If you have followed our blog much, you know we love having families with kids join us at Alaska West. The Kanektok River is a great place to get kids excited about fishing due to the fact that it’s so darn productive. Although typical of a younger beginning angler, “I’m bored” or “I wish there was more action” is not muttered much around here.
Throughout the season, there are many opportunities in which kids (and beginners in general) can have great success, whether it’s their first time holding a fly rod or far from it! Often times we see kids spend a week at Alaska West and leave with a new found excitement for the sport of fly fishing. This is incredibly rewarding for us.
The following species are a huge hit with kids due to their extremely high numbers and their willingness to grab a fly:
Chum Salmon: Extremely hard fighting fish that are eager to eat a fly. Also, if you are interested in learning to fish with a two handed rod, there might not be a better species to learn on. We see bignumbers of Chums between late June and late July, many of which are ocean fresh and covered with sea lice.
Dolly Varden: If you want action, you can’t ask for much more than a good day on the dolly flats. Kids especially love these gorgeous fish as they can offer non-stop excitement, all day long. These aren’t necessarily small fish either – dollies over twenty inches are common with some reaching up to thirty inches. While there are residents throughout the entire season, we see the highest numbers of aggressive Dolly Varden from mid-late July through August.
Silver Salmon: Hard fighting and acrobatic, these fish are extremely fun to catch on a one or two handed rod. They can be fooled by swinging flies, stripping flies, or “wogging” on the surface. Kids love the visual aspect of fishing to these fish and they can be caught in extremely high numbers. Did we mention they are extremely tasty as well!?
Our guides are talented and patient instructors, and love working with people of all ages and experience levels. If you have a youngster who might be interested in fishing or just want to pass on your passion to the next generation, we’d love for you to consider joining us at Alaska West!
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