Alaska King Salmon Fishing

Alaska King Salmon fishing is some of the best in the world! The month of May starts the summer sport-fishing season on the Kenai Peninsula. Alaskan King salmon fishing begins in May and continues through the end of July. The world record king salmon was caught in the Kenai River on May 17, 1985 and weighed in at 97 pounds 4 ounces. Each year there are fish caught that come close to the record but to date, the 1985 record still stands. We fish kings in the salt waters of Cook Inlet during the early part of the season and then in the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers. Our Alaska King Salmon fishing trips generally provide the angler with an opportunity to catch and release many kings before deciding on a keeper. Flyout trips are wade fisheries unlike the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers and are generally in fairly remote areas of our state. Below are just a couple of Alaska King Salmon brought in by our guests.

 

If you desire a true Alaska Fishing experience, contact us for more information. Our guests not only experience the joys of angling for one of the most popular fish in Alaska, but also our hospitality in one of the finest Alaskan Fishing Lodges on the Kenai River.

Alaska King Salmon Identification

The typical Alaska King Salmon (or Chinook) caught by sport fishermen is hued in blues and greens, while it's back is purple and red. The side of the Alaska King Salmon is silver in color with white flashing. Black spots cover the tail and upper half of the salmons body. Adult Alaska King Salmon range in size, but generally are between 32 and 59 inches long and weigh between 10 and 50 pounds with exceptions reaching 97.25 pounds (World Record - Sport Caught on our own Kenai River) to 126 pounds (World Record - Commercially Caught).

The life of an Alaskan King Salmon

Alaska King Salmon eggs are deposited and hatch 3-5 months later (dependent on water temperatures) introducing Fry (young fish) into the ecosystem. Fry stay in the freshwater for about a year before traveling downstream to the tidal mouth of the river (estuaries) where they remain for several more months as smolts. Once the salmon ventures into the open ocean, they spend between 1 and 8 years before returning to their spawning grounds where they seek out deep water to spawn in the last 4 months of the year. Once spawning is complete, the female will guard the eggs for less than a month before dying. Alaska King males wander off to mate again.

Some Alaskan King Salmon return to the rivers and streams as early as one to two years. These salmon are commonly referred to as Jack salmon. Jack Salmon are half the size of their full grown counterparts and although caught frequently by Alaskan sport fishermen, are generally released.

A King Salmon by another name

Common names for the King are Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Scientific), Quinnat salmon, Spring salmon and Tyee salmon.

King Salmon - Nutritional Facts

Wild caught Chinook Salmon is low in Sodium, a good source of Protein and Phosphorus and a very good source for Niacin, Vitamin B12 and Selenium. It is however high in Cholesterol.  More information on the nutritional values on wild alaska salmon fishing fare can be found at nutritiondata.self.com