Best time for Salmon fishing!!!!

[cherylroslyn]

My daughter wants to go to Alaska for the singular purpose of Salmon Fishing. She may even want to do it twice while we are there.

 

I went to Alaska last year in September and the season for Salmon Fishing was over. Can some of you experieinced Alaska "fisherpeople" (since its not just "fishermen" anymore) tell me what the best time peeriod is and which are the best ports for salmon fishing.....

 

 

If anyone has any recommendations for tour guides that would be great as well......

 

 

 

Thanks!!!!!!

[mapleleaves]

What type of salmon ... king ? silver? There are different run times for the different types of salmon, and the run times are different at various areas within Alaska.

Where does she want to fish? a cruise port ? or during the land portion?

sea charter ? riverbank ?

She might want to use the Alaska Fish and Game site or Alaska Outdoor Journal.

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishingSport.main

 

http://alaskaoutdoorjournal.com/

[AKman2495]

Yeah, just where will you be doing you fishing and what kind of Salmon are you looking to catch?

[tomkc1]

Although its getting late in the season, I don't think salmon fishing is over in September. I hope I'm correct because I would love to catch one.

 

Tom

[mapleleaves]

Although its getting late in the season, I don't think salmon fishing is over in September. I hope I'm correct because I would love to catch one.

 

Tom

 

again ... it depends on where. Look at the Alaska Fish and Game link I posted earlier you'll find run times for the various areas.

[cherylroslyn]

again ... it depends on where. Look at the Alaska Fish and Game link I posted earlier you'll find run times for the various areas.

I appreciate the information....

 

Now if I sent you a link about Jimmy Choos or Manolo Blahniks and told you to click on it an then quickly look in the mirror you would be able to the see the utterly confused look I have on my facee after spending twenty minutes on each site.........

 

 

Can I ask how it is that the same type of salmon can be in freshwater and in salt ?

 

I think it is King Salmon that she wants to go fishing for. I assumed it was in a boat on the ocean......am I wrong. I know that is the type of fishing she like....not the kind in a river.

 

I saw the same types of salmon listed for salt and fresh.

 

It seems May through July for King....does that look right to you?

 

I want to make sure my daughter has a fabulous fishing experience and she loves salmon.......

[AKman2495]

I appreciate the information....

 

Now if I sent you a link about Jimmy Choos or Manolo Blahniks and told you to click on it an then quickly look in the mirror you would be able to the see the utterly confused look I have on my facee after spending twenty minutes on each site.........

 

 

Can I ask how it is that the same type of salmon can be in freshwater and in salt ?

 

I think it is King Salmon that she wants to go fishing for. I assumed it was in a boat on the ocean......am I wrong. I know that is the type of fishing she like....not the kind in a river.

 

I saw the same types of salmon listed for salt and fresh.

 

It seems May through July for King....does that look right to you?

 

I want to make sure my daughter has a fabulous fishing experience and she loves salmon.......

 

As for the best place to catch King Salmon, you will get many opinions. THe Kenai river is world famous. But Kings can be had in other places.

 

As to your question about fresh/salt water. Salmon are born in fresh water streams. They live there for some 1-3 years. Then, they swim out into the ocean, where they live for 1-4 years (depending on the species). At this point, they swim back to the fresh water stream in which they were born so that they can spawn-and die.

 

Most people catch kings in fresh water, although you can catch them in salt water too. In fresh water, they are confined and somewhat easier to catch than in the big ocean.

 

The problem is that Kings have been suffering for years now and catching them is getting a lot tougher. In some places it is strictly catch and release.

 

You might want to look on line for Alaska salmon charters and see what is available.

 

You might also look at this first:http://www.fishex.com/seafood/salmon/salmon-life-cycles.html

[alaskandude]

If you want to fish come to Ketchikan. The best times would be Mid June-Mid July for King salmon, big fish but smaller limits. Mid July-Mid sept will be great for Silvers and pinks, Both have a limit of six per guest. Ketchikan is the salmon capitol of the world.

 

I would recommend hiring a charter captain who has the best gear and knowledge of where the fish are at on a particular day.

[mapleleaves]

It DOES take time to find what you're looking for, and if you're a fisherman you have a better idea of where to look. Perhaps you could share the links with your daughter since she's the fisherman. She'll probably pick thru the info quickly, and will enjoy doing so.:)

I personally don't fish. Yuk! But I live in the Pacific NW so I'm surrounded by people who love to boat and fish. My BIL goes to Alaska every yr for the early King run; in Juneau the last weekend in May, in Ketchikan the first weekend in June. Last year he went to Sitka for silvers and halibut in mid July.

This page talks about the early King run in Juneau.

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/FishingReports/index.cfm?ADFG=R1.summary&Area_key=4&RecordID=63

 

Another easy resource ... google each port you're visiting and look for their King Salmon Derby. That will give you a good idea of peak times.

[slider728]

My daughter wants to go to Alaska for the singular purpose of Salmon Fishing. She may even want to do it twice while we are there.

 

I went to Alaska last year in September and the season for Salmon Fishing was over. Can some of you experieinced Alaska "fisherpeople" (since its not just "fishermen" anymore) tell me what the best time peeriod is and which are the best ports for salmon fishing.....

 

 

If anyone has any recommendations for tour guides that would be great as well......

 

 

 

Thanks!!!!!!

 

Other people have described what a "run" is for you. I believe MapleLeaves gave you the fish and game link for what runs are where.

 

Salmon runs happen at different times in different places. I can really only speak intelligently on the Juneau area as that is where I fish and the area I know best.

 

There are a couple of factors to consider. The main factor being, what kind of fish are you looking to catch? After that, I would ask if you want to ocean fish or shore fish. The final question would be are you planning on keeping your catch or doing catch and release?

 

First thing you have to realize is that timing of the fish is a function of mother nature. I've came to Juneau in late August to fish cohos at the fish hatchery and they didn't come in until the first week of September. I brought my kids early in July to see the sockeyes run up at the glacier and get them close to a wild bear and they were no where to be found yet. I can tell you dates that "should" work, but realize the fish might not cooperate.

 

If you are looking to catch mass quantities of fish, I would stay away from King Salmon and probably halibut fishing. Both are fish that are awesome eating, but as a rule of thumb, they require more pole hours (the average number of hours your line is in the water per fish) than other species like pink, dog, and coho salmon. You probably won't catch as many fish, but to me there is nothing better than fresh halibut or a beautiful white king.

 

That being said, if you are looking on maximizing the number of fish you want to catch and you plan on going out on a boat, I would recommend roughly the middle of July to the middle of August. In the middle of July, the pink salmon and dog salmon runs should be in full swing in the salt water (they start a bit earlier, but I'm trying to give you the best chance of hitting a run..remember the mother nature thing). Toward the beginning of August, the coho salmon run should be in full swing. Even if the cohos are late, there should still be some older chum and pink salmon in the waters in that timeframe.

 

If you are looking for a do it yourself fishing experience, I would recommend snagging salmon down at DIPAC. If you really don't care what you catch, then I'd recommend the same dates, though the farther you get into the fishing season (August), the less likely you are going to catch chrome or silver fish (salmon get colored and real funny looking when they get old in fresh water). I am not sure if they rent rods at DIPAC anymore (I don't think they do. I'm not sure cause I have my own). You'd need a rod, reel and line (I use 25 LB test mono or 30 pound spiderwire), snagging hooks, and a pair of pliers or a hook-out. If you plan on keeping the fish, you'd need a way to transport them (fish box or burlap sack, though I am not sure a cab would let you in with a bag of fish) and a knife.

 

So for the Juneau area, assuming you are willing to catch whatever, I'd recommend from roughly 7/15 to 8/15. You should have wiggle room on both sides, but I think that month timeframe I gave you will have the best chance of catching fish.

[cherylroslyn]

As for the best place to catch King Salmon, you will get many opinions. THe Kenai river is world famous. But Kings can be had in other places.

 

As to your question about fresh/salt water. Salmon are born in fresh water streams. They live there for some 1-3 years. Then, they swim out into the ocean, where they live for 1-4 years (depending on the species). At this point, they swim back to the fresh water stream in which they were born so that they can spawn-and die.

 

Most people catch kings in fresh water, although you can catch them in salt water too. In fresh water, they are confined and somewhat easier to catch than in the big ocean.

 

The problem is that Kings have been suffering for years now and catching them is getting a lot tougher. In some places it is strictly catch and release.

 

You might want to look on line for Alaska salmon charters and see what is available.

 

You might also look at this first:http://www.fishex.com/seafood/salmon/salmon-life-cycles.html

Thank you for the link and the education. I feel very ignorant. I know my daughter loves to eat salmon so I would want to catch it and send it home. I know it is very expensive to do that. My main purpose is for her to catch salmon that we can eat and she can feel special for catching it.......no matter how much it costs.

[cherylroslyn]

If you want to fish come to Ketchikan. The best times would be Mid June-Mid July for King salmon, big fish but smaller limits. Mid July-Mid sept will be great for Silvers and pinks, Both have a limit of six per guest. Ketchikan is the salmon capitol of the world.

 

I would recommend hiring a charter captain who has the best gear and knowledge of where the fish are at on a particular day.

I have been to Ketchican on the coldest rainiest year last summer....all of the excursions were cancelled and the rains and winds were gusting up to 80 miles per hour.........

 

I was so frustrated and distraught that I walked off the ship and walked and walked until I got to the center with Sears and McDonalds........I thought I was walking towards town but I actually walked away from the port.....it was raining so hard and blasting wind that I didn't happen to notice the port was to the right....and not the left when I got off the ship..........then I caught pneuemonia........it was about 45 degrees and I was soaked right down to my socks.........

 

I can't wait to come back and see it on a nice day......

[dolittle]

In 2001 second week of Sept. I caught 35 pink salmon right off the bridge in downtown Ketch. no guides brought my own travel rod. Went back in 04 thrid of june could see some kings but they were not biting at all.

[mapleleaves]

yes, it's very expensive to ship. But people who have done this will say it's the best fish they ever had. Plus, every time you eat that salmon it will be a wonderful reminder of the vacation. Hopefully she'll be lucky enough to provide you with a year's worth of memories! Think of it as a souvenier that gives back!

Since you live in NY this probably won't work, but for us it's cheaper to pay excess baggage fees and fly the frozen catch home with us, rather than ship with FedEx.

[Lotsasmiles]

Sorry if I am hi-jacking this thread but .... it is about fishing!

 

My DH and I have booked the stream fishing excursion at Icy Strait Point - bout the 2nd week of September it will be - what are our chances of catching something .. anything? We don't care what as it will be catch and release - would just love to say that we had caught fish in Alaska!!

 

We looked at sea fishing but on most of the excursions we saw you had to share rods / times with others and it didn't appear that the actual amount of fishing time was alot compared to the prices charged.

 

Any info would be appreciated

 

Ta

Anne-Marie

[cherylroslyn]

Sorry if I am hi-jacking this thread but .... it is about fishing!

 

My DH and I have booked the stream fishing excursion at Icy Strait Point - bout the 2nd week of September it will be - what are our chances of catching something .. anything? We don't care what as it will be catch and release - would just love to say that we had caught fish in Alaska!!

 

We looked at sea fishing but on most of the excursions we saw you had to share rods / times with others and it didn't appear that the actual amount of fishing time was alot compared to the prices charged.

 

Any info would be appreciated

 

Ta

Anne-Marie

I was in Icy Straight Point around September 22, 2011. There were dead fish everywhere...... Now that I have had my fishing education I believe they were the spawning ones that come to die..... I was on a guided tour looking for bears....... The fish were all ovver the place in the river beds...... I didn't see any swimming....but I was there later than you.........

[cherylroslyn]

yes, it's very expensive to ship. But people who have done this will say it's the best fish they ever had. Plus, every time you eat that salmon it will be a wonderful reminder of the vacation. Hopefully she'll be lucky enough to provide you with a year's worth of memories! Think of it as a souvenier that gives back!

Since you live in NY this probably won't work, but for us it's cheaper to pay excess baggage fees and fly the frozen catch home with us, rather than ship with FedEx.

How do you keep it frozen on the ship?