Catching these Monsters is tricky at best and fishing from the banks is not the best way to catch a King. I have lived in Alaska for over 30 years and I have had several Kings on my line from the banks while fishing for other species, mainly Red Salmon, Dolly Varden and Rainbow Trout, but I have never landed a King Salmon from a river bank. Getting a King Salmon on your line is not the difficult part it's getting that monster landed on the bank. The King Salmon have a very thick body when looking at it from the side, and they have considerable strength and weight. This thick body combined with the pure strength of the fish is what makes it difficult at best to land one from the banks of a river. The King Salmon, once hooked will fight to stay in the water, turning its body sideways in the current to make it more difficult to land. A 90lb King Salmon turned sideways in a current running at 3 knots is comparable to reeling in a cement block. This puts major stress on the best fishing lines even if you compensate for the weight and strength of the King Salmon with a heavier more expensive line. The result is usually a snapped line and a lost fish and maybe an hour or so wasted. Not to mention, that hundred yards of line that you lost that is now endangering waterfowl and other fish species. Simply put, it is best to be in a boat while fishing for King Salmon.

Fishing from a boat for King Salmon allows you to move more easily with the fish and follow him down stream to tire him out a bit before getting a net around him. If you have a good hook set in him tiring him out before netting him is always a good idea if the situation allows for it. King Salmon also move very quickly upstream causing spurts of fish to be in one area one minute and a half a mile to a mile upstream the next. You will need to move with them if you are going to catch a King Salmon. You can actually see this while fishing for Kings, the boats around you will all have a fish on, then the boats upstream will start getting hits and then even further upstream the fishermen will all start catching as the fish move through the area. You, of course cannot see the fish in the water but they are moving in huge waves upstream where they will spawn.

If you are traveling to Alaska for a fishing trip, you probably don’t have a boat with you. So your best bet is to hire a fishing guide to take you on a day trip or a half day King Salmon fishing trip. Most fishing guides in Alaska take pride on knowing where the trophy sized fish are going to be, in their area. If you have never hired a fishing guide, take a look at some guides and tips for selecting a Fishing Guide.

Hiring an Alaska Fishing Guide is well worth the money. Take into consideration the price of fishing equipment and the price of the boat and other equipment onboard that is provided for you, and the knowledge of the local area that the fishing guide already has. I live in Alaska and if I go fishing for King Salmon, I hire a fishing guide, simply because I don’t have a boat.