flies mimicking prey such as sculpins and leeches (forage imitation flies), or egg and nymph pattern flies are appropriate for most conditions. Flies with coloured streamers are available that are imitations of salmon roe attached to flesh; these are great for late season, when the salmon are spawning and trout and greyling are keen to feed on the salmon roe. Another useful category of flies, known as attractors, are colourful and have an action which seduces salmon and trout into an aggressive reaction. These flies, along with the forage imitation flies, are winners in most Alaskan fly fishing scenarios.

An excellent book, entitled “Alaska Fishing” is recommended for the finer details of fly fishing tackle and fly fishing techniques and hot-spots for fly fishing in Alaska.