King Salmon (Chinook): This is the monster of all salmon. Unbelievably, the King can grow to over 100 pounds! The state and world record is 97 pounds 4 ounces and was caught on the Kenai River. The best area in the state to catch a Chinook is on the Kenai Peninsula, where thousands of anglers try to hook up with this monster fish every year. Obviously, heavy equipment and a lot of patience are needed to land this giant of all salmon. Fly-fishing for any of the salmon species is exciting but the King provides the maximum mix of skill and excitement for even the most season veteran.

Pink Salmon (Humpy):  The Pink Salmon or Humpy is the smallest and most abundant of all the salmon species. They can be found in most Alaska river drainages and  are great fun to catch on a fly rod. The male forms a prominent hump and hooked jaw during spawning. A typical Humpy is 3-5 pounds, but the state record is 12 pounds 9 ounces. The flesh is pink and the exterior of a non-spawning fish has a green back with a white belly and silver, spotted sides. A good mount of a non-spawning Humpy is an eye catcher.

Chum Salmon (Dog Salmon): Chums have the widest distribution of all Alaskan salmon species. Chum Salmon are medium-sized and develop red, green, and white vertical bars once they hit fresh water. Spawning males develop a distended jaw and teeth. Dog’s can be found in all river drainages, but are especially abundant in the Susitna, Alaska Peninsula, and Bristol Bay river systems. Average size is 8-10 pounds with a state and world record of 32 pounds.          

Silver Salmon (Coho):  The Silver Salmon is a hard-fighting fish that averages 8-10 pounds in size. This fish is bright silver with a dark back. Fishermen go to the Kenai Peninsula, Valdez, Cordova or Seward to hook up with these super jumpers, and the Susitna drainage provides super silver action in late July and early August. But the Silver runs in Bristol Bay and the Alaska Peninsula river systems provide anglers with world class fishing and a solitude that only Alaska can provide. Fly fishing for this tough character is a challenge few anglers ever forget. 20lb. Silver on a 6 weight fly rod is a challenge that satisfies every fisherman’s dreams. The state record silver is 26 pounds.

Red Salmon (Sockeye): The Red Salmon is considered by most to be the best-tasting salmon. The meat is red-orange in color and this fish is a hard fighter. The Sockeye is normally silver in color, but changes to bright red when spawning. Tremendous runs of Reds are found in the Bristol Bay area, the confluence of the Russian and Kenai River, and the Copper River drainage. A Sockeye on a 5-weight fly rod proves to be a challenge and with the daily bag limit of 3 to 5 fish (depending on the river system), usually your arms will tire before the day ends. An average Sockeye is 8-10 pounds with the state record being 16 pounds.