Pink salmon in Alaska

Alaska waters

Most fished first. A species missing from an agency list does not mean it is absent; this page lists only waters whose list names it (at least 5 are needed for a page).

• Kenai RiverAgency list: Alaska Department of Fish and Game
• Alagnak RiverAgency list: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish
• Aniak RiverAgency list: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish
• Ward CreekAgency list: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish
• Kvichak RiverAgency list: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish
• Alexander CreekAgency list: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish
• Ketchikan CreekAgency list: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish
• Reflection LakeAgency list: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish
• Unalakleet RiverAgency list: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish
• Chilkoot RiverAgency list: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish
• Eklutna RiverAgency list: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish
• Eyak RiverAgency list: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish
• Indian RiverAgency list: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Sport Fish

Identification

• Pinks are told apart from other Pacific salmon by large dark oval spots on the back and over the whole tail fin.[1]
  What the source says

  “Pink salmon can be distinguished from other Pacific salmon by the large dark oval spots on their back and entire tail fin as well as their general coloring and form.”

• Alaska's angler tip: pinks have large oval spots on the back and both tail lobes, and a white mouth with a black gum line.[2]
  What the source says

  “Pinks have large, ovular spots on their backs and on both lobes of the tail. Spawning males have a very pronounced hump on their back. Their mouth is white with a black gum-line.”

• Spawning colour: near their spawning streams, males turn brown to black on the back with a bright white belly; females turn olive green with dusky bars or patches that can be lavender or dark gold. Males grow a large hump and hooked jaws.[3]
  What the source says

  “When pinks approach their spawning streams, males turn brown to black on their back with a bright white belly. Females have a bright white belly but turn an olive green with dusky bars or patches that can be lavender or a dark gold. By the time males enter the stream where they will spawn, they have developed a very large hump, and hooked jaws called a kype.”

More on identifying pink salmon

Status, protections and rules

As each agency stated them on the date read; a rule applies only where its agency says so. Check the current regulations for the water before you fish.

• Alaska states that no pink salmon populations are protected under the Endangered Species Act.[3]
  What the source says

  “There are no pink salmon populations protected by the Endangered Species Act.”

• Inland Fisheries Ireland asks anglers to keep and freeze any pink salmon they catch and report it to IFI without delay.[4]
  What the source says

  “Anglers are asked to keep and freeze any pink salmon they catch and to report them to Inland Fisheries Ireland by calling 0818 34 74 24 (open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) without delay.”

Water temperature in Alaska

Alaska Department of Fish and Game publishes no water-temperature line for trout anglers that we found. The lines below are the National Park Service's, federal guidance, not a Alaska rule:

• Under the federal 68°F lineThat is under the 68°F at which the National Park Service, at Grand Teton National Park, recommends anglers stop fishing in the afternoon (“cease fishing at 2 p.m. when water temperatures are likely to exceed 68°F”). Water warms through the afternoon, so check again later in the day: “Carry a pocket thermometer to monitor water temperature.”
• Stressful for troutAt 68°F the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says rainbow trout “start stressing”, and the National Park Service at Grand Teton recommends that anglers “cease fishing at 2 p.m. when water temperatures are likely to exceed 68°F.” Its advice: “Fish early in the morning while the water temperature is cooler”, “Play and land fish quickly to reduce exhaustion stress” and “Keep the fish in the water as much as possible.”

Sources: High water temperatures prompt fishing advisory in Grand Teton National Park (29 July 2022) (National Park Service); Up a climate-stressed creek (9 June 2023) (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

Destination hubs

Hubs that list one of these waters, or that a water page is near: each has guides, shops, licences and trip planning for the area.

• Ketchikan & Revillagigedo Island, Alaska2 pink salmon waters
• Anchorage & Eagle River, Alaska1 pink salmon water
• Kenai Peninsula: Soldotna & the Kenai, Alaska1 pink salmon water
• Mat-Su: Willow & the Susitna, Alaska1 pink salmon water
• Sitka & Baranof Island, Alaska1 pink salmon water

Hatch & season charts

• Alaska8 sourced rows

Sources

Every fact on this page is our paraphrase of the page cited beside it, read on the date shown. Rules and seasons change: check the agency's current regulations before you fish.

1. Pink Salmon | NOAA Fisheries NOAA Fisheries, read Oct 24, 2026.
2. Alaska's Five Species of Pacific Salmon, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Alaska Department of Fish and Game, read Oct 24, 2026.
3. Pink Salmon Species Profile, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Alaska Department of Fish and Game, read Oct 24, 2026.
4. DiadSea Booklet: An identification guide to migratory diadromous fish at sea (PDF) Inland Fisheries Ireland, read Oct 24, 2026.