Alaska has long been known for great halibut fishing. But Alaska also has some great ocean fishing for Coho (Silvers) and Pinks (every second year). Chinook (King) salmon have been on the decline in Alaska that past 20 years, probably because of the offshore commercial fishing by-catch.
Sitka is probably the best Alaskan spot to catch Chinook (Kings) in the ocean. Time to fishing is approx 1.5-2 hours in Sitka, Homer and Seward. In North America Vancouver Island is known more for Chinook fishing closer to shore. But if you are visiting Alaska, the scenery on the boat while running to locations can be quite spectacular.
One of the reason the ocean fishing may be a bit tougher is the large tides in Alaska vs British Columbia. Halibut fishing out of Seward is very good and if you are wanting to go on a fishing charter as a single, there are lots of options to jump on a boat.
The Kenai river…
has long been famous for its return of large Chinook. Every year eager fisherman fight their way through the crowds to get their crack at a large Chinook. The Kenai is one of the best known rivers in Alaska because of the large Chinook that frequent the river and this also means you will find many fisherman around you fishing in anticipation of the big one. Unfortunately limits have been reduced and closures more frequent as numbers of Chinook (Kings) dwindle.
You still can fish trout and other salmon on the river. The best time to fish the Kenai is in July. For Alaska, July is like August in British Columbia.
For those people that would like a little peace and quiet, there are many rivers in Alaska and lots of terrain that provides opportunity for those who want to get away. For some, the thrill of seeing Grizzly bears close by on the feeding grounds is almost as good as the fishing experience.