Y’all got any fishin’ round here?

Every day in the Skagway tour booth, we are lucky to meet people from all over the world. It’s interesting because people from certain countries will ask us very specific questions. Tourists from India are very interested in seeing bears. Folks from Mexico frequently ask us about dog mushing on the glacier. Visitors from the southern United States ask one question more than any other…

Wow! That’s one heckuva salvelinus namaycush! But you may prefer to call it a touladi!

“Y’all got any fishin’ round here?”

Indeed, we do! Alaska is renowned for its fishin’ and Skagway has many different species to satisfy your angling delights. The purpose of this blog is to review some of the most common olfactores, although we here use the designation loosely because we all realize that “fish” is not a formal taxonomic grouping. We could use this terminology in a cladistic sense, but let’s instead use the more common grouping, “pisces,” even though it’s more of a typological classification.

Let’s get er dun!

All of the fish around Skagway are ectothermic, which is a good thing considering how cold the water gets! Let’s talk about each common species you may catch while fishin’ around Skagway, so that you’re prepared for whatever bone the good Lord may throw at you.

The Dolly Varden char is one of the more common fish caught around town. They are a pretty little char that can be hooked in both fresh and salt water. These hard fighting mini-torpedoes are also known as salvelinus, which is a genus of the salmonid family of fishes. Most people call them Dolly Varden trout, but this is a misnomer because trout are of the genus oncorchynchus and salmo. Southern visitors sometimes misidentify these fish as Dolly Partin, but that is a country and western singer, not a finned pisces. Either way, these Alaskan delicacies are best when they’re fried up hard!

Lake trout are caught just north of Skagway, but they are not a trout. They are a char. While it’s common for certain char to colloquially be called trout, it would be better to use their proper designation (salvelinus namaycush) when showing photos of your catch to your fishin’ buddies back home.

Tarnation! Thats a huge salvelinus fontinalis, Billy Bob!

Rainbow trout are a species of salmonid caught in Lost Lake, which is accessed by a short but steep trail in Dyea. You probably catch rainbow trout back home, but it’s a little different in Alaska because we also have steelhead. What is a steelhead? It’s a rainbow trout that lives in the ocean. Because steelhead move from saltwater to freshwater in order to spawn, they are an anadromous fish. Keep in mind that rainbow trout are not anadromous because they are bound to one freshwater system. If you’re unsure whether you caught a rainbow trout or steelhead, just crack open a cold one and say, “I caught me an oncorchynchus mykiss!” and leave it at that.

Salmon are also caught around Skagway, but you may know them by the name “salmonidae.” However, the salmonidae caught in Skagway are obviously all oncorchynchus, but you already knew that! The most common salmon caught in Skagway are the oncorchynchus gorbuscha, and are easily identified by their rotund gorbusa. If you catch one of these, you’re going to be happier than the butcher’s dog!

Fishin’ in Skagway is non-stop excitement!

As you can see, fishin’ in Skagway is non-stop boot-stompin’ fun. If you’re unsure where to fish, simply ask a local and they’ll steer you in the right direction. Buy them a beer, and they’ll regale you with homespun fishing colloquialisms that will set your imagination adrift on a wild sea of romantic adventure.

Enjoy your stay in Skagway and Happy Fishin’!