Alaska Salmon Fishing

Salmon Fishing in Alaska attracts thousands of anglers each year for many reasons.  The thrill of battling a trophy size King Salmon ranks very high in my book and is an experience you'll not soon forget.

Alaska's wild salmon are prized for their health benefits as well as their incredible taste.  It's also about where salmon fishing can take you. 

My love of salmon fishing has drawn me to many amazing places throughout Alaska and British Columbia over the years.  Places I may never have travel to had I not pursued my dreams of a trophy King or (Chinook).

Seven Species of Salmon

Alaska King Salmon

The Alaska King Salmon is the largest species of Pacific Salmon. The present Alaska state sport fishing record is 97.25 lbs taken on the Kenai River. In fact, of the top 10 king salmon record holders 9 of these fish were taken in the Kenai River. King salmon spend from 2-5 years in the ocean so their size in a run varies a lot, the State of Alaska average for this salmon is about 20lbs., however Kenai king salmon are typically in the 50 lb range. No other salmon draws as much attention as the King Salmon which is the official State of Alaska fish. Hooking and landing a big king salmon is the dream of most of the fisherman who come to the Kenai Peninsula and from early May to August many fisherman, from beginners to professional sport fisherman, try to fulfill that dream with a fish that has legendary power and grace.

Alaska silver salmon

The Alaska silver salmon has been called the greatest Alaska sport fish. The State of Alaska sport fishing record is 26 pounds. The general weight range on the Kenai River and Kenai Peninsula stream systems run from 9-24 pounds. The coho has certainly has an important place in Alaska subsistence and commercial fisheries. The life cycle of the silver salmon is similar to that of the Alaska king salmon. Silver salmon will stay in the freshwater for a year or two before migrating to the saltwater where they will spend at least 2 years swimming the Kenai coastal waters or in the Gulf of Alaska. Even as young smolt in freshwater the Alaska silver salmon is a voracious and aggressive eater and are known to eat each other and these aggressive tendencies are their undoing as a sport fish. Beginning in late July, Alaska silver salmon will begin to congregate in bays and near mouths of their spawning streams and rivers as they wait for nature to optimize water temperature and stream flow before they continue migration to their freshwater spawning grounds.

Some facts about salmon.

Salmon is the common name for several species of fish of the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the family are called trout; the difference is often attributed to the migratory life of the salmon as compared to the residential behaviour of trout, a distinction that holds true for the Salmo genus. Salmon live in both the Atlantic (one migratory species Salmo salar) and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Great Lakes (approximately a dozen species of the genus Oncorhynchus).
Typically, salmon are anadromous: they are born in fresh water, migrate to the ocean, then return to fresh water to reproduce. However, there are rare species that can only survive in fresh water habitats. Folklore has it that the fish return to the exact spot where they were born to spawn; tracking studies have shown this to be true but the nature of how this memory works has long been debated.