I need some advise from my friends up NORTH. I will be in the Kenai area in late July and if all goes well, should be bringing home some fish (reds and halibut mostly). My friends from the NW recommend taking COOLERS(s) as luggage to transport fish. However, almost everyone I have spoken to in Alaska recommends the FISH BOXES that can be purchased from fish processors or local stores in Soldotna. Which method is best? Which is the most ecomonically? Which can handle the most fish? Thanks, in advance, for your help. Good fishing. Wes.

PS: Should I bring my own vacuum sealer? Thanks.

Wes, we take up coolers because they are more durable and your assured your fish will stay frozen for the return trip. Try to find those old metal coleman's, they work good.

Wes, We ship lots of our clients fish home in the cardboard waxed fish boxes with the plastic liners. Seem to be the best bang for the buck.

Tried the styrofoamed lined boxes but they didn't work as good. I think the styro warmed the outside layers of fish to much.

Coolers work but seem to be a pain to ship up and then ship back home.

The boxes we use you can get about 60 pounds into. If you have the time after vacuum packing wrap each peice of fish in a peice of newspaper and it works better. I do that with my personal fish but don't have the time to do it to the clients fish. You can purchase them at several places in Soldotna.

Some people bring up their own vacuum packer and seal their fish. I'm sure that it works too.

1. catch a fish
2. bleed it right away
3. filet it
4. vacuum pack
5. wrap in newspaper
6. box it up
7. bring home as luggage. Not over 70 pounds
each box.
8. Fire up the BBQ
9. Eat and enjoy

Any questions I'll try to answer on here.

If you are in Soldotna, come visit us.

fp

After 25 years of hauling back fish from Alaska we have settled on fish boxes. Coolers will keep your fish frozen longer, but they are quite heavy. Each piece of checked baggage can weigh no more than 70 pounds, and the weight of the cooler is significant. That is an acceptable penalty only if your fish are poorly frozen to start with or you have a long journey home.

If you have rock-hard frozen fish filets to start with you should not have a problem using fish boxes. Our friends from as far away as Florida get their frozen fish home just fine, especially if they put 5 pounds (the legal max) of dry ice in each box to start with. If you are fishing in Soldatna or another larger Alaska city you should have no problem getting dry ice. If you are heading to Seattle or even Portland no dry ice will be necessary.

I have found that fish stay frozen as long as 20 hrs with no thawing if packed in waxed cardboard with a styrofoam inner liner. They cost about $15 for a 75lb box $18 for a 100lb and they are sold just about everywhere in Soldotna, they also come in smaller sizes. Be sure to pack boxes full, this will also help things to stay frozen longer. The airlines like these boxes because they pack better in the cargo hold. Check your airline for baggage amount and weight restrictions. Also take a permanite marker and duct tape with you.

The lodge I work for in SE AK also runs a fish prosessing plant that packages catches for fishermen from all over the world, and this method had never had any complaints about thawing.

I've been to Soldotna area several times and have lots of contacts for fishing if you have any questions send me an E-mail.

I hope this helps, have a great trip and catch lots of fish.

Wes, you will have your own opinion after you do it a few times. Each way has it plus and minus.
I have settled on styro lined boxes as they do a great job and are reusable if you take care of them. I get at least three trips unless I break the liner before going back north. The biggest negatives with the coolers are they get broken hindges, broken handles, etc very easy. The cargo
people must love to throw stuff, I really don't know how it happens. I had a metal coleman that was bent up like a car fender in a junkyard upon
arrival in PDX. The boxes will be strapped for you and will be double strapped for no exta money if you ask for it. I recommend the hardware store
in front of Safeway in Soldatna or the cannery at
Deep Creek for buying the boxes. Make sure you get
a full 24 hr freeze on your fish if you can and make sure that the box is as full as possible and stay under 70 lbs. For processing you are better off with a net weight processor. Don't go with a gross weight outfit. The cannery at Deep Creek ( Ninilchik ) does a great job. If you fish the Kasilof River I recommend the guy that Bob Ball uses as he is even better and you can ask Bob what his name is on an E-mail. I can't remember his name even after using him for the past dozen trips or so. If you nail a big halibut it is cheaper to buy a cardboard box and mail ( USPS ) your clothes etc home. There is a post office in Soldatna, in Ninilchik and the north end of the bridge at Kasilof. Get 140 lbs of fish on the plane. If you ship it, it will cost you more. As for airlines
I recommend Alaska Air. They are never snooty about fish boxes if they are a little over weight etc. Others can be a real pain in the tail for no reason. I have not been up north since 9-11 but I would guess that things will be fairly normal by the time of your trip. Let us hope anyway. Good Luck. If you get a chance Mike Price is a terrific
Reds Guide as well as Nooks. And of course the Bob
of this board is the best nook man on that chunk of real estate. Have a great time. It is terrific if you do it right. You will get it the way you like it best in a few trips. My comments are just the way I like to do it. And don't forget to go razor clamming if you like them. 50 clams a day
and you will dig them as fast as you are strong.
MaryAnne will do all the cleaning, bagging and freezing. Ask Bob about her as well.
First trip to Alaska was as a teenager in 1954. I hope you find it as terrific as I have, and can you believe it, my wife likes it even more than I do.

I have hauled fish back from Alaska a number of times using both methods and I like the cooler best. I get one of the coolers with the wheels because when your lugging 60 lbs of fish around the airports along with all your gear and baggage it all gets very heavy and tiring especially after staying up all the night before fishing and having a good time in all that daylight.

After filing the cooler with fish I duct tape it closed tight for shipping. If you put regular ice in it don't tell them at the Anchorage Airport that it's there. They will make you open the container and get rid of it right on the spot. With the cooler and duct tape I have had no problem with leakage but the airline would probably not like it if you soaked everything in their baggage compartment.

I have had acceptable result with both. The big key is to get it home and unpacked and into your freezer. I have done things like take a cooler up with some throwaway clothes/boots and bring fish home in the cooler. Make sure you pack all your rod tubes together so it only counts as one piece of luggage for all of you. Lat trip we each did a cooler and then did two overflow waxed boxes. Get a good HARD freeze on your fish and if you have time wrap each piece in newspaper, that helps too.

We first went with the waxed fish box. Only time we used them was when we went to Alaska. They smelled after a few trips. They fell apart eventually. We now go the cooler route. They're inexpensive, can use them on the boat thoughout the year. Simple water wash and a wipe with diluted bleach to sanitize if they get ripe and they are good as new. I have been hauling the same cooler round trip for more than 10 years now. It gets filled with gear for the flight up, vacuum packed filets for the flight down. If we can find it, a 5 pound block of dry ice gets cut into pieces and divided amongst the three coolers. I think we come just under 70 lbs. with a 50 quart cooler and once had 95 lbs. in a 80 quart model. Fish is always frozen when we get home (SEA). Definitely helps to have a good hard freeze to start with. One thing we do when traveling as a group is duct tape the rod cases together. We use those big black Plano tubes so they can't lose them easily. By combining, we gain two checked bags between the three of us.

Have fun on your trip, we always do!

Do not put wet ice (regular ice) in with your frozen fish. Wet ice is actually fractionally above freezing and will thaw your fish quicker than you might imagine. If you need more cold, use dry ice, which is well below the freezing point of water.

I also would never use styrofoam-lined boxes unless the styrofoam is chilled in the deep freeze at least overnight. Styrofoam has a high heat index and will thaw your fish if it is not pre-frozen.

Here's a tip for everyone, nearly everywhere.

If you're looking for those styrafoam fish boxes and don't want to pay $12-$15 for them, just find a caterer or a Costco in your area, and ask them. Caterers, especially in the summer, throw away those boxes every week... they get farmed Atlantic salmon delivered in them. Costco, same thing... I know they throw away multiple boxes each week, even at the small Costco out here in Sequim, and they're glad to give them to someone instead of fill up the landfill.

...just a little tip from your Uncle Norm.

-N.

This is what I have been doing.

I use Styrofoam boxes and it works great. There are some heavy duty ones for $20? that I like. You spend lots of $ going there so get the nicest box for a few dollars more.

Where to find good selections in Soldotna:
Fred-Myers, Safeway and there is a good fishing/Hardware store near Safeway (Can't see it from the main street).

Excellent vac-pac, deep freeze and smoke place: www.tustumenasmokehouse.com
Tustumena smokehouse 6 miles south of Soldotna. Going S. the main office is right on the highway after tote road or take a right on tote road to go to the processing center. You can also vac-pac it and take it there for freezing.

Another good vac-pac, freeze: www.deepcreekcustompacking.com
Deep creek custom packing
Mile 137 Sterling Hwy. In Ninilchik. If you go for halibut you will be in that territory.

Last day take it out of the freezer and pack it in and use LOTS of duct tape. Take it to the airport and put it in airport freezer if you have a long delay.

I have brought in fish for many years with no problems. I use the Tustumena smoke house and the fish is deep frozen. He recommended no dry ice. Last time I got back I had to wait over 1/2 day to get my new freezer and the fish were still as hard as rock.

My cooler ran me $20, it has been to AK about 25 times, and has never failed. Weighs about a pound (all plastic model). Since it is so well insulated, I never have to add 5lbs of dry ice so I am actually able to bring back more fish than someone using a wax box with dry ice.

Now, the real trick, load that baby up with beer, bottled water, candy bars, nutra grains, coffee, and whatever else you want so you don't have to pay double or triple for it up there. Make sure you say it is all non-perishable when checking in. My cooler weighs 70 lbs. on the way up, and 70 on the way back down. The nice bonus is you have with you what you want, and are not at the mercy of the food store in the area you are going to. We bring a few fresh apples and other fruits to, which are hard to find in some areas up there.

I've been to the Kenai twice. Both times the wax boxes were used. The guide took good care of the fish, vacume packed with industrial packer and deep frooze. Airport time from Kenai to Anchorge to Seattle then 2 to 3 hours to get home, the fish was partially thawed both times. If the guide doesn't supply dry ice tell him you want it and purchase it yourself. He should know were to get it. Wrap it in newspaper yourself that will take you about 5 minutes. These extras will save you alot of stress worring about your expensive fish thawing on you before you get it home to your freezer.

I brought back to the top to say THANKS to all for the great information. I have decided to try both methods, taking one cooler and adding a box if fishing is great. Thank you to all who posted. Email me if I can return the favor with information about the Clackamas, Eagle Creek, Sandy or Trask rivers in Oregon. Wes.