The king salmon is the largest fish found in Alaska's fresh water, ranging from the southernmost Inside Passage to the Chukchi Sea of Arctic Alaska. It is immensely popular with anglers, especially in Southeast Alaska and on the Kenai Peninsula's rivers and bays.
Best time to fish
Best time to fish for kingsSouthcentral AlaskaAnchorage, Palmer and Wasilla areas -- June, July
Susitna, Talkeetna and rivers flowing into western Cook Inlet -- June, July
Kenai Peninsula / Cook Inlet -- May, July, July, August
Kenai Peninsula rivers -- June, July
Resurrection Bay -- January, February, June, November, December
Prince William Sound streams / Copper River basin / Upper Susitna basin -- June, July
Prince William Sound -- January, February, June, November, December
Inside PassageInside Passage offshore, north of Stikine River -- May, June, July
Inside Passage offshore, south of Stikine River -- May, June, July
Inside Passage streams, north of Stikine River -- July
Inside Passage streams, south of Stikine River -- July
Western, Interior and Northern AlaskaBristol Bay and Kodiak offshore -- June
Bristol Bay streams and Kodiak -- June, July, August
Fairbanks and Tanana River drainage -- July
Arctic Alaska and Yukon-Kuskokwim drainage-- July
Sources of information include the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Fishing report & links
Weekly fishing reportFind out each weekend where the salmon are running and where the halibut, trout and grayling fishing is best. The Anchorage Daily News
weekly fishing report covers the Anchorage area, the Kenai Peninsula, the Matanuska-Susitna valleys and Prince William Sound.
• Fishing index page -- Overview of Alaska fishing.
• Fishing Alaska's regions -- The major fishing areas in each region and what to catch there.
• Alaska's fish species -- How and where to catch five species of salmon plus halibut, rainbow trout and 14 other species.
• Helpful information -- Get your license, find a guide and send your fish home.
Best time to fish
Best time to fish for kingsSouthcentral AlaskaAnchorage, Palmer and Wasilla areas -- June, July
Susitna, Talkeetna and rivers flowing into western Cook Inlet -- June, July
Kenai Peninsula / Cook Inlet -- May, July, July, August
Kenai Peninsula rivers -- June, July
Resurrection Bay -- January, February, June, November, December
Prince William Sound streams / Copper River basin / Upper Susitna basin -- June, July
Prince William Sound -- January, February, June, November, December
Inside PassageInside Passage offshore, north of Stikine River -- May, June, July
Inside Passage offshore, south of Stikine River -- May, June, July
Inside Passage streams, north of Stikine River -- July
Inside Passage streams, south of Stikine River -- July
Western, Interior and Northern AlaskaBristol Bay and Kodiak offshore -- June
Bristol Bay streams and Kodiak -- June, July, August
Fairbanks and Tanana River drainage -- July
Arctic Alaska and Yukon-Kuskokwim drainage-- July
Sources of information include the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Fishing report & links
Weekly fishing reportFind out each weekend where the salmon are running and where the halibut, trout and grayling fishing is best. The Anchorage Daily News
weekly fishing report covers the Anchorage area, the Kenai Peninsula, the Matanuska-Susitna valleys and Prince William Sound.
• Fishing index page -- Overview of Alaska fishing.
• Fishing Alaska's regions -- The major fishing areas in each region and what to catch there.
• Alaska's fish species -- How and where to catch five species of salmon plus halibut, rainbow trout and 14 other species.
• Helpful information -- Get your license, find a guide and send your fish home.
Kings have irregular black spotting on their backs and dorsal fins and on both lobes of the tail fin. Kings also have black gums. Seagoing kings are deep-bodied fish with bluish-green coloration on their backs.
Spawning kings range from red to copper to almost black. Some kings run all the way up the Yukon River into Canada.
The hook-and-line record is 97 pounds, and the largest king ever caught was a 126-pounder was caught in 1949 in a fish trap near Petersburg in Southeast Alaska.
Kings are also known as chinook, quinnat, tyee, tule and blackmouth salmon.
97 pounds, 4 ounces, caught in 1985 in the Kenai River by Les Anderson of Soldotna.
Kings run between May and July, and anglers pursue the kings extensively in Southeast and Southcentral. Like all salmon, they stop feeding once they reach fresh water, but they do strike out of (it's assumed) annoyance or habit.
Trolling with herring bait is preferred in salt water, and lures (spoons and spinners) and salmon eggs are used in fresh water.
Sources of information include the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
