It depends on what you want to fish for. Luckily, halibut is available throughout the summer. The only difference for halibut is the cycle of the tide. During clamming tides the tidewater moves very swiftly and we must use heavy weights to get the bait to the bottom where the fish are. That means more work – not necessarily worse fishing or smaller fish – just more work. Therefore, for halibut it is best to choose a day when the tide is a small one, if your schedule will allow.
Since salmon spawn and then die, there are definite windows of opportunity for each species. Use the following as a guide to planning the timing of your trip around your desired species of salmon:
King Salmon (first run): Start into rivers third week of May and last until end of June. More fish than second run, but smaller. Generally better in the Kasilof River where the limit is two fish per person, per day. (hatchery fish only are retainable)
King Salmon (second run): Kasilof River (one fish per person, per day), starts July 1 and ends July 31. Emergency regulations are placed yearly. (hatcher fish only are retainable)
Red Salmon/Sockeye (first run): Kenai and Kasilof River generally about the third week in June, not as many fish as second run of reds.
Red Salmon/Sockeye (second run): Kasilof and Kenai River, huge run generally centered in second to third week of July.
Silver Salmon: starts in Seward mid-July and lasts until Labor Day, in Kasilof and Kenai Rivers in August and September.
