When is the best time to come fishing in Alaska? Pt 2

Depending on the variety of fish you're "fishing" for:

First Run King Salmon: This run begins in mid May and continues through the month of June. I have historically found that the 3rd week of June to be the peak of this run , however the peak can vary from 1 week earlier to 1 week later. This is not to say that we do not well throughout the whole month just that the 3rd week has historically been the peak.(average size 35 lbs)

First Run Sockeye Salmon: These fish begin to make their way up river about mid June. The first run of Sockeye Salmon heads straight through the Kenai to the Russian River located in the Cooper Landing area of the upper Kenai. Therefore the Russian River is far and beyond the best and sometimes the only place to nail these first run fish.(average size 5-7 lbs)

Second Run King Salmon: This run of king Salmon start upstream July 1 and continue through July 31st. Historically the 3rd week of July is the peak for these fish but like the first run it can also be one week either direction.(average size 40 lbs)

Second Run Sockeye Salmon: The second run Sockeyes start to enter the river mid July and run through the first week of August. This run is about 10 times the size in numbers of the first run. These fish are caught from the bank from one end of the Kenai to the other! The second run Sockeye is what most Alaskans fill their freezers with.(average size 8-12 lbs)

Early Run Silver Salmon: These fish start arriving in late July and continue through August. I have found that the peak seems to be around the 15th-25th.(average size 8-14 lbs)

Late Run Silver Salmon: This run starts in the begginning of September and runs through the end of the month. The peak seems to be Sept. 15th-31st . (average size 9-16 lbs)

Rainbow Trout: The hard fighting Kenai River Rainbow are in the river throughout the year. The primetime for fishing these Trout though is mid August- the first week of October. The later the season gets the fatter these fish become with one or two caught every year in the 15 lb or larger bracket! (average size 2-8 lbs)

Cook Inlet Halibut: These Cook Inlet flat fish are readily available mid May - September The one thing to remember is after late August the water gets rougher and we have more trips cancelled due to blow-off conditions.(average size 20-60 lbs)

Other Things To Consider:
1. The Kenai River is closed to guides on Sunday and Monday in May , June and July. (making for usually better than normal fishing on Tuesday mornings)
2. The Kenai River is closed to guides taking Silver Salmon on Mondays in August and September. (however we are allowed to fish for Trout on these days)
3. The first day of bait is always the hottest during King season , picking the exact day is difficult though as Fish & Game opens bait according to their escapement numbers.
4. Weekdays ie: Tues-Fri are sometimes slightly better than weekends.

courtesy of FAQ pages at www.keniaking.com