Alaskan King Salmon Destination

So I moved to Alaska not too long ago and have yet to catch a legally retainable king salmon.  I caught 1 25 lb king on my 7 wt fly rod the first week after I moved up, but season was closed on the Kenai.

By no means do I want to decimate the population of kings, but I would like to catch a nice one to eat.  So the question is, where does one go to try and accomplish this task?  Kayak, bank fishing, or big boat....I don't really care (but kayak would add bonus points)

Thoughts?

Other than the feeder kings or maybe a copper river tributary it'll be tough on the road system. One thing I might try this year to get my kids on a king is to troll outside the homer fishing lagoon at low tide to see if I can't pick off any kings trying to stage into the lagoon. I hear that hole had been sort of a bust the past years. Ocean survival rates seem low. But I'm going to keep an eye on the reports. I think that's a mid June deal.

Late April through May I'm going to hit deep creek an whiskey gulch if they don't completely shut it down within a mile. I've yet to catch a spawner there. All feeders so far. So don't feel too guilty.

Been dying to try Seward and Whittier for their stocked kings but they are fewer and unproven at least for me.

Ever hear anything good about china poor bay?

Southeast Alaska!  I've been hearing their numbers are going down too, but that's where I caught all of mine via kayak

Ever hear anything good about china poor bay?

China Poot Bay is a sockeye fishery.  Halibut Cove is a tad far away unless you have sail power! 

Here's a June excerpt for the Homer area from Fish and Game:

Salmon
The June marine fishery for king salmon usually runs from poor to good, depending on the weather. Many kings are in the 15- to 25-pound range; occasionally fish weighing 40 pounds or more are reported. Spawning or mature fish represent a majority of the catch. Spawning kings tend to weigh in at 18-22 lbs., and fish smaller than that are typically "feeders." Feeders are immature king salmon that will not spawn for several months or years and are feeding in near shore waters of Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay.

By the end of the month, second-run kings start to show up in saltwater catches. The best bet when trolling for kings is fishing a herring behind a flasher in about 60 feet of water between Bluff Point and Anchor Point.

The stocked king salmon fisheries of Halibut Cove Lagoon require a boat for access. Seldovia may be reached by boat - regular air service is also available. Participating anglers are rewarded with majestic scenery, fewer anglers and a pleasant day away from the hustle and bustle. King salmon returns to these areas peak in mid-June, and the run is pretty much over by the end of June.

Most of the action at Seldovia is centered near the bridge that crosses the Seldovia Slough. The harbor can also produce good catches. Trolling along the outside of the breakwater is effective for boat anglers, as is anchoring up in the slough at higher tide stages. The best chance of catching a fish here is on the ebb and flow of the tide. In Halibut Cove, most angling activity occurs from boats near the far end of the lagoon by the boat docks. Anglers also troll or cast on either end of the channel.

By late June, red (sockeye) salmon will enter the sheltered waters of China Poot Bay. These salmon are returning to an enhancement project financed by commercial fishermen. Not all are caught by their nets, though, and it’s possible for anglers to harvest some for their freezers. Higher concentrations of fish will be found near the mouth of China Poot Creek.

Also by the end of June, hatchery personnel at the small Tutka Bay lagoon usually see their first pink salmon of the year. These fish must first swim in Tutka Bay to return to the hatchery. Try cruising the shoreline in your Bayliner until you spot jumpers. Stop and cast a hot pink PixeeTM into the school and you can hardly go wrong.

Except for the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon area, snagging is allowed in Kachemak Bay from June 24 through Dec. 31. Check the regulation booklet carefully. Before snagging is allowed, king salmon anglers cast out lures such as PixeesTM, Spin-N-GlosTM, or TeeSpoonsTM, sometimes adding salmon roe or fresh herring.

Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon - The king fishery begins in earnest in the first week of June. Because these fish are stocked into this saltwater lagoon, they have no freshwater stream to enter. These fish remain easily accessible and all will get caught. Many anglers, even some who have never before caught a king salmon, take their daily bag limit of two fish. Generally speaking, you can expect to catch a fish at this site just about any time of the day, but fishing is especially hot when the tide is flowing into the lagoon. Anglers have luck both inside and outside of the lagoon.

Preferred bait is cut herring or salmon roe, sometimes suspended beneath a bobber if the tide is high. Anglers are reminded that this area remains closed to snagging until the Alaska Department of Fish and Game issues an Emergency Order (EO). Such an EO will be announced through the media and signs will be posted throughout the Fishing Lagoon area.