2022 Projected Fishing Plan - Draft

 Hi everyone, its Mr. Jon here to type and share another glorious blog involving fishing.  This time, its about what my projected plan is for 2022.  Before you roast me, know that this is only a draft and by no means any "set in stone" plan.  I have a lot of influences in my life, so its best for me to be a leaf in the wind through the summer months.  Either case, on with the plan.

Currently its January and the ice is fairly thick, especially after the "icepocalypse" we had around Christmas timeframe.  There are a lot of good ice fishing reports involving lakes in the Wasilla Valley - Finger Lake, Big Lake, Nancy Lake, etc. - however, i'm an Interior guy.  I'm interested in what the lakes and rivers around here have to offer.  So I will be starting there and gathering information from various sources and plan a trip around Late January / Early February.  This will probably be my only ice fishing trip, if I even go, as i'm not a fan of the techniques and tactics, nor a fan of ice and snow if I don't have to.  Not saying I won't, but I would prefer not to if I have a choice.  

In the first week of March, I'll be keeping my eyes on the Nenana Ice Classic.  Its "Alaska's favorite guessing game", similar to other guessing games involving tickets and prize money and such.  Here are a couple of links:

Nenana Ice Classic, Alaska’s favorite guessing game, ends with a twist (adn.com)

Nenana Ice Classic: Tanana River Ice Annual Breakup Dates, Version 2 (nasa.gov)

I do this because this tracks the breakup of the Tanana River, a prominent and large river that spans through the Interior.  The more that breaks up, the more the rest of the region breaks up both lakes and streams.  

I also put on my wading boots and check out the lakes closer to my house in town, going no further than Chena Lakes, and explore there as well.  Using math we were all taught in high school, its easy to form a trend of melting ice.

At our local Sportsman's Warehouse, there is a whiteboard with fishing locations on it.  The store gathers information from fishers and updates the board.  This winter, they haven't updated it at all.  Starting around breakup (March-April), the board gets updated weekly.  It generally includes bait types, lure types, colors, depths, and very generic techniques by region from Fairbanks to Delta Junction and beyond.

Summer is the peak season for me.  I'm currently working on a book through this winter covering fishing in the Interior, which will cover a LOT of information that you don't normally find in the book store or other blog posts.  One point about that book is I break down my fishing trips into three categories - Power Hours, Daytrippers, and Overnighters.  

Power Hours - i'm off work, its time to fish until its bedtime and i go back to work.  with this time contraint, I like to be fishing within 1 hour of departing my house.  In most instances, i'm catching fish within an hour.

Day Trippers - ok, so I don't have responsibilities tomorrow, but I also for xyz reasons cannot stay the night (other engagements, no camping areas, etc).  These are normally longer distance than Power Hour locations, more than 45 minutes of driving, and involve a good deal of walking.

Overnighters - aka i'm Fish-Camping as my youngest calls it.  Its essentially a camping trip, but 90% of the trip is me fishing, filling an ice chest with fish, and coming home in a few days.  90% of my diet during these trips are also fish caught and about 70% of these trips historically have been what I call "survival camping" - I pretend my car is dead/broken down/etc. and then survive OR i rent a campsite for xyz length, but then bushwack/backpack and use the campsite as long-term parking.

For 2022, i'm going to shake up my usual routines and document my successes and failures, both here in my blog, and also on my YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram accounts.  The intent is to fish new waters, make longer and more prominent trips, and give the wife a reason to buy a bigger freezer or two :) 

For Power Hours, instead of just shore fishing, i'm going to pack my kayak or dedicate a budget to boat rentals.  Over half of my Power Hour locations involve "no motor" lakes.  I'm also going to be "upgrading" my kayak and forming "Kayak-Voltron" - a modular system i'm working on for Kayak Fishing.  This will give me greater opportunities to fish other lakes within an hour of my driveway. 

 There are also several other stocked and wild lakes in the region I can reach within an hour of my driveway that I have yet to fish, out of complacency of 2020-2021.  Smith Lake by UAF being one of them.  Some of the "pits" - abandoned mining pits filled with water and managed by ADFG - being others.  

All of the lakes managed by ADFG can be found on their website here:  Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Smith Lake can be found on Google Maps here:  Smith Lake - Google Maps

When i'm out Day Tripping, i'm going to target some alternate locations as well.  Day Tripping involves no rigid "home time" and sometimes bleed overnight (its Alaska in the summer... .there really isn't a "night."  The sun just likes to touch the horizon for a bit and come right back up an hour later).  I still need to go home though eventually.

This year will be focusing on larger lakes within the Interior.  There are three lakes in particular I would like to target allow motors, so Kayak-Voltron (i need a better name for that) is a go :)   They are Harding Lake, Birch Lake, and Lost Lake.  Links below.  

Harding Lake is the deepest no-duh lake i've ever encountered at 141 feet, with an average of over 100'.  Here is the link:  Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Birch Lake is in that same region, but not nearly as deep.  Link:  Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Lost Lake is part of the Boy Scout Campground, but has a day parking area.  It's a bit remote and on higher elevation, so it should pose a good challenge.  Link:  Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Last year, I tried to fish Quartz Lake, but due to terrain constraints and lack of a boat, it was not a fun experience.  Perhaps with an adequate boat I could pull a good daily limit.  Link:  Alaska Department of Fish and Game  

I find that anything beyond Delta Junction is more than a Day Trip and I should plan for an Overnighter....

My Overnighter plans include three regions and three specific timetables

The past couple of years, I've attempted and planned for participating in the various Salmon Runs throughout the state, however social and family restraints prevented me from going.  This year, I will plan out as much as I can to avoid any restraints and go.

The Kenai Salmon Runs i'm speaking of are the various runs when the Salmon come up the Kenai River.  Kenai is 12+ hour drive, about 3/8 drive across the state, and requires harvesting licenses/records freely provided by ADFG.  Substance Fishing is the name of the game here.

The Copper River / GlenAllen region is the second area I wish to speak about for overnighters.  Like the Salmon Runs, life got in the way during 2021.  This area is beyond Delta and is a crossroads area between Palmer/Wasilla to the west, Valdez to the south, and Delta to the north.  There are some serious fishing opportunities I intend to explore in this region.  

Lakes in this area I intend to target at least once are Summit and Paxon Lakes (near each other, probably visit both during a 4-day weekend), and Lake Louise.  I also intend to attempt to fish the Copper River at least once.  We shall see.

A Rolling Trip to Valdez is the final "area" i wish to speak about.  From Glenallen going south, there are plenty of small towns and stops, and plenty of small- to mid-sized lakes to fish from the road system on your way to Valdez.  A few hours at each point sounds perfect for a rolling fishing experience.  

Some waterways to name drop are Willow Lake, Pippin Lake, Squirrel Creek Campground, the Valdez-Cordova river, and Lowe River.

Once in Valdez, there is plenty of fishing opportunities in Valdez Bay, Robe Lake, and Valdez Glacier Lake.

In conclusion, I've summarized where I intend to fish throughout 2022.  Now its time to assign dates, schedule with work and family, and go from there.