tinydancer

We're planning a trip to Alaska next year, and my husband wants to be sure to see a good salmon run either before or after. Can anyone recommend a great place to go to see this? Perhaps a lodge? It doesn't matter where, as we haven't planned the remainder of our trip yet. We'll need to sort this out first.

dfnh

I know I've seen an approximate date for salmon runs in Alaska, perhaps their fish and game dept's website. Different kinds of salmon run at different times. One year in late July we saw silvers running up Bird Creek which goes under the Seward Hwy on your way from Anchorage to Seward. OTH for a late June trip they started running up the Russian River on the turnoff to Soldotna. You'll see all the fisherman as you drive by so it's easy to know where to stop. In addition, in late June they were net fishing in the river near Kenai. We just stopped to explore the beach, saw them fishing (requires a special permit) and talked with one of the guys. Fascinating to watch him haul in a net and start fileting while a flock of seagulls patiently waited.
A quick google turned up this website that has salmon run charts for different areas
http://alaskaoutdoorjournal.com/Sonar/sonar.html

PattiY

We just returned from 9 days in Alaska. We flew to Anchorage, rented a car and drove to the village of Talkeetna. We stayed in a 2 bedroom room above the Wild Flower Cafe. The little town was delightful with wonderful dining and beautiful flowers everywhere. We used fishing guides in Talkeetna who took us out in boats to fish Silver Salmon. We returned home with 70 pounds of fish. We also took the train in Talkeetna (first class seating and at least an 8 hour trip one way) which took us north to Fairbanks. The scenery was spectacular. We spent the night in Fairbanks and panned for gold, did a paddle boat ride (seated 900 passengers) and went to an all you can eat Salmon Bake. The entire trip was so wonderful. I can't say enough good things about the state of Alaska but beware, everything is pretty expensive.

spirobulldog

www.highadventureair.com

see bears and fish for salmon

repete

Well, salmon runs are hard to predict and non-residents can't dipnet (No special permit -- only a resident's fishing license -- is required). Plus the Kenai isn't a great place to view fish.

Is this fishing or viewing?

If it's fishing, you have to decide what kind of fishing you'd like to try -- the riskier odds of one big king or the smaller, more plentiful kind.

If you just want to watch fish school up or jump there are plenty of places, depending on the time of year, including at spots along Ship Creek in DT Anchorage.

At certain times, I've hiked along Ptarmigan Creek on the way to Seward and found it thick with red salmon.

The hike to Russian River Falls is also a nice trip. It is major bear country, so prepare.

tinydancer

Hey you guys...thanks for all your great comments! My husband wants to actually see the Salmon runs, not fish. Maybe see the bears fishing.

bdawk

If you only want to see the salmon, I would visit the falls at the Russian River. You can see the fish jumping up the falls. There is a 1/2 mike walk along a maintained trail. Just an FYI, where there is fish, there is usually bears so prepare yourself to be in those kind of conditions. Check the Sport Fish; Fish Counts on the Alaska Fish & Game website. You can see what run would work with your trip.