Get to Know The Fish: Part Two

December 7, 2021

Alaskan waters are considered some of the best for world-class fishing. Housing some of the most popular trophy catches and tastiest of fish, it is easy to see how places like Salmon Catcher Lodge are hot spots for anglers. Fishers come from all over to try their hand at these monsters of the deep first hand. There are a few different kinds of Kenai salmon that take some finessing to get them on your line and are more likely to bite during different times of the year. Let’s meet the main three that you will find at Salmon Catcher Lodge.

Silver Salmon

Silver Salmon are often the most feisty of these fish at the Salmon Catcher Lodge. Averaging at a weight of 10 to 20+ pounds, these fish are known for their athleticism. Particularly talented in stripping lines and putting up a fight, the Silver Salmon or “Coho Salmon” put angler’s skill to the ultimate test. This Salmon spawns in waters that are more on the shallow side and less gravely than King Salmon, even though they spawn in the same environment.

Sockeye Salmon

Sockeye Salmon are also called blueback or red salmon and can be found in the Northern Pacific Ocean around Alaska. They are called red salmon because of their coloration. Sockeye Salmon are blue and silver in color while in the ocean, but when they return to fresh waters for spawning, they transform to red bodies and green heads. Sockeye Salmon can range from 2 to just under 3 feet in length and weigh an average of 5.1 to 15.4 pounds. Sockeyes will return to their original spawning point in inland rivers after four years and lay their eggs to begin the new generation. Once their mission is complete, they die, and the cycle repeats.

King Salmon

The most famous and sought-after trophy fish in the state of Alaska is King Salmon, also known as the Chinook Salmon. King Salmon tend to range from 30 to 40 pounds and can be 24 to 36 inches long, but have been reeled in at over 50 inches long and 130 pounds. Even though these fish can be massive monsters, certain fishing techniques will help you pull them in without battling too much and risking broken gear. To be eligible to fish for King Salmon, you will need your regular Alaskan fishing license, as well as a King Salmon stamp. May through early July tends to be the best season to go after King Salmon as they begin to spawn towards late summer.

Are you ready to meet these Kenai Salmon up close and personal? Give Salmon Catcher Lodge a call at 1-907-335-2001 and start planning out your Kenai Alaska fishing adventure. It is a trip you will never forget.