Alaska Sockeye Salmon Fishing
The Naknek River has a Sockeye run one million plus. In 2008 the Sockeye escapment in the Naknek river was over two million. This prompted the Alaska Department of fish and game to increase the daily bag limit from five to ten per day. Sockeye or Red Salmon are coveted for their deep red flesh and rich flavor. We fish Sockeye in the upper Naknek River where the current is fast and it forces the fish to the edges. It will blow you away to watch tens of thousands of salmon swim by every hour. We generally fish for Sockeye with fly rods and small flies, while standing on the bank. If you've never fished with a fly rod this is a fun way too learn. You will get the hang of the rod and be rewarded with fish quite frequently. These fish fight hard, especially in the fast current. Many days we will catch our King salmon and a limit of Sockeye, as in the picture above. Along with the Naknek, the Kvichak, Alagnak, Egegik, and Ugashik rivers all have huge sockeye runs. All of these rivers are within a short float plane ride and have different scenery as well as other fish to offer, like Char or Trout.