Alaska Travel: Tips for finding fresh seafood

Old Feb 5th, 2008, 12:52 PM
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Alaska Travel: Tips for finding fresh seafood

My family is in the midst of trying to plan a 2 week vacation to Alaska for 2009. We are going to be traveling the state in a RV. The last time I was there was when I was a little girl. I have a picture of myself in a seafood market surrounded by loads of fresh seafood. Can anyone help with where to buy fresh seafood from crab to fish? Any other tips are welcome
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Old Feb 5th, 2008, 01:10 PM
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If you are talking about Anchorage specifically, I suspect that it would either be New Sagaya <http://www.newsagaya.com/> or 10th and M Seafoods <http://www.10thandmseafoods.com/>.
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Old Feb 5th, 2008, 01:17 PM
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Any grocery store will have it in season. Carr's Safeway, Fred Meyer's, New Sagaya has excellent selction.

King salmon is May and June, Red salmon are June, July, Silvers are July and August/Sept.

What time of year will you be here?

Of course, you can always buy a license and fish for them yourself.


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Old Feb 5th, 2008, 03:33 PM
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I should have mentioned that we are thinking of vacationing the last 2 weeks of August. I heard the bugs are terrible the end of June throught the middle of August. Would really like to fish for salmon though..so we haven't made a definate decision. It's been 30+ years since I've been to Anchorage and I'm sure a lot has changed. Thank you for your suggestions.
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Old Feb 5th, 2008, 04:43 PM
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August and especially September in Alaska are 'weather' months meaning it is when the weather is changing from summer to fall. Days are getting shorter, inland high pressures are less dominant which means the Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea have a bigger impact on weather here.
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Old Feb 5th, 2008, 05:05 PM
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We did a 2 week RV trip with our kids last summer. We found fresh seafood throughout the state at Fred Meyer's, grocery stores, and fish markets. There's a good fish market on Homer Spit. Don't recall the name but you'll easily find the place.
I recommend booking at least a half day fishing charter. We did some "spontaneous", unplanned fishing on the trip (bought gear at Fred Meyer). My sons and husband loved it. If I had known they would be so interested, I would have booked a fishing charter trip to have a local guide and better gear.
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Old Feb 5th, 2008, 10:48 PM
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Depends on your age .. 10th and M has been around forever. Sagaya's seafood displays got a lot more impressive when they moved and added the "New."

The old place was a pretty small and dark place, but even then was a very cool store. Always, though, great seafood and produce. I still remember my joy when I found blood oranges there in the mid '80s.
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Old Feb 6th, 2008, 05:36 AM
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Our last trip was the end of June when there was a heat wave. During the day we didn't notice any bugs. One weekend was spent in Palmer at the state fairgrounds. We stayed at a b&b. Family members who camped out said the mosquitos were ferocious but they must have come out in the middle of the night when it was dusky. It never got real dark. We also did an overnight at a cabin near Talkeetna. Again, we didn't notice any mosquitoes. Didn't notice any while hiking near Whittier nor walking beaches. The end of June is a wonderful time plus several towns do a big 4th of July celebration. Great parade in Kenai. We bought frozen crab legs at the supermarket (get a store shoppers card for some extra discounts on different store specials) but I recall live crabs at New Sagaya when we visited late July. In Homer there's a farmers market where you can buy fresh oysters. I think it's on Fridays. I overheard people talking about going clamming on the KP. You might look into getting a license and finding out where to dig.
We live in a rural area and camp around New England so a few mosquitos don't bother us. I never put on repellant but I should have brought sunscreen.
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Old Feb 6th, 2008, 01:35 PM
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Familyvacation,

An RV is the ideal way to see the state especially for those adventurous types. When we have friends/family come up to visit, that is what they do.

If you are into catching your own dinner, there are lots of places to camp and fish from a riverbank in South Central Alaska. But beware, if the fish are running, you will share that campsite and that fishing bank with hundreds of others just like yourself.

If you have kids, fishing is a fun thing for them to do even if they have no luck.

Go to Walmart or Freddie's when you get here a buy an portable outdoor grill - it's a great way to cook fish. And when your trip is over, you can toss it out.

June and July are prime 'fresh seafood' months - you will have no problem getting all you want.

Two weeks is about right for an RV - pickup in Anchorage and get out of town right away I suggest. Homer and Seward are on the Kenai Peninsula south of town - and very popular. Thats where fishing is extremely popular - plus they are both beautiful locations. You can camp right on or very near the beach in both areas - suggest you Google those campsites as they fill up. Plan on doing a wildlife cruise out of Seward (or Whittier). And in Homer, consider taking a trip over to Seldovia for the day.

You will see lots of Europeans when you RV here - they like the open road and the freedom it affords them plus the open spaces which they really don't have at home.

North of town is Denali - if you have time, you could hit Fairbanks too. But many people skip that extra drive past the park and head over to Valdez via the Denali Highway which connects the Parks Highway to the Richardson Highway. The scenery is fantastic and there are good opportunities to see a variety of wildlife. Check with your RV people before you go to see if they allow their units on that road - it is hardpack/washboard for 100 miles.

The road to Valdez is beautiful and if you had time, you might head to McCarthy (another detour)- it is very interesting and much less of a travel destination than Denali.

Don't overextend yourself on the driving part - distances are big here and you don't gobble up road miles like in the lower 48 - I figure 45 mph as an average to get somewhere since you seem to be stopping every 1/2 hour to take pictures.

And if you are in Anchorage on a weekend, there is a 'downtown market' which they have on Saturdays - kinda fun and funky too.

Have a good trip and spend freely.
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Old Feb 7th, 2008, 03:49 AM
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Thanks for all the replies. Anyone have any suggestions for good RV parks throughout the state. It's such a beautiful state and would like to stay where you can really capture the beauty. I should probably start a new thread on this.
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Old Feb 7th, 2008, 04:36 AM
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I recommend this book "Traveler's Guide to Alaskan Camping: Explore Alaska and the Yukon with RV or Tent" (found @ Amazon.com)to every camper in AK.I personally used it and found their reviews of campgrounds very true. My personal favorite campground is Quartz Creek @ Kenai Lake which is located near Cooper Landing. You can get fresh AK seafood at Coal Point in Homer.
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Old Feb 9th, 2008, 01:55 PM
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Fresh seafood? Nothing better than fish you catch yourself and eat within an hour or two. Yum!

If you're going to buy seafood - New Sagaya, CARRS, 10th & M, heck - sometimes even Costco!

Have a great time!
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Old Feb 25th, 2008, 09:15 PM
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In Seward, go straight to the dock and I'm sure you can get some just-caught fish -- halibuts, etc. You probably can get them free.
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