Salmon Fishing In Alaska

Famous as one of the hot spots for fishing, Alaska is a paradise for fishermen, anglers as well as beginners who wish to try their hands at fishing. Perfect for salmon fishing, Alaska is the home of various species of salmon. Be it the most famous King salmon, red salmon, silver salmon or the pink salmon, if you are into salmon fishing, you will find Alaska to be your fishing paradise.

Alaska as a fishing destination became famous because of its large salmon catches in the 90’s. Eyebrows rose in the year 1949 when a 126 pound king (Chinook) salmon was captured in a fish trap set in Petersburg, Alaska. Setting the world record for the largest salmon ever caught, king salmon found in Alaska are among the favorite game in Alaska. Setting a record once again in the year 1986, Alaska was the home of one more salmon world record by setting the largest sport-caught salmon record with a salmon that had a weight of 97 pounds.

Now that we have had a brief of why Alaska is one of the favorite destinations for salmon fishing, let us have a further look at the various species that are found in Alaska and how to catch them.

King Salmon: Famous among salmon fishing enthusiasts across Alaska, King salmon is known for its size. Weighting on an average 20-40 pounds, king salmon weighting over 100 pounds have also been caught. An anglers dream, a king salmon can be caught round the year in freshwater or saltwater. As far as catching a king salmon goes, the techniques for catching them could depend on various factors like the time of the day, tidal currents, water type, and also the position of the river.

For catching a king salmon, you will need a combination of any of these:

* Back-bouncing hooks which are creatively baited with suitable bait. As bait, king salmon eggs are one of the most popular options.
* Back trolling propellers also known as spin and glow that can be connected with a hook that in turn is baited with salmon roe.
* Back trolling banana shaped plugs. These can be used either with bait or without bait.
While fly fishing techniques are also used for salmon fishing, their use is more or less limited to clear waters.

Silver Salmon and Pink Salmon: Like king salmon, silver/Pink salmon are also considered a great game in Alaska. Catching a Silver/Pink salmon is identical to catching a king salmon because of their similar habits, so if Silver or Pink Salmon is what you have in your mind, you can take your king salmon gear along.

Red Salmon: If you are not in a mood for catching a king salmon, you can very well look for a red salmon. Flies are considered the best technique to catch a red salmon.
While a 50-pound king salmon is not an unusual sight in inland streams, you will have to have the perfect set of skills if you want to get a hooked king/silver salmon on the deck.