Fishing for a New Year

For the past few weeks my wife and I were enjoying a trip to Hawaii. Even on the big Island of Hawaii and even though I did not watch any newscasts or read any newspapers, my wife and I heard plenty about the high winds and cold temperatures back home in the Mat-su Valley. After returning, and not unexpectedly, I’ve heard from a few sources that the ice fishing that had been picking up when we left on our vacation had in many cases ground to halt with the high winds and colder temperatures. I also heard from one fishing guide who fished part of the time we were at Lake Louise with some good success, and was once again guiding some trips in the Mat-Su Valley as well. Another friend relayed some ice fishing success he and his son experienced ( during one of the better weather days) while we were out of state.

The guide told me that ice thickness at multiple Mat-Su locations is now in the 20 inch range — which seems logical after a few weeks of cold weather and high winds. Another friend told me he goes ice fishing when the temperatures rise into the 20 degree range — I don’t know how long he may wait for such a warm up, but have no doubt such an event will occur sometime this winter. That is the kind of day I would be more likely to seek out as well for more enjoyable ice fishing experience.

New Year / New Fishing License(s)

In less than a week, many Alaska resident anglers will be required to get a new Alaska Fishing License for 2026. An easy and convenient way for many people to get a license is to simply purchase it online at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) website: https://store.adfg.alaska.gov/. A hardcopy can then be printed out on a computer printer — or some anglers store a copy on their mobile phone. For a few years now, I’ve had a complimentary ADF&G card that qualifies as a fishing / hunting license for a resident over the age of 60 years. An Alaska resident must, however, fill out and submit a form to attain this free license — something that is well worth the time and effort. For fishing guides the new year requires additional layers of paperwork with the requirements to get a 2026 guide registration and a 2026 business registration — and saltwater guides may need to get a new logbook for the new year as well. Depending upon what fishing opportunities an Alaska resident participates in, they may want to obtain a 2026 personal use or subsistence fishing permit at the same time. There are still some wonderful fishing opportunities available throughout the state, some of which are exclusively for Alaska residents, so I would encourage people to put in the effort and get set up for the upcoming 2026 fishing opportunities.

During some of the 2025 Black Friday / Cyber Monday type sales events I found several items that have recently arrived at my mailbox in time for Christmas, but that likely won’t be put to use until after New Years Day. I purchased some premium size #2 hooks that I intend to use just for ice fishing, along with some high-dollar-for-me wool socks that I would like to try on ice fishing trips as well. While I already had plenty of fishing lures, I also invested in some specific lures for northern pike fishing (including a few “weedless” ones) that I hope to try out this summer. Notice the word “hope” as I already own lures I’ve bought at previous “Christmas” sales that are still waiting their turn to be fished.

Getting new gear provides me with things to look forward to trying out, and I also have a few new different styles of hooks to try for salmon next summer, some small spools of new line, some tungsten sinkers, and even some fishing clothing items. For those who may not have stocked up at pre-Christmas sales, the New Year is also likely to bring After Christmas sale opportunities. Of course, if you don’t want your house and garage to look like a fishing tackle warehouse, you may choose to wait until you actually want to use a specific item. This can work well on readily available common items, but other times not so well on specialty items which may experience stocking or shipping delays during peak fishing season.

New Year's Resolutions

For 2026 I intend to fish / guide trips to more places on a more regular basis. While In the past I’ve often focused much of my efforts on one or two locations, I have found that branching out can provide better or simply different options which are enjoyable simply for new or varied experiences. I’ve even posted some different guided fishing trip start times on my business website (after experimenting with customized trips start times the past couple summers).

On our trip to Hawaii the weather was wonderful, and we got out and enjoyed outdoor activities nearly every day. After returning to Alaska I want to better plan on maximizing what I do (or plan) during any dark / cold / windy days, so I can spend more of Alaska’s limited fair-weather days enjoying pleasant outdoor experience.

Plan / Work Now, to Fish On!

Although Andy Couch is a member of the Matanuska - Susitna Borough Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Matanuska Valley FIsh and Game Advisory Committee the thoughts and opinions expressed in this column are his own - unless noted otherwise.