About Alaskan King and Silver Salmon Fishing

Alaskan king salmon and silver salmon are the premier salmon species that are the primary target of guides and sport fishing enthusiasts on the Kenai Peninsula

Alaskan King Salmon are the largest species of Pacific Salmon.The Alaskan King Salmon is also known as a chinook. In their prespawning phase Alaska king salmon have a blue gray back with silvery sides and small irregular shaped spots on back, dorsal fin, and usually on both lobes of tail. The gum line is black. Spawning adults take on a maroon to olive color.The State of Alaska 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.You can be sure that other record Alaskan King salmon have been taken but have not been recorded. King salmon spend from 2-5 years in the ocean so their size in any season varies a lot. State of Alaska average for this salmon is about 20lbs., however Kenai king salmon are typically in the 40-50 pound range. The King Salmon 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 July 31 many fisherman try to fulfill that dream with a fish that has legendary power and grace  When the Kenai Peninsula kings begin their return to their spawning streams they will generally follow the Kenai Peninsula coastline until they get to their waterway and head up the stream or river of their hatch until they reach their original spawning beds. It is during this annual migration that the sport fishing for the king salmon in both the saltwater (from Anchor Point to mouth of the Kenai River) and freshwater (Anchor River, Deep Creek, Ninilchick River, Kasilof River, Crooked Creek and the Kenai River) is excellent.The Season for king salmon on the Kenai Peninsula begins in May and closes by regulation on July 31 unless extended by by emergency orders of Alaskan sportfishing authorities.

Fishing for Alaskan King Salmon

For the fisherman on an Alaskan salmon fishing vacation the best way to catch the Alaska king salmon is with a professional Alaska fishing guide who guides clients staying at an established Alaskan salmon fishing lodge. These fishing guides will be sure to be licensed professionals and lodge owners will not sacrifice their reputations with unqualified guides. State of Alaska Department of Fish and Game statistics show in recent years that the unguided angler will spend nearly 40 hours fishing before he will even hook an Alaska king salmon. Statistics show guided sportfishermen will often only spend a few hours before they hook their king salmon and land one. Since the Alaska fishing vacation may be of short duration, success of the fishing trip may depend on the Alasakn fishing guide. Not only will the guide have the knowledge and experience to achieve success, the right equipment and tackle and fishing hot spots will be known. At Alaska Discount  Vacations we recommend that you purchase at least a minimal vacation package before you try to go it alone. With the nearly 24 hours of daylight in the season then you will have plenty of time to fish the banks on your fishing vacation. Techniques vary among individual guides and time of season. In the Kenai saltwater, most fishing for king salmon is done by trolling cut herring or herring attractors. Trolling weights, divers, diving lures are directly affected by the huge tidal changes in Cook Inle as to speed of the troll and the depth at which the salmon or their feed are spotted. Downriggers set at various depths increase the chances of success. T-spoons, Kwikfish, flashers , are all used by experienced guides. On the Kenai River and the Kasilof River  guided anglers in drift and power boats enjoy success by back trolling a Jet-planer with Kwikfish, Flatfish, Magnum Wiggle Worts, Tadpollys, Spin-n-Glos, and salmon egg clusters. Back bouncing with an appropriate lead weight instead of a jet planer is also extremely effective for guided anglers. It must be said that the Alaska fishing guides knowledge of boat handling and the water is of utmost importance. Bank fisherman on the Kasilof, Anchor River, Deep Creek, and Ninilchick river as well as the Kenai are successful using a weight and casting a Kenai Special with a single hook or casting and bouncing large spoons such as the Pixie Spoon off the bottom rocks is a successful tactic as is casting #6 Vibrax upstream and reeling in as the lure bounces off the rocks. Fly fishermen using attractor flies like the coho or Alaskabou have had their share of hook ups. Bank fisherman beware, no matter what Kenai water  you are fishing, be prepared to run when you hook that king salmon!

Alaskan Silver Salmon described

The Alaskan 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, as the Alaskan Silver Salmon is also known, 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. This life pattern makes the silver salmon a great saltwater and freshwater sport fish on the Kenai Peninsula over a long season.. In saltwater from mid July through September the areas near Deep Creek, Anchor River, and Whiskey Gulch are productive. Kachemak Bay, Resurrection Bay, Seldovia Bay and the homer Spit provide anglers with good shore and boat coho fishing. Freshwater fishermen on the Kenai , Russian, Anchor and Kasilof Rivers as well as Deep Creek and Crooked Creek provide outstanding freshwater Alaska silver salmon fishing action from late July through October. The Kenai Peninsula lake system and the Kenai Canoe Trails in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge also provides some great fishing action for landlocked silver salmon and for salmon in the Swanson River system.

Fishing for Alaskan Silver salmon

In the saltwater off the Kenai Peninsula trolling at various depths with the aid of down riggers or diving aids like the Pink Lady attached to herring flashers, cut herring rigs, T-Spoons and large Vibrax and Pixee Spoons work very well as does casting these spoons and spinners from the shore near the mouths of freshwater streams. In Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay, casting ,trolling and even jigging during high tides near the mouths of the various of the different silver salmon spawning streams and rivers also produce angling action using large Pixees, Vibrax and Mepps. Fresh water fisherman who want to hunt the silver salmon from the banks should look for pockets of slack water and areas close to the banks where the water runs slow. Alaska silver salmon do not like fast water. For spin and conventional fishermen casting from shore or from a boat into shore with flashy spoons and spinners will produce good fishing action. Use rods and reels that can support 15-20 pound test lines for best results.From an anchored boat a salmon and egg loop rig filled with some cured salmon roe and just enough weight to keep the bait near the bottom can produce silver salmon when they are off the bite for lures. For the fly fishing angler the Alaska silver salmon is the perfect game fish. Silver salmon are quick on the take and will produce many jumps and reel smoking runs. A 7-9 weight fly rod, matching reel,floating or sink tip line,1x-3x tippet, and some of the basic fly patterns as outlined on the Alaska Fly Fishing page are all you need to get fly fishing. Most of the time basic streamer and wet fly presentations used for trout work fine on silver salmon. nothing fancy is required. Deep drifts through pockets of slack water are most effective. Because of the abundance of the Alaska silver salmon and its aggressive tendencies the coho offers the novice fly fisherman a great way to learn the fly fishing art.

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