King fishing slowed down a bit but still catching some quality fish this year. Tons of Sockeye still.
So many fish!!!
Guests are here!
Finally getting some people here in camp. We are all ready to go.
Booking your Alaska Salmon fishing trip
How to Pick the Perfect Alaska Fishing Lodge or Guide
Alaska has five species of salmon — each runs at different times, fights differently, and tastes different. Start here so you don’t end up flossing Sockeyes when you really wanted screaming Silvers.
Sockeye (Reds) Best-eating salmon on the planet. Caught mostly by “flossing” (long leaders drifted through wall-to-wall fish). It’s legal and fills freezers fast, but it’s more harvesting than sport. Ask your outfitter straight-up: “How exactly will we fish for Reds, and is there backup water for other species?”
Coho (Silvers) The angler’s favorite. Explosive takes on spinners, spoons, jigs, and flies — often in gin-clear water. Peak runs late July–September. Best fight-to-filet ratio in Alaska.
Chum (Dogs) Underrated. Ocean-bright Chums hit hard and smoke like a dream. Usually caught while King fishing — bonus fish for the smoker.
King (Chinook) The main event. Biggest, meanest, and still great on the plate. They’ll eat bait, plugs, flies, or hardware and empty a reel in seconds. King fishing varies wildly by river and year — we’ll cover the proven big-fish hotspots in Part 2.
Bottom line: tell your lodge or guide exactly what kind of fishing turns you on. The right operation will match your target species, style, and dates perfectly instead of just selling you “Alaska salmon.”
Part 2 (best King rivers & lodges) coming next.