King Fishing in Alaska

King Salmon

If you are considering a fishing trip to Alaska there are many places and fish that make Alaska the dream trip for any fisherman. As for me the most elusive and prized catch is the Alaskan King Salmon. Fishing for King Salmon is a once in a lifetime experience. Not only is the King Salmon the state fish of Alaska it also can grow to be larger than 100 lbs.

The King Salmon (along with other species of Salmon) start their life in the fresh water rivers of Alaska and finds there way out to the ocean where they spend 3-7 years maturing before they make there way back to the place of their birth to spawn and then die. Each summer is when these Salmon begin returning and the best month for Salmon fishing is usually June through the first part of August. I have always had the best luck mid to end of July.

Professional Guides or Self Guided. Which is better?

When deciding on location and the fishing experience in Alaska, it is important to decide if you would like an all inclusive experience or if you would rather do much more yourself. There are many lodges and accommodations that allow for the specific experience which you desire all with varying prices for accommodations and fishing conveniences. I prefer the mixed experience where lodging, king fishing tackle and poles, freezers, boats, are all included, but not professional guides. However, if it is your first time fishing in Alaska a guide can be invaluable and I would suggest hiring a guide that can show you their favorite fishing holes and drive the boat while giving you tips and tricks. If you have a good guide it will make or break your trip.

Our Self Guided Fishing Experience

On this specific trip we chose a self guided lodge located south of Juneau, Alaska. To get there we flew into the the airport in Juneau which is relatively small but has a number of flights arriving from large airports each day (Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Salt Lake).

In Juneau there are some amazing things to do so don’t skip out and continue to your fishing lodge immediately until you spend some time in this unique little town. My favorite things to do are watch the cruise ships come into port while eating fresh seafood on the pier. There are also float planes that are leaving throughout the day to provide amazing views of the local glaciers and wild life.

Make sure to take the small drive to the base of Mendenhall Glacier which can easily be visited in just a couple hours. Mendenhall Glacier is a fun spot to walk around and get a better understanding of how the glaciers are melting and the impacts this is on local animal life and environment.

Many lodges can not be reached by land and float plan is required. Our lodge however was located not far from Petersburg, Alaska and we took a commercial flight from Juneau to Petersburg and then drove for a couple hours after which we jumped on a small boat for a short boat trip.

The lodge we chose is called Green Rocks Lodge in Petersburg, Alaska. This lodge specializes in self guiding. They provide nice private lodging with multiple bunk houses, bait and tackle, and chiefs for you daily meals. Breakfast and Dinner are prepared hot and lunch supplies (sandwiches/fruit, etc) are set out each morning so you can prepare what you would like.

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Smaller fishing boats for salmon and larger vessels for deep sea fishing of halibut, crab, and shrimp are also provided. They allow you to choose each morning what type of fish you plan to catch. All boat operation is performed by you after a short training. Without previous experience of driving boats I would not recommend self guiding.

Benefits of self guiding are you have the freedom to travel where you want. You do not have the same limits on size of fish you can keep or more restrictive limits on the number you can keep.

As any avid fisherman knows the best time to fish is always at dawn or dusk. There is no difference in Alaska even thought daylight during this time of year lasts much longer than most parts of the world. I look at this as just more time to fish during the day. 🙂

Fishing for King Salmon us always done in a smaller boat and done either by floating with the current or trolling against it. We found better luck by trolling against the current but i have had success using both methods.

This specific trip I was able to bring my oldest son Jackson who was 12 at the time on the trip. I was somewhat worried about if he would have the patience of fishing for kings as many times it take hours without a single bite. But he did amazing and wanted to go out fishing even more than most of the adults.

6 King Fishing Tips:

1. Have patience and make sure you purchase a separate king salmon fishing tag. Only salmon spices that requires an additional tag.
2. Good bait is vital – Salmon Eggs are preferred but herring can be used when near salt water. In this case we were fishing in salt water before the King Salmon had transitioned up river.
3. Boat Speed – must be as slow as possible but must keep moving.
4. Fish right before or after ocean tidal changes for best luck.
5. King Salmon are not easily distracted by bait. Once you feel a bite it is very important to set the hook quickly to keep your catch.
6. Hold on and enjoy the catch of your life. Don’t rush and take in the moment by letting the king salmon tire out before you get it into the boat. You can fight the fish for over an hour if it is a really large one.