Alaska: Salmon

Salmon are the lifeblood of many Alaska watersheds. There bodies provide nutrients for all sorts of fish and game as well as the soil and, in turn, vegetation. Many of these streams would be barren if it wasn’t for the salmon. When most anglers think of Alaska they think of salmon and rightfully so. Not only do the salmon provide great angling opportunities but they drive the opportunity for other species like trout, char and grayling. Alaska gets 5 species of pacific salmon; king salmon (aka chinook salmon), pink salmon, silver salmon (aka coho), dog salmon (aka chum salmon) and red salmon (aka sockeye salmon.) All salmon are born in freshwater then head to the saltwater at some point and then return to spawn and die. However, there are differences within that basic lifecycle for each species. All salmon provide great sport, but there is no doubt some are more popular than others. King salmon are the largest of the salmon and are the most targeted species in the state. Silver salmon are a close second, especially among fly fisherman, because of the numbers of fish, jumping ability and aggressiveness. Red salmon are known for their famous table quality and legendary fighting ability. Chum salmon are not as well known but the freshly returning fish are absolute bulldogs. And, lastly the pink salmon are rarely targeted by visitors but can provide great sport on light tackle especially when the fish are fresh. By the way, when I say fresh I am referring to the fact that all salmon turn into spawning colors and lose their chrome-like ocean coloration after spending some time in freshwater. So, a “fresh” fish is generally a chrome colored fish. For all salmon, it’s best to target them while they are still chrome or close to it – as this is when their fighting ability and table quality is at its peak. A frequent question is, “what should I target?” First off, I would probably eliminate a fly fishing trip targeting pink salmon because they turn quick and the other options are more enticing. If big numbers of fish are your main concern then red salmon would be a good bet. If you still want numbers but more size, consider Southeast Alaska chum salmon. Bristol Bay chum salmon or Kodiak and peninsula silver salmon would be a good choice too. And, of course, if you are into chasing big game then king salmon more than meet that description. Honestly, if you are making your first trip to Alaska and are wanting to make a fly fishing only trip for salmon – my top recommendation would be silver salmon because they are big, aggressive and lend themselves perfectly to the fly. Unlike king salmon which for the most part run up the middle of deep big rivers and are harder to target with fly gear, silver salmon run up the sides of the bigger rivers as well as medium and small rivers and can be caught using a variety of methods in the salt, rivers or lakes. My top location for them would be remote Kodiak Island as well as the Alaska Peninsula. These 2 locations have many small to medium size rivers with fish that average 8-9 pounds and can get up to 20 plus pounds. Add the fact that you can catch fish of this size in good numbers (up to 40 or fifty a day) and you have the perfect combination for a ton of action. Although king salmon are a little harder to target on the fly there is no denying a big chinook on the fly rod is an awesome experience. If you want to target kings with the fly rod you have to target good water, by that I mean small and shallow enough! You can catch king salmon on say the mighty lower Kenai but it takes a lot of time and patience even for a local. So, for a visitor with only a week or so it’s probably not the best option. My first recommendation would be the Kanektok River in Southwest Alaska. It’s still a fairly large river but with a spey rod and sink tip setup one can still manage to catch a handful of king salmon per day including some shots at 40 plus pound fish. If numbers of king salmon are more important than size, I would recommend the Talachulitna River and some feeders streams of the Sustitna River.