Alaska’s Coho Run Timings
No matter where you pursue salmon or steelhead, success comes down to being on the water when the fish are in. It doesn’t matter how good an angler you are, if fish aren’t around, there’s no way of catching them. Alaska is no exception to this rule.
Every year I hear from disappointed anglers who’ve traveled to Alaska, only to discover they weren’t there when the fish were. When this happens it usually comes down to a lack of research on the part of the angler. True, there are times when water conditions, commercial fishing pressure and acts of nature curtail a run, but for the most part, if you’re in the right place when fish historically arrive in a river, you’re usually going to catch something.
Take the famed Kenai River, for instance. June and July were historical prime times to catch the world’s biggest king salmon, but today, commercial fishing continues to devastate the run. This topic is a whole other story, but suffice it to say, if wanting to experience salmon fishing on the Kenai, target cohos instead of kings.
Coho runs on the Kenai come in a couple spurts. The first run usually shows around late July and continues through the end of August. Then, in early September, another run of coho enters the Kenai. This run can see fresh fish pouring into the system through November, and fishing them can be good all the way into December. If you want a true Alaskan salmon fishing experience—lots of salmon, few people, cold, clear skies, along with bald eagles, brown bears and moose—then consider hitting the Kenai in late October or early November, when coho flourish.