A salmon fishing excursion is an essential part of an Alaskan vacation. Every summer, from early June through late September, five species of Pacific Salmon migrate from the nearby ocean into the area rivers and streams in order to spawn and fulfill their life cycle.

King (Chinook) Salmon

Chum (Dog) Salmon

Sockeye (Red) Salmon

Pink (Humpback) Salmon

Silver (Coho) Salmon

King Salmon are the largest of the Pacific Salmon, averaging 15-30 pounds, with larger fish up to 50-plus pounds. Kings are fished most effectively with spinning or casting tackle. Heavy tackle is the key for landing a King, as they fight with sheer brutal strength. Kings are capable of running hundreds of yards during the course of a fight interspersed with crashing leaps.

Sockeye Salmon average 6-8 pounds with larger fish to 11-plus pounds. Sockeye are the most numerous of the salmon, with numbers of fish in some rivers running in the millions. Sockeye are best caught on a fly and fight like demons, leaping and flipping with abandon. You could say the entire Bristol Bay ecosystem revolves around the life cycle of the Sockeye.

Pink Salmon average 3-5 pounds with larger fish to 6-plus pounds. Due to a two-year life cycle, their most prolific runs occur on even-numbered years. Pinks are aggressive strikers that can be caught on light spinning or fly fishing tackle in large numbers. 50-100 five-pound fish for a day's efforts is not uncommon.

Silver Salmon average 7-9 pounds with larger fish to 15-plus pounds. They run in shallow water, hold in large groups and readily take the proper fly or lure. They run strong and leap high in the air when hooked. They are truly silver acrobatic bullets and are an absolute BLAST to catch!

King Salmon

Mid June to Mid-Late July

Chum Salmon

Late June to Mid-Late July

Sockeye Salmon

Late June to Mid August

Pink Salmon*

Mid July to Mid-Late August*

Silver Salmon

Late July-Early August to Mid-Late September

Most of our salmon fishing areas are in the lower reaches of rivers, near tidewater, where fish are fresh and strong. King Salmon run and hold in the deeper runs of the river and are best pursued with the use of a boat, trolling, drifting or casting with conventional tackle.

All other salmon species run the current seams near shore and can be caught from boats or by wading and/or fishing from shore using conventional fishing gear. We even have a river we can fish from shore for kings with great success, that also remains good fishing later than most rivers.

The keeping of salmon is encouraged for those who desire, and is done in accordance with the State of Alaska daily and total possession limits.

Although not required, we highly recommend the release of female salmon for conservation purposes. Male salmon also provide higher yield and quality of meat per whole fish pound.

4 W AIR
Bill or Sheryl Woodin
P.O. Box 4401
Soldotna, AK 99669
(907) 776-5370
(907) 398-6820/6824 cell
(907) 776-5370 fax
email us at: fourwair@alaska.net