A Salmon Grand Slam Involves catching three of the following six species of salmon in a single calendar day: Atlantic Salmon, Chinook Salmon, Sockeye Salmon, Chum Salmon, Pink Salmon, and Coho Salmon.
Of all the slams, the salmon slam is one of the hardest.
This is because the different species of salmon tend to run back up their native rivers at different times.
Some favor different river systems and inhabit different types of water within a river system.
And the Atlantic Salmon is found on a whole different side of the country from the Pacific salmon species, so it can be discounted!
All in all, that makes catching three in a day quite a challenge.
Types of Salmon Featured in Salmon Grand Slams
Coho Salmon are included in pretty much all the Salmon Grand Slams registered with IGFA, with Chinook salmon probably the next most popular catch within grand slams. There’s a sprinkling of pink, chum, and sockeye among the slams.
Where to Go to Catch a Salmon Grand Slam
Alaska is by far the most popular place to go to catch a salmon grand slam with almost all of those recorded on the IGFA database being taken in the northern state.
The only exceptions have been the handful caught in Canada and Oregon.
There are 16 salmon grand slams caught on conventional tackle and 12 on fly tackle.
What About a Salmon Super Grand Slam?
This takes things up even another notch with four of the salmon species needing to be caught in a single day. Just six conventional tackle anglers and five fly anglers have completed this feat, with all of these caught in Alaska.
What About a Fantasy Salmon Grand Slam?
Now we are stepping things up a notch! The angler has to catch all five major Pacific salmon species on the same day.
It sounds impossible, right?
Well, try telling that to the four members of the conventional tackle Fantasy Salmon Grand Slam Club for salmon and the three fly tackle Fantasy Salmon Grand Slam Club!
What stands out from the tables below is that there are really two places to go to complete this slam – Alaska or British Columbia in Canada.
Date within the salmon season doesn’t seem quite as critical, despite the importance of “timing” salmon runs, with fantasy grand slams caught in late July, August, September, and October.
Conventional Tackle Fantasy Salmon Grand Slam Club
| Angler | Date | Location | Species |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Alfredson | 19 August 2022 | Sitka, AK, USA | Chinook, Coho, Chum, Sockeye, Pink |
Robert Middleton | 7 October 2017 | Fraser & Harrison Rivers, Canada | Chum, Pink, Chinook, Sockeye, Coho |
| Chris Wheaton | 1 September 2019 | Sitka, AK, USA | Chinook, Coho, Pink, Sockeye, Chum |
IGFA Fly Salmon Fantasy Slam Club
| Angler | Date | Location | Species |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edmondson, Stephen | 6 October 2015 | Chilliwack, BC, Canada | Chinook, Coho, Chum, Sockeye, Pink |
| Richard Hasenstab | 29 July 2019 | Kodiak, AK, USA | Chinook, Chum, Pink, Sockeye, Coho |
| Dan Kipnis | 31 August 1993 | Good News River Lodge, AK, USA | Pink, Chinook, Coho, Chum, Sockeye |
| Scott Nichols | 16 August 2008 | Togiak Drainages, AK, USA | Chinook, Coho, Chum, Pink, Sockeye |
