Salmon Fishing Trips

Salmon trips come in two kinds. In Alaska you plan around the runs, the weeks when each species returns from the ocean to its home river. In the Great Lakes you book a charter and troll open water for fish that were introduced there and are now an established fishery. Both work well on vacation. They just run on different calendars.

Pacific salmon hatch in fresh water, go to sea to feed and grow, and return to their home streams to spawn, usually in summer or early fall. They die after spawning. Chinook, also called king salmon, are the largest. They can reach almost 5 feet and 129 pounds, but adults are typically about 3 feet and 30 pounds. In North America they range from Monterey Bay in California to the Chukchi Sea in Alaska.

Where to go for salmon

The Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. The Kenai River’s king, sockeye and coho fisheries are the largest freshwater sport fisheries for those species in Alaska, and pink salmon run in large numbers in even-numbered years. The river flows about 80 miles from Kenai Lake at Cooper Landing to Cook Inlet. You can fish from motorized boats, drift boats or the bank. Nearby, the Russian River and Kasilof River are popular salmon waters too. Kenai River kings have been closed to fishing in recent seasons by emergency order, so check current emergency orders before planning around them.

Farther south, the Anchor River, Deep Creek and Ninilchik River are roadside streams with king runs from late May through June and silvers in August and September. Salmon fishing there is limited to the lower section of each stream. Homer adds saltwater trolling for all five species, plus the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon on the Homer Spit, which is stocked with kings and coho. See our Kenai Peninsula guide.

Northern Michigan and the Great Lakes. In 1966, Michigan stocked its first coho salmon in the Platte River system using surplus eggs from Oregon. The goal was to control alewives, an invasive fish that was washing up on beaches. That stocking started the Great Lakes recreational salmon fishery that still exists. Today the Michigan Charter Boat Association lists more than 600 captain members and ports on Lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron, Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair. Their captains fish for chinook, coho and Atlantic salmon, plus steelhead, lake trout and brown trout. Our Northern Michigan guide covers the Lake Michigan ports and rivers of the northwest Lower Peninsula.

When to go

Alaska, Lower Cook Inlet:

• Roadside stream kings: late May through June.
• Pinks: enter the streams in early to mid July.
• Silvers: enter in early August and peak in late August or early September.
• Saltwater: coho, sockeye and pinks are usually caught July through September, and mid to late July is the best time for all five species.
• Homer Spit lagoon: kings from mid-May through June, peaking in mid-June, and coho from mid-July to mid-August.

Alaska, Kenai River: the river has early and late runs of kings, sockeye and coho. Late-run sockeye typically peak in late July and coho run from late July into October. Kenai kings have been closed in recent seasons; check current emergency orders. ADF&G publishes run timing charts and in-season counts, and they are the best way to pick your week.

Great Lakes, northern Michigan: charter boats troll Lake Michigan for Chinook and coho from spring through summer, and coho on the east side fish best in early spring and again in late summer and early fall. River runs follow: Chinook are usually catchable in the rivers by mid-August, and the Manistee has a late-October coho run. Ask your captain which months their port fishes best.

See our July and August pages for other options in peak Alaska season. Runs vary every year, and ADF&G can change openings during the season through emergency orders.

How the trips work

Guided river trips. The Kenai is fished from motorized boats and drift boats as well as the bank. A guide with a boat lets you cover more water, and a good one knows the river’s detailed, section-by-section rules.

Bank fishing. Road access to rivers like the Kenai, Kasilof, Anchor and Ninilchik means you can fish salmon on your own. Check the regulations for the section you fish, since rules change by river section and date.

Saltwater charters. Out of Homer and other Kenai Peninsula ports, charters troll for salmon and often pair it with halibut. See our halibut page.

Great Lakes charters. Michigan’s charter captains run from ports on all of the state’s Great Lakes. A charter needs no river experience, so it can suit groups and families.

Choosing a destination

• Fish the runs: the Kenai Peninsula in summer, timed to the species you want.
• Mix salmon and halibut: Homer and the Lower Cook Inlet ports.
• Add trout: Kenai River rainbow trout feed on salmon as the runs arrive in summer and fall, so a late-summer Kenai trip can include both. See our trout page.
• Closer to home in the Midwest: a Great Lakes charter from a Michigan port.

Before you book

• Licenses and rules. Alaska’s rules change by river, section and date, and ADF&G issues emergency orders during the season. Michigan’s DNR sets Great Lakes rules. See our fishing license guide and check the agency before each trip.
• Ask a guide or charter what is included (tackle, bait, license), how many anglers they take, whether they clean and package fish, and whether they can ship it home.
• Guided or DIY. Our guided vs DIY fishing guide walks through the tradeoffs, and our guide to choosing a fishing charter covers the questions to ask.