The Water

Alaska’s Seward Peninsula is covered with rivers, streams, creeks, and lakes.  Almost all of the fishing we do is in water that can be crossed in chest waders or less.  When the water is too deep or swift, we can usually find a spot up or down stream to cross.  Most of the streams that we fish are crystal clear, with rocky bottoms.  Some rivers turn to a sandy bottom with poor visibility as they near the ocean.  Water temperatures run from 35-55 degrees Fahrenheit.  Some of our rivers are located in mountainous terrain, with peaks rising from a couple hundred feet to 4714 feet.  Others are on low lying tundra plains.  The rivers of the Seward Peninsula drain the creeks and streams of higher terrain, which swell in spring from snow melt and during the summer from long periods of drizzle and rain.  In most areas the water table is present only a few feet beneath the surface.  Due to our low annual amount of precipitation, the Nome area is known as an Arctic desert.  However, our short, mild summers mean that there is plenty of water.