Sockeye Salmon fight pound per pound more than any other salmon in the fresh water rivers and streams in Alaska. Silver Salmon are a close second, not to take anything away from their efforts to free themselves from the sting of a hook in the jaw, but, Sockeye Salmon will give you a fight that will hook you for life!
Sockeye Salmon (also known as Red Salmon for the dark red color of their meat) come into the fresh waters of the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers on the Kenai Peninsula as the "First Run" in late May. The First Run of Sockeye Salmon in the Kenai River is the largest of the First Run Sockeye on the Kenai Peninsula, returning in numbers near 70,000 fish, counted by the Russian River counter just upstream from the Kenai River in the Sanctuary area of the Russian River. The Pacific Ocean returning Sockeye are Chrome Bright as they swim through the lower Kenai River, migrating to the Russian River and eventually to Upper Russian Lake where they migrate to the smaller spawning streams flowing into Upper Russian Lake, such as Goat Creek.
The Keni River First Run Sockeye Salmon run builds to near peak run just after the upper Kenai River opens on June 11th each year. Near the 20th of June, the First Run of Sockeye in the Russian River and Kenai River is at it's peak traffic. Within a week the first run of Sockeye Salmon begins to taper off until about the fourth of July, when the first run is noticably over in the upper River, with a few hundred trickling into the Russian River until about mid July. In mid July, the Second Run of Sockeye Salmon begin to trickle into the Kenai River. Average size of large First Run Sockeye is around 10 to 12 lb males.
The Second Run of Kenai River Sockeye Salmon begin to enter into the Kenai River in strong numbers starting near the 10th of July and build until around the 20th of July. The Second Run of Sockeye Salmon is generally near a million and a half Sockeye Salmon and peak near the 25th of July within a day or two each year. This is the most popular period of time for fishing Sockeye Salmon during the entire summer fishing season. This is also the most crowded time to be on the Kenai Peninsula, so careful planning and attention for making sure you have reservations well ahead of time is recommended...like the year before or at the latest, book your reservations for guide, lodging and rental car as soon as you can after the beginning of the year. February and March are our most popular months booking reservations for salmon fishing in July. (If you book before then, in January or early February,your chances of having great fishing days are even greater.) The sooner you book for the peak of the Second Run of Sockeye, the better chances of booking prime fishing days on the Kenai River. The average size of Second Run large Sockeye Salmon is around 10 to 14 lb males.
Silver Salmon begin to arrive in streams and rivers on the Kenai River during the peak of the second run of Sockeye, about the last two weeks of July. They mix in well with the Sockeye, also Chrome Bright and fighting as hard, if not harder when first hooked. Over all, the Silver Salmon has an explosive burst of energy on hook up that puts the King and Sockeye to shame.
They break more tippet and leaders from their enormous energy explosion when first hooked up than any fish I have ever gotten use to fly fishing for. The only difference I have experienced between Silver Salmon and Sockeye, is the Silver Salmon run out of gas before the Kings and Sockeye do. Maybe it's because they have such a tremendous rush of edrinaline on hookup, I don't know for sure. The average size for Large Silver Salmon I see is around 12 to 15 lb males conservatively speaking. A little bigger than Sockeye on the Average in the Kenai River. Silver Salmon peak in their run about the second to third week in September and continue to trickle into the Kenai River right up to ice up around the end of October or first of November.