Copper River

The Copper River produces what many consider the finest sockeye salmon in the world — ‘Copper River reds’ and ‘Copper River kings’ command premium prices at fish markets across the country. The river runs 300 miles from the Copper Glacier in the Wrangell Mountains to the Gulf of Alaska, supporting one of Alaska’s largest commercial sockeye fisheries and a sport fishery focused on the famous Wood Canyon dip-net section near Chitina. The river is glacial, fast, and dangerous — most sportfishing happens at the Chitina Subdistrict personal use dipnet fishery rather than rod-and-reel.