Alaska King Salmon
The Alaska chinook 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 considerably. The State of Alaska average for this salmon is about 20lbs. 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. 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. 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. They then, head up the stream or river of their hatch until they reach their original spawning beds. It is during this annual migration that sport fishing for the king salmon is excellent. In saltwater the best fishing is from Anchor Point to the mouth of the Kenai River. In freshwater the best fishing is the Anchor River, Deep Creek, Ninilchick River, Kasilof River, Crooked Creek and the Kenai River. Since your Alaska fishing vacation may be of short duration, your success may depend on a fishing guide. Your guide will have the knowledge and experience to achieve success.They will also have the right equipment and tackle and know the best fishing hot spots. During the season, you'll have nearly 24 hours of daylight. Don't worry, you will have plenty of time to fish the banks on your fishing vacation. In the saltwater of the Kenai, most fishing for king salmon is done by trolling cut herring or herring attractors. Trolling weights, divers, and diving lures are directly related to the run of the 30 foot tides in Cook Inlet. The speed of the troll and the depth at which the salmon are spotted are also related. Downriggers set at various depths increase the chances of success. T-spoons, Kwikfish, and flashers are all used by experienced guides. On the Kenai River and the Kasilof River guided anglers in drift and power boats have good 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. The Alaska fishing guides knowledge of boat handling and the water is of utmost importance to your sucessful catch. 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. Casting and bouncing large spoons such as the Pixie Spoon off the bottom rocks is a successful tactic, as is casting a #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 catches. Just a note to bank fisherman, no matter what Kenai water you are fishing, be prepared to run and fight when you hook that king salmon!
So now you have some excellent tasting salmon, you may want some free salmon recipes. You can find some on our
recipe page.
You may like
smoked salmon
, we have a good and easy recipe. There are many more recipes for fish on our recipe page and we are adding good ones all the time. You can save the recipe page to your favorites and check back often.
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