What is the Best Month to Fish in Alaska?

Alaska is one of the most famous destinations for fishing, and there are several reasons that it is on the list of places everyone should visit in their lifetime—even if you wouldn’t necessarily consider yourself a fishing guru.

The state boasts 6,640 miles of coastline bordering the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. For comparison purposes, that is about five times as much as the state with the second longest coastline, Florida (California comes in at 840 miles, or about 12% of the length of the Alaskan coast).

It is home to some of the largest populations of fish year-round, but especially in the summer months when millions of salmon and other species migrate north to their spawning grounds. Those summer months—between May and September—are the most common months that people book trips to the state way up north. If you’re planning a trip, it’s important to understand when you can expect which species so you get the most out of your fishing excursion.

What Type of Fish Do You Want to Catch?

The first question to ask when trying to determine what month is best to book a trip for fishing in Alaska is to decide exactly what kind of fish you want to catch. Some species of fish that are in season for any of the summer months, including:

• Halibut
• Rockfish
• Ling cod
• Pacific cod

If you are coming to Alaska to fish for salmon, though, there are pretty specific times of year when you can find various species. There is a pretty narrow window when you might find all four salmon species, but for the most part you’ll need to decide on a favorite one or two.

• King salmon (also called Chinook salmon) are the earliest migrators, arriving in mid-May and staying through the end of July.
• Keta salmon (also called chum or dog salmon) come next, arriving around the beginning of June and staying through the end of August.
• Pink salmon start their migration through the waters off the Alaska coast in late June and stay through August.
• Coho (silver) salmon are the last of the salmon to arrive, coming around early August and staying through September.

The good news is that whatever month you decide to come you are certain to find some amazing fishing and be able to catch a wide variety of fish with our experienced guides.

What Type of Weather Do You Want?

A second question that could help you narrow down the right time to get to Alaska for fishing is the type of weather you are hoping to have. While it never gets really warm in the state, there are definitely times of year that are more pleasant and others where you might need a few extra layers to stay warm.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), average highs and lows in Fahrenheit during the summer months for Alaska’s Inside Passage are:

• May: 56 high / 44 low
• June: 61 high / 49 low
• July: 64 high / 53 low
• August: 65 high / 53 low
• September: 60 high / 48 low

No matter what month you come, pack some warm clothing. Even in the warmest months of summer if you plan to head out on a fishing boat you can find cooler weather (and sometimes unexpected weather changes) out on the water.

How Much Daylight Do You Need?

One final question to ask when trying to decide what month to come to Alaska is how much daylight you want to have while you are there. One of the great benefits of going to the state in the summer months is that you get a lot of daylight hours. While it might disrupt your sleep for a few days on vacation, it also means you have plenty of time to get in all the sights and activities you want.

Alaska.org has a “daylight calculator” that can tell you how many hours of sunlight there will be in any given month. If you are planning to visit the Inside Passage, the nearest big city to select on their calculator is probably Juneau.

There are two different things to look at when you’re checking for the daylight hours in Alaska:

• Sunrise/sunset: this is the time that the sun will technically rise and set in the area you select.
• Civil twilight hours: these are hours after the sun sets or before it rises where it is still light enough outside to do most activities.

At the beginning of May, civil twilight hours extend from 4:12 a.m. to 9:35 p.m. in Juneau. By June 20 (the longest day of the year), those twilight hours go from 2:33 a.m. to 11:23 p.m., giving you almost 21 hours of daylight. That time window shrinks as you get later in the year, so by the end of September your daylight hours are between 6:21 a.m. and 7:12 p.m.

If you want to have very long days, consider a trip in late June or early July.

Book Your Alaska Trip Today

Now that you have answered these questions, the next step is to book your fishing trip to Alaska. Find out how much fun it can be when you book an all-inclusive trip to Pybus Point Lodge on Alaska’s Admiralty Island. Check out the resort and book today.