The Alaska Roadside Angler's Guide (Paperback)

by Gunnar Pedersen (Author), Joe Nedland (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The Alaska Roadside Angler's Guide is the ultimate reference guide for knowing: the when, where, what and how-to of sport fishing the hottest roadside fisheries in south-central Alaska. If it's a major sport fish species or destination that can be accessed by a road or highway it's covered in this full color book. Designed to be a valuable aid in planning successful fishing trips whether the angler is a first time visitor to Alaska or a long time local resident. The contents have been logically broken down into key areas of pertinent information so that the reader can quickly glean the information they want and need.

Starting out with "Fishing the Road System", the angler is introduced to how to plan for their trip of a lifetime or afternoon getaway. Geared for the do-it-yourself angler, helpful tips relating to timing, trip length, hiring a guide, transportation and accommodations are covered.

The "Alaska Roadside Species" section is a thorough introduction to the angler s quarry. Sixteen different species or groups of fish are highlighted. The most abundant and pursued species are covered individually in detail, describing the best places to find them, the best techniques and best dates to catch them. As different as a dainty grayling is from a bruiser king salmon and an arctic char is from a monster salmon shark, so is the knowledge needed to pursue and catch each species. The most popular angling strategies along with the most popular lures, flies and baits the consistent producers are discussed with reference to which fish they will work best on.

The key to fishing success is often being in the right place at the right time, and in Alaska this more often than not is crucial to success. In the "Areas & Locations" section south-central Alaska is broken down into six regions with the twenty-two best of the best Hot Spots available are highlighted and covered in detail, describing the where and when thoroughly. Each Hot Spot includes a location overview, maps, detailed information on each key species - including unique run time charts and what the most successful techniques commonly used on this particular water are. In addition to the Hot Spots each region has an additional overview of other productive waters and opportunities available within that area. Each regional section ends with a valuable listing of area fishing derbies, services, accommodations, and local information resources.

By studying the information provided, whether the quarry of choice is rainbow trout or silver salmon, the angler will know when to be there, where to fish and which waters potentially hold the trophies. This "Areas & Locations" section of the book is sure to become the reference bible for many Alaskan fishermen. It will be the main resource that serious local anglers will turn to, to govern their lives by each summer.

The Alaska Roadside Angler s Guide was created by two local Alaskan anglers and is the culmination of over 50 combined years of experience fishing the numerous rivers, streams, lakes, and bays accessible by the state s roads and highways. In addition to the personal observations of the creators -- professional sport fishing guides, state and federal agencies have all contributed vital pieces of information as well, making this book what it is today: the most comprehensive publication covering the best angling Hot Spots along south-central Alaska s road system.

About the Author

The Co-Creators

Gunnar Pedersen - Author<br /> Gunnar came to Alaska in 1979. An avid angler since childhood, fly-fishing for sea-run brown trout, Atlantic salmon, and Arctic char in lakes and streams of northern Europe and deep-sea fishing for bottomfish in the fjords of Norway. His passion for the sport increased with the introduction to the abundant opportunities present in The Last Frontier.

Personally having fished over 750 waterways, Gunnar has caught every game fish (including numerous trophy specimens), and kept exhaustive records of field trips. He has been widely recognized as the leading authority and expert on fishing the state's road-accessible waters. In addition, he has written dozens of articles on roadside fisheries as field editor of an outdoor magazine, worked as a fishing guide for several years, and established a successful publishing company catered to producing books on fishing in Alaska. Various titles Gunnar has produced include best selling The Highway Angler: Fishing Alaska s Road System book series and Fishing Alaska's Kenai River. He co-authored the award-winning, nationally recognized Alaska Fishing: The Ultimate Angler's Guide with outdoor writer and guide Rene Limeres.

It was during the production of the first edition of The Highway Angler in 1988 that he met Joe Nedland, the highly creative and talented eye behind the design of The Alaska Roadside Angler's Guide.

When not writing or committed to any non-fishing related activities, Gunnar travels the state - mostly by road - exploring the vast and near endless angling opportunities available. Among his favorite haunts are the waters of the Kenai Peninsula and numerous rivers and streams north of Anchorage, such as in the Mat-Su Valley and Copper Valley. Also a favorite is surf-casting along the Gulf Coast and Prince William Sound.

Joe Nedland - Desinger/Illustrator<br /> There is only one thing Joe has pursued with a passionate interest longer than his vocation as an artist and graphic designer; and that is fishing. Fishing has been a part of his life as long as he can remember. Since the age of 13 he has been tying flies, building rods and generally chasing trout or salmon whenever possible.

In 1979 Joe moved from the north woods of Wisconsin and its small trout steams to south-central Alaska, where he has made his home ever since. Trained as a graphic artist and fine artist, Joe has worked as an independent freelance illustrator and graphic designer for over twenty years. Recently Joe's fine art landscape paintings were featured in an invitational solo exhibit at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage. His paintings are now in a number of collections both in and outside of Alaska.

Joe's favorite roadside fishing is found by either floating or hiking along some of the smaller rivers and streams of southcentral Alaska. Looking for those isolated backwood locales where the fish are still wild, untouched and undisturbed; where a well placed fly is almost a sure bet. To Joe the quality of the fishing is often more important than the quantity of the catch.

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: 2Fish Publishing; 1st edition (June 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578333768
• ISBN-13: 978-1578333769
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #161,325 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best DIY Resource out there for Alaskan Fishing, September 30, 2007

By	Bryan Newman "alaskanoutfitting.com" (St Paul, MN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Gunnar Pedersen has already authored two of the best books on Alaskan fishing, Alaska Fishing: The Ultimate Angler's Guide, Deluxe Third Edition with Rene Limeres and The Highway Angler: Fishing Alaska's Road System. Fifth Edition.. This book is the perfect marriage of both books, and a great companion to Fishing Alaska. Where Highway Angler was too comprehensive with just very basic information for each location, this book highlights only the best areas of the South Central road system in more detail. For those familiar with Fishing Alaska, this book borrows its basic design which puts it head and shoulders above all other books out there. If you are planning a do-it-yourself fishing trip to Alaska, this is now the book I would recommend you get.

Although it is nice to read and dream about fishing Unalakleet in Fishing Alaska, the reality is that you need a resource that tells you when to hit the fishing hole on Homer Spit. This book sticks to the reality of 95% of Alaskan Fishing; the high use, high fish density areas you can drive to. It really focuses on the places you will be fishing rather than trying to cover every wilderness fishing stream in the state.

The book is broken into several sections, an introduction, a species guide with techniques, a location guide, and some appendix items. If you are new to Alaska, everything you need to have a successful trip is here. It is filled with great color photos of the locations and lots of "catch" photos that will get you dreaming. If you live in Alaska, there is still a place for Highway Angler as a reference, it's a book you'll keep reading and flipping through.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alaska's Fishing Bible, June 10, 2009

By	Richard P. Jahn Jr. (Chattanooga, TN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book covers all the main freshwater streams in the Anchorage area, from the Kenai Peninsula north to Talkeetna. Salwater fishing from Kenai shorelines is also included. It first gives a good natural history of each of the five salmon species as well as all other game fish that will be encountered. Each stream within a geographic area is discussed separately. Incredibly, it tells what fish will be in each river during each week of the summer, and in what quantity. It gives useful, detailed maps on how to walk to each stream from the road. A new visitor with this book and a car will not have to worry about where to go or how to access dozens of waterways.

Of course, the book covers lures and tackle as well as regs on each stream. By the way, regs and limits and open seasons vary widely from stream to stream and by species. Beautiful color photos adorn each page. Also, ads from fly shops, lodges, motels and outfitters that serve a given stream area are found in the pages for that area. This is all useful information for the visiting angler. There is even a nice appendix with instructions on proper angler behavior in a crowd when salmon are running.

Every single paragraph in this book has useful information. It is printed on thick glossy paper, making the photos, maps and graphs - all in color -really stand out. Well worth the price.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read for the armchair & excellent put in practice too!, July 5, 2009

By	BowBev (Barry, South Wales) - See all my reviews

My husband and I bought this book after using Gunnar Pedersen's other publication as a guide in the field; 'The Highway Angler'. The Roadside Angler provides concise and very useful and reliable information on fishing in Alaska, whatever your chosen method is. It is packed full of colour photo/illustrations on quality, glossy paper making it great for a read, dream and planning before you go on a trip to the great state. Whilst putting into practice the guidance given will definitely give you an advantage over others. A highly recommended book at what is a very reasonable price for what you are getting, you will not be disappointed; it does what it says on the tin!