Soldotna Alaska Fishing Guide

Fishing charters out of Soldotna, Alaska, include fishing for salmon and halibut.

Soldotna is small town on the Kenai peninsula in south central Alaska. Soldotna's location near the mouth of the Kenai River makes it an ideal location for sport fishing for halibut, salmon and trout. River fishing on the Kasilof and Kenai rivers provide opportunities to catch salmon, trout, and dolly varden, while Cook Inlet has halibut, ling cod and rock fish.

Alaska Fishing License

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, children under the age of 16, and adult residents of the state of Alaska over the age of 60 do not need to buy a sport fishing license. An Alaska resident fishing license is good until the last day December the year the license is purchased. Nonresident fishing licenses are good for 1, 3, 7 or 14 days. Persons fishing for king salmon have to purchase a king stamp in addition to a regular fishing license. For more information on fishing licenses see reference 1.

Salmon

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the world record king salmon, weighing 97 pounds 4 ounces was caught on the Kenai River near Soldotna. Soldotna also has good sockeye and coho salmon fishing opportunities. King salmon usually run from mid-May until about the end of July. Sockeye, or red salmon, run heaviest in July, and Coho salmon, or silvers, run mid-July through September.

Halibut

Fishing for halibut out of Soldotna usually means meeting at Deep Creek and heading from there out into Cook Inlet. Local fishing guides say the best-tasting halibut are the smaller fish in the 25-pound to 35-pound range, but a lot of fisherman prefer to try to land a "barndoor" halibut. These monster fish weigh between 100 and 300 pounds. A few fish in this size range are caught every day during the halibut season.

While in deep saltwater anglers also frequently pull in ling cod and rock fish. Neither are considered trophy fish, but they are both tasty fish.

Trout

The Soldotna area has many rivers with good fishing for dolly varden trout and record size rainbow trout. Lakes around Soldotna also have good char fishing. Late fall and early winter have good steelhead fishing.

Places to Stay

Fishing resorts, motels, cabins, even fly-in lodges are numerous on the Kenai peninsula in the Soldotna area. Sportsman's Resources provides a complete list of fishing lodges not only in Soldotna, but in the rest of Alaska as well.

References

• FAQs: Licenses and Permits
• Kenai Peninsula Planner
• Sportsman's Resource