Alaska Northern Pike Available Species
Northern Pike
Lurking in the back bays and grassy sloughs, Northern pike patiently wait to ambush their pray. Being the fastest accelerating fish in the world provides great sport for anglers young and old. Having 702 teeth necessitates a wire leader and a strong hook set to land these violent predators. Averaging 7 pounds their wake will intimidate the most hardened pike fisherman. Just be careful, we have seen 40″ pike lurking in the mud.
Sheefish
What’s a Sheefish you ask? Locals call this hard-hitting, fast moving, chrome marauder, the “Tarpon of the North”. Migrating in schools up river all through the summer, these exciting fish provide fast and furious action for the spin cast, or fly fishing enthusiast.
Salmon
The Aniak River is the largest tributary on the lower Kuskokwim drainage. It has the largest return of king salmon and the largest silver run in Alaska. Thirty kings a day averaging 20 to 30 pounds will put a cramp in your arm, especially if you hook into a giant 60+ pounder. 12+ pound Silvers, later in the season, crush flies and lures, consistently, with every cast. Their acrobatic jumps and driving runs promise to get the blood pumping. Reds chum and pink salmon complete the Pacific salmon family. All at impressive size and numbers and give little opportunity for your rod or arm to rest.
Rainbows
Being the most Northern rainbow trout habitat in the world the Aniak’s coined “Leopard Rainbows”, hit hard and run furiously. You will know when one hits because they fight like no other. Natural and wild the abundant Aniak rainbows average 18″. If you are looking for 10+ pounders, hold on and let your reel scream. Flyfishermans’ efforts will be rewarded when skating mouse patterns or swinging your spey rod with wrist cracking strikes.
Dolly Varden
Artic char and dolly varden stack into feed lines feasting on the delicious salmon roe. Fierce and diligent, they will strike, strike, and strike again until they have devoured their obsession. Growing past 25 inches, Dolly varden can fish like a gumball machine: Just put your quarter in and turn the knob! The beautiful array of colors and sharp contrasts lend to excellent photos.
Grayling
Hopper Dropper anyone? 18+ inch graying with their exotic dorsal fins devour any insect pattern from elk hair caddis to copper johns. The Aniak’s slow pocket water holds world-class grayling fishing. Light line and perfect presentations produce high yield bounties of this eloquent whitefish species. Old in years and large in size does not equate to lethargic fights, Aniak’s arctic grayling jump high and change directions faster than a 6 year old on red bull.
Lake Trout
The Pristine Kilbuck mountains vault to 4000 feet and below rests Aniak Lake the exclusive and premier head waters of the Aniak river. The gin-clear, glacier fed lake is home to 20 pound lake trout. Once the salmon reach the head waters the Lake Trout concentrate into the river mouths and feed heavily on salmon roe and other unsuspecting fish species.
Please note: Because of the large size and old age of the Alaskan pike, MSTPA practices a strict policy of catch and release of all Northern pike. We also promote and require our guests to use single, barbless hooks on all lures. In the interest of preserving the fishery all leaders are hand tied by the guides using 65lbs. wire without clips. they have proven in our fishery to have the lowest failure ratio, which is very important to us when you have your fish of a life time on. All pike are landed by hand by the guide. The Pikes length and girth will be measured (not weighed), photographed and released. Our guides have developed handling techniques to minimize stress to the fish. The length and girth measurements are utilized along with the Monas calculation to acquire estimated weights. We fish four anglers per trip, making less pressure on the fishery.