Alaska King Salmon Fishing
Best months: June & July
Chinook salmon, also known as king salmon, are the largest of the five Pacific salmon species. Kings re found in sheer abundance on the low-pressured Nushagak River from a statewide perspective. The Nushagak is world famous for consistently producing the largest wild Alaska king salmon fishing runs around. The Nushagak River sees a return of approximately 40,000 to 50,000 king salmon per year over the last couple of years, making it the Alaska’s largest fishable wild run.
In recent years the State of Alaska has provided that Nushagak River anglers may harvest one king per day, four annually. Occasionally, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game introduces a seasonal regulation change like they have in 2021 to two annually to adjust for their escapement goals. Fortunately the Nushagak is home to many species so we can always turn our attention to sockeye, pike, chum salmon, and other fish as well as catching and releasing kings. When bait is allowed our methods for catching king salmon on the Nushagak River include bouncing eggs or trolling plugs. Our experienced guides also employ a technique called downstream trolling. Nushagak River king salmon tip the scales at around 30 pounds. Our guests normally take home their annual limit along with memories of their heart-racing battle. We caught some really nice kings this summer and entered those anglers into our 40-Inch Club once they released the kings of this larger scale to help perpetuate the gene pool in the river. We feel utterly privileged to be on The Nush with its various fish species and what is still Alaska’s largest run of wild Chinook.
