Anchorage Fishing Spots

Surprise-you don't even have to leave Anchorage to land a famous Alaska salmon or trout. Expand your do-it-yourself options with a quick daytrip out of town in either direction. Your chances aren't as good as when hiring a guide and boat, but it's cheap and convenient.

Fish run in the wild creeks and well-stocked lakes, and it takes little gear to get up and running. Below we've listed our favorite local spots for gearing up and fishing.

Need Gear or a Guide?

At The Bait Shack you can rent a gear package and go angling on Ship Creek in Downtown Anchorage. Have more time? Their guides can bring you to areas just outside of Anchorage, or you can rent gear and go on your own to recommended spots throughout the state. They also offer ice fishing in winter! 6th Avenue Outfitters is another spot to pick up fishing gear or rent equipment.

Anchorage also makes a great base camp for fly-out fishing expeditions. Board a seaplane and fish streams, lakes, and rivers away from the crowds.

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Fishing Spots

Alaska’s most pro­duc­tive king salmon sport­fish­ery is locat­ed right in down­town Anchor­age! Fish for salmon at Ship Creek even if you have only two hours. Dur­ing the sum­mer­time der­bies, spe­cial­ly tagged fish bring in $100-$10,000. Buy your tick­ets ($7 – 35) from the Der­by Cab­in next to Com­fort Inn at Ship Creek and warm up your mus­cles-in 2002, a 41-pounder took grand prize! Want to fish Ship Creek? 6th Avenue Out­fit­ters (9072760233) sells…  ...more

This fish-filled creek rush­es out from Far North Bicen­ten­ni­al Park and through the cen­ter of town. Cast for rain­bow trout, Dol­ly Var­den, or sil­ver salmon-all with­in walk­ing dis­tance of your car. Throw on a pair of hip-waders and head up the creek or angle from the shore­line trail. Direc­tions: Park at one of the lots on Camp­bell Airstrip Rd. to access the creek from Far North Bicen­ten­ni­al Park, or head west on 76th off of Old Seward to King…  ...more

This unique fish­ery, about 25 miles north of Anchor­age, is com­prised of a small, arti­fi­cial eddy of water that comes down from a pow­er plant and con­nects to the main stem, Knik Riv­er. The glacial-fed water looks murky and blue-gray, and there’s very lit­tle cur­rent. While you won’t find much soli­tude here, you can usu­al­ly find a spot to set up a lawn chair for some lazy fish­ing. There’s abun­dant park­ing, too, as well as restrooms.

This is one spot you don’t want to miss. July through Sep­tem­ber you’ll wit­ness a spec­tac­u­lar run of Sil­ver Salmon. Fish­er­men from all over the world come into Alas­ka to cast a line here. There will be hun­dreds of peo­ple com­ing and going from Bird Creek on any giv­en day. In their hands will be the days boun­ty; a nice big sil­ver salmon that is deli­cious when smoked and even bet­ter when grilled and coat­ed with lemon and a hon­ey mus­tard glaze.…  ...more