There is nothing like August in Western Alaska. It is the month of August when the seasons change, and temperatures begin to cool off and, marks the beginning of the Silver Salmon season. The silver salmon run in these rivers typically starts in late July and runs through September.
2023 however was a bit less than typical with runs starting what almost seemed like a couple of weeks late, but when they arrived, oh my! … The fish were bright and chrome-colored when they first entered the rivers and averaged 10-15 pounds with some bucks pushing the high teens to tewnty pounds!
Fishing for silver salmon in these rivers is excellent, and it is not uncommon to catch 30+ fish in a day. The fish can be caught on various flies, but streamers and poppers are the most popular choices.
Goodnews and Kanektok are inhabited by outstanding silver salmon runs, and poppers and gurglers are among our favorite methods of catching them! Action can be surprisingly fast-paced to fish these patterns for cohos, even though they aren’t always as productive as streamers. Seeing a chrome bright, 15-pound salmon slamming a surface fly is pretty cool, too.
If you are looking for a great place to catch silver salmon, then the Kanektok and Goodnews rivers are great options. The Kanektok River is a longer river at 96 miles and more challenging river to fish, while the Goodnews River 65 miles is a shorter and easier river to fish