Chinook or King Salmon: Streamers in various colors and sizes. Common types of streamers are rabbit, marabou and Intruders. Colors vary on where you are fishing for them, when you are closer to the saltwater chart/white and Chart/blue are my two go to color ways. Pink, Orange, Purple, Chartreuse, blue, black and White are all great colors, blending some of these colors together is also a great option: Pink/White, Pink/Org, Purple/Pink, Chart/White, Chart/Blue, Black/blue, Black/Chart, Purple/Blue are all some color combinations that you can play with. Typical method for fishing Kings is a traditional swing, fishing a sink tip or a long leader and some split shot will get the fly down to the fish.
Red or Sockeye Salmon: Mini Krystal Shrimp in Chartreuse, Pink, Pearl, Orange and Blue is a great pattern if you are looking to have them eat. Contrary to beliefs, Sockeye will eat a fly. One thing to keep in mind when it comes to Sockeye fishing, it is a harvest. Typical methods are lining the fish in the mouth but with a good extra heavy sink tip and a short down and across method, you can get them to eat a shrimp type pattern.
Keta or Chum or Dog Salmon: Streamers in various Colors and sizes. Common types of streamers are rabbit, marabou and Intruders. Like Kings, where you are in relation to the salt can vary the color ways but all the same colors that work for Kings will work for Chums. One great color option that Chums love is Chart/Pink. Typical method for fishing Chums is a traditional swing, fishing a sink tip or long leader with split shot.
Coho or Silver Salmon: Streamers in Pink, Purple, Chartreuse, Black, Pink/Purple, Black/Blue, Pink/White, Chart/Pink are all great color options. The old stand by Egg Sucking Leech in Chart. w/Pink Egg and Purple w/Pink Egg in a sz 2 still plays the game well. The other style fly that people come specifically to Alaska to use, wogs. Silvers in the right water will come to the surface and crush a well presented wog or popper. Wogs/Poppers in pink and chartreuse are your typical colors. Typical method with Silvers is a traditional swing, stripping or strip popping the fly, they seem to like movement in the fly more than not. With wogs/poppers, either skate them or pop them across the top.
Humpy or Pink Salmon: Streamers in Pink are most common, go figure, Pinks like pink. Pinks are not super picky typically on the fly or the color. Swing em or strip em, they will eat.
Rainbow Trout: Early season will be streamers, smolt and nymphs. Summer months; dries, nymphs, streamers, mice. Fall season; egg patterns, flesh and streamers. Streamer colors in black, olives, browns and white are all good colors to have. Typical nymph’s like copper johns, hares’ ear, pheasant tails and stonefly imitations will all work. Dries like Stimulators, Elk Hair Caddis, BWO’s, Yellow Sallies, Royal Wulff and Irresistible will all work. Trout in Alaska tend to like a streamer on the swing more than stripped but they will attack both ways. Standard dry fly and nymphing techniques are all you need. When it comes to egg patterns and flesh a standard nymph dead drift is what you are looking to accomplish.
Steelhead: Traditional steelhead patterns as well as egg patterns, big nymphs and streamers will get you in the game. Standard nymphing and swing techniques.
Dolly Varden/Arctic Char: Fishing for both fish is just like fishing for trout. While they will come up to the surface, streamers, egg patterns and flesh will tend to be more prominent patterns for them.
Grayling: One of the most underrated species we have. So many people want to target big fish, so Grayling will get overlooked but for the more traditional fly fisher person, these little fellers are right up your alley. They are a beautiful fish with a ton of gorgeous colors in their big dorsal fin. Grayling are far more abundant in the northern part of the state, which means less likely to have salmon in their system so traditional trout flies like dries and nymphs are what you need. If you are in a system with grayling and salmon you can add egg patterns and flesh to the box. Small streamers will also entice an eat.
Sheefish: Baitfish type streamers with a traditional swing will get you an eat for sure. Some people call them the Tarpon of the North, which seems to insult true Tarpon fishers, but I understand where the nickname comes from.