King Salmon, Alaska Named One Of Top Destinations

The Bristol Bay area was named one of nine destinations to visit in USA Today's fishing and hunting magazine. (BECCA ELLINGSWORTH)
The Bristol Bay area was named one of nine destinations to visit in USA Today’s fishing and hunting magazine. (BECCA ELLINGSWORTH)

 

 

USA Today’s summer/fall fishing and hunting guide is out, and King Salmon, Alaska, made the list of nine top destinations to head to.

Here’s some of the description:

The name says it all — King Salmon, a small town in southwest Alaska that provides access to the Bristol Bay watershed and its run of the five species of Pacific salmon. The fishery hosts more than 37,000 anglers annually, but don’t worry about crowds — we’re talking 40,000 square miles of unspoiled wilderness the size of Wisconsin that encompasses five national parks and streams so numerous many of them aren’t even named.

   Among salmon, kings and silvers draw the most attention from sport anglers; kings arrive mid-June and silvers in August.

   In between, sockeyes, pinks and chums return to their natal waters — the sockeye run can reach 40 million. The Naknek and Nushagak rivers are best for kings but also boast strong runs of silvers, which return to streams distributed throughout the watershed.