Southcentral Alaska is home to most of the state's population and some of the state's most famous fishing areas. It includes coastal waters and watersheds from just east of the Copper River to Bristol Bay. Southcentral is a varied land and seascape. Trees cover much of the terrain east and north of Cook Inlet but are more sporadic or largely absent to the west. Mountains or rolling hills dominate the view in much of the area.
Summers range from cool and moist along the coast to warm and dry further inland.
Salmon runs flood coastal waters and the larger rivers. Halibut are easily caught in some areas, along with other ocean fish. Trout, pike, grayling, Dolly Varden, burbot, whitefish and other species are year-round residents in many watersheds. In some areas, it is common to see bears while fishing. Western and Arctic Alaska is sparsely tree covered.