Chilkoot Lake Silver Salmon Fishing in Haines Alaska

I really enjoy fishing in and around Chilkoot Lake, a picturesque glacially fed lake just a few miles north of Haines, AK. The Chilkoot river flows into and then out of the lake, before emptying into the Lynn Canal. Silver Salmon spawning up the river typically make a short stop where the river meets the lake, as well as in pools in the river.

I was fishing in one of the pools with a blue and red rattling Pixee when the first big chrome ocean fresh Coho Salmon attacked violently. He tried to run up stream, then alternated between diving to the bottom of the pool and jumping violently out of the water trying to throw the hook. It was a mixed blessing having no other people fishing that section of the river with me, I liked the tranquility but there was no one to man the net.

Finally I got the big Silver Salmon on shore, and just as I cut a gill to bleed the salmon out I noticed a large brown bear across the river started wading into the water. Within moments the bruin was swimming across the river towards my area. I grabbed my gear, the coho, and walked back up the bank to the road. As I was driving away I saw the bear standing on the same boulder I had been fishing on. Just another amazing day of Alaska Fishing.