Alaska sockeye salmon, or red salmon, pound for pound, are the hardest fighting salmon in the world. Fresh from the saltwater, these beautiful Alaska Salmon are like silver torpedoes and they offer very consistent and exciting fishing action. Sockeye Salmon in the Kenai River average between 8-12 lbs. and 5-8 lbs. in most other locations. Since they swim close to the shore on their journey upriver, sockeye salmon are most commonly caught from the bank. Several million sockeye salmon return to the Kenai River and surrounding Cook Inlet rivers every summer, and excellent fishing is often the result.