More on Alaskan Ice-Fishing

Get Going: The Anchorage CVB’s website includes useful information on ice-fishing in the state, including listings for guides and gear rentals.

U.S. Fishing Photo Gallery

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The ice over the rivers and lakes might be thick enough to support a convoy of trucks, but underneath swim schools of silver salmon, Arctic char, and rainbow trout at which any self-respecting angler will want to dangle a line.

If you've never ice-fished before, then Alaska is the place to do it. To get started, hire a guide who will take care of equipment and licenses. Most importantly, the guide will have the gas-powered awl that can drill through six feet of ice in a matter of seconds. Guides know where the fish hang out, and they know how to place your lure just the right distance from the bottom. A well-placed hook in a well-chosen location can be almost like fishing in a barrel; you'll catch your 20-fish daily limit in no time. And if you have the forethought to bring along a small hibachi, you can cook the fish right as you pull them out of the water.

Bring warm clothes and warm drinks, hand and foot warmers, the warmest boots you own, and a closed-cell foam pad or portable chair to sit on.