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Trout Unlimited Staff

  • Fishing

    Arctic char: all you need to know

    Tim Romano photo. Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) Species status and summary: In Alaska, Arctic char are often confused with a closely related species, Salvelinus malma (Dolly Varden), since Dolly Varden have similar coloration and inhabit the same locations as Arctic char. In many cases, definitively distinguishing Arctic char from a Dolly Varden requires close examination…

  • Fishing

    Dolly Varden: all you need to know

    Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma) Species summary and status: Though similar to, and often confused with trout, Dolly Varden are in fact a char. To tell a char from a trout you can look at their spots — char have light spots (white or yellow to red) on a dark body, while trout have dark spots (brown…

  • Fishing

    Alaskan lake trout: All you need to know

    Alaskan lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) Species summary and status: Lake trout have a body shape similar to that of trout and salmon. They generally have small cream or yellow, irregular shaped spots on a silvery-to-dark background. Males and females are similar, with males having a slightly longer, more pointed snout. Lake trout can be distinguished from…

  • Fishing

    Four essential ways to get your kids geared up for fishing

    Mason and Morgan enjoying a day on the river. Having the right gear ensures family outings are comfortable, safe, easy and fun!

    By Nelli Williams During the week our kids can usually be found running feral in the open spaces near our home. On the weekends their play area opens up to the vast and glorious Alaskan backcountry. In many ways our weekend routine is like our pre-kid days, but add 10 times the snacks, s’mores and plenty of random stuffed animals. It is amazing how…

  • Fishing

    The Alaskan rainbow trout: All you need to know

    Alaska’s rainbow trout populations are still largely intact and robust, largely because of remote locations with limited accessibility, abundant and pristine habitat, and conservative management.

    Alaskan Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Species Summary and Status: The rainbow trout native to Alaska is also known as coastal rainbow trout (Behnke 2002). There are two forms of coastal rainbow trout native to Alaska: the freshwater resident form and the searun form more commonly called steelhead. For the purposes here, only the resident form is…

  • The Arctic grayling: all you need to know

    Arctic grayling are easily recognized due to their large and colorful dorsal fin. Chris Hunt photo. Arctic Grayling (Thymallus arcticus) Species Summary and Status: The Arctic grayling is a cool or cold- freshwater species in the same family (salmonidae) as salmon, trout and whitefish. The defining characteristic of this fish is its large, sail-like dorsal…