PACIFIC SALMON

Posted on February 12, 2009

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Hi there my fellow salmon fishing enthusiast

Here is some information on some of the different salmon species that you might want to fish for.

Chum Salmon

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MATURE MALE CHUM SALMON

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IMMATURE CHUM SALMON

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MATURE FEMALE CHUM SALMON

Chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) have the widest distribution of any of the Pacific salmon. They range south to the Sacramento River in California and the island of Kyushu in the Sea of Japan. In the north they range east in the Arctic Ocean to the Mackenzie River in Canada and west to the Lena River in Siberia. Chum salmon are the most abundant commercially harvested salmon species in arctic, northwestern, and Interior Alaska, but are of relatively less importance in other areas of the state. There they are known locally as “dog salmon” and are a traditional source of dried fish for winter use.

General description: Ocean fresh chum salmon are metallic greenish-blue on the dorsal surface (top) with fine black speckles. They are difficult to distinguish from sockeye and coho salmon without examining their gills or caudal fin scale patterns. Chum have fewer but larger gillrakers than other salmon. After nearing fresh water, however, the chum salmon changes color-particularly noticeable are vertical bars of green and purple, which give them the common name, calico salmon. The males develop the typical hooked snout of Pacific salmon and very large teeth which partially account for their other name of dog salmon. The females have a dark horizontal band along the lateral line; their green and purple vertical bars are not so obvious.

Life history: Chum salmon often spawn in small side channels and other areas of large rivers where upwelling springs provide excellent conditions for egg survival. They also spawn in many of the same places as do pink salmon, i.e., small streams and intertidal zones. Some chum in the Yukon River travel over 2,000 miles to spawn in the Yukon Territory. These have the brightest color and possess the highest oil content of any chum salmon when they begin their upstream journey. Chum salmon spawning is typical of Pacific salmon with the eggs deposited in redds located primarily in upwelling spring areas of streams. Female chum may lay as many as 4,000 eggs, but fecundity typically ranges between 2,400 and 3,100 eggs. Chum do not have a period of freshwater residence after emergence of the fry as do Chinook, coho, and sockeye salmon. Chums are similar to pink salmon in this respect, except that chum fry do not move out into the ocean in the spring as quickly as pink fry. Chum fry feed on small insects in the stream and estuary before forming into schools in salt water where their diet usually consists of zooplankton. By fall they move out into the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska where they spend one or more of the winters of their 3- to 6-year lives. In southeastern Alaska most chum salmon mature at 4 years of age, although there is considerable variation in age at maturity between streams. There is also a higher percentage of chums in the northern areas of the state. Chum vary in size from 4 to over 30 pounds, but usually range from 7 to 18 pounds, with females usually smaller than males.

SALMON FISHING TECHNIQUES: In the ocean, particularly close to the river mouth, chum can be caught with the same baits and lures used for coho or chinook. Trolling with spoons, hoochies or plugs is the most common approach. In the lower stretches of a river, back-trolling from a drift boat with diving plugs, such as Kwikfish or Hot Shots, is an excellent way to locate moving fish. When wading in the narrow, upper-river or tributary streams, spoons, spinners or streamers are highly effective. Chum readily take roe, Gooey Bobs, Jensen Eggs, colored beads or other roe imitations. Fluorescent yarn is another hot bet in pink, chartreuse, orange, salmon red and all other bright colors.

SALMON FISHING TACKLE: Since chum are not small, tackle shouldn’t be either. Most anglers use 10 and a 1/2-foot drifting rods or fly rods that are appropriate for steelhead or chinook. A 15-pound test mainline and 10-pound test leaders will be tested to the limit by 20-pound chum, especially in fast currents. All hooks should be of a size to handle these fighters.

TRY THESE TIPS: When the Chum arrives at river mouths (usually in November or December), they will take artificial lures such as wobbling plugs. The secret is to use colour patterns that contain red or fluorescent orange. Often Chum are found in small pockets or runs that cannot be drift fished because of their size and the many nearby rocks. Don’t pass up these tiny holding pools. In such close confines, simply step near the pocket, pull out a short length of line, and drop the bait vertically into the hole in a dunking fashion. Chum Salmon are egg eaters, so what better bait than natural spawn? Even chunks of spawn with the skein still attached are highly effective bait. Anglers often pass the line through the eye of the hook and snell it on to the hook bend. This creates a kind of loop between the eye and the bend, which can be tightened around the hooked roe chunk to keep it from falling off the hook. In a pinch, cheese rolled into a tiny ball or even kernels of corn will serve as a salmon egg imitation. To increase the attraction of your egg baits, add a piece of brightly colored Styrofoam, such as the Lil’ Corky, above the hook. These tiny balls resemble single eggs and will also increase the buoyancy of your roe bag, keeping it from snagging on the bottom. When the river is off-colour or even downright dirty, it’s important to have large roe bags. Sometimes, however, the angler may misjudge the lack of water clarity and tie up spawn sacs that are too small and not visible enough. Here’s a way to enlarge the underwater profile of your spawn bag. Simply tie a short length of fluorescent yarn into your knot as you tie on your hook, then add the roe bag. This roe-yarn sandwich will greatly improve your chances in murky water.

Chinook Salmon

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MATURE MALE CHINOOK SALMON

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IMMATURE CHINOOK SALMON

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MATURE FEMALE CHINOOK SALMON

The Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) is Alaska’s state fish and is one of the most important sport and commercial fish native to the Pacific coast of North America. It is the largest of all Pacific salmon, with weights of individual fish commonly exceeding 30 pounds. A 126-pound Chinook salmon taken in a fish trap near Petersburg, Alaska in 1949 is the largest on record. The largest sport-caught Chinook salmon was a 97-pound fish taken in the Kenai River in 1986.  The Chinook salmon has numerous local names. In Washington and Oregon, Chinook salmon are called Chinook, while in British Columbia they are called spring salmon. Other names are quinnat, tyee, tule, blackmouth, and king.

WHERE THEY CAN BE FOUND: In North America, Chinook salmon range from the Monterey Bay area of California to the Chukchi Sea area of Alaska. On the Asian coast, Chinook salmon occur from the Anadyr River area of Siberia southward to Hokkaido, Japan. In Alaska, it is abundant from the southeastern panhandle to the Yukon River. Major populations return to the Yukon, Kuskokwim, Nushagak, Susitna, Kenai, Copper, Alsek, Taku, and Stikine rivers. Important runs also occur in many smaller streams.

General description: Adult chinook are distinguished by iridescent green to green-blue backs, silvery sides and silver-to-white bellies. They are also dotted with spots on their body and on all fins. Their mouths and gums are typically black and along with their heavily spotted tails and distinctive thyme odor distinguish them from the coho salmon. In the ocean or lakes, the Chinook salmon is a robust, deep-bodied fish with a bluish-green coloration on the back which fades to a silvery color on the sides and white on the belly. Colors of spawning Chinook salmon in fresh water range from red to copper to almost black, depending on location and degree of maturation. Males are more deeply colored than the females and also are distinguished by their “ridgeback” condition and by their hooked nose or upper jaw. Juveniles in fresh water are recognized by well-developed parr marks which are bisected by the lateral line.

SIZE: Chinook are caught year-round, and size often depends on time of year. Many winter Chinook of the west coast weigh in at 8 to 10 pounds in March. By May, a 20 ponder may be considered a good catch. Summer and fall seem to provide the largest Chinook for west coast and Great Lakes anglers, when catches of tyee or salmon weighing more than 30 pounds become more common. The long-standing record for British Columbia is a 92 pound, 58.5 inch Chinook caught in the Skeena River in 1959. A world record hatchery-reared Chinook of 80.5 pounds was caught in 1990 in River’s Inlet by Washington angler David McIlveen. Two fish weighing more that 120 pounds have been caught by commercial fishermen in Alaska. Even though there have been many stories of the 50 pounders that got away, the Chinook fishing in the Great Lakes has been simply fantastic. Back in 1980, Raymo Polidoro landed a 45.38-pound trophy and, in the summer of 2000, Harry Oosterveld landed a 46.38-pound lunker from Lake Ontario.

Life history: Like all species of Pacific salmon, Chinook salmon are anadromous. They hatch in fresh water, spend part of their life in the ocean, and then spawn in fresh water. All Chinooks die after spawning. Chinook salmon may become sexually mature from their second through seventh year, and as a result, fish in any spawning run may vary greatly in size. For example, a mature 3-year-old will probably weigh less than 4 pounds, while a mature 7-year-old may exceed 50 pounds. Females tend to be older than males at maturity. In many spawning runs, males outnumber females in all but the 6- and 7-year age groups. Small Chinooks that mature after spending only one winter in the ocean are commonly referred to as “jacks” and are usually males. Alaska streams normally receive a single run of Chinook salmon in the period from May through July. Chinook salmon often make extensive freshwater spawning migrations to reach their home streams on some of the larger river systems. Yukon River spawners bound for the extreme headwaters in Yukon Territory, Canada, will travel more than 2,000 river miles during a 60-day period. Chinook salmon do not feed during the freshwater spawning migration, so their condition deteriorates gradually during the spawning run as they use stored body materials for energy and for the development of reproductive products. Each female deposits from 3,000 to 14,000 eggs in several gravel nests, or redds, which she excavates in relatively deep, moving water. In Alaska, the eggs usually hatch in late winter or early spring, depending on time of spawning and water temperature. The newly hatched fish, called alevins, live in the gravel for several weeks until they gradually absorb the food in the attached yolk sac. These juveniles, called fry, wiggle up through the gravel by early spring. In Alaska, most juvenile Chinook salmon remain in fresh water until the following spring when they migrate to the ocean in their second year of life. These seaward migrants are called smolts. Juvenile Chinooks in fresh water feed on plankton, then later eat insects. In the ocean, they eat a variety of organisms including herring, pilchard, sandlance, squid, and crustaceans. Salmon grow rapidly in the ocean and often double their weight during a single summer season.

Sport fishery: The Chinook salmon is perhaps the most highly prized sport fish in Alaska and is extensively fished by anglers in the Southeast and Cook Inlet areas. Trolling with rigged herring is the favored method of angling in salt water, while lures and salmon eggs are used by freshwater anglers. The sport fishing harvest of Chinook salmon is over 76,000 annually, with Cook Inlet and adjacent watersheds contributing over half of the catch.  Unlike other salmon species, Chinook salmon rear in inshore marine waters and are, therefore, available to commercial and sport fishers all year. Catches of Chinook salmon in Southeast Alaska are regulated by quotas set under the Pacific Salmon Treaty. In other regions of Alaska, Chinook salmon fisheries are also closely managed to ensure stocks of Chinook salmon are not overharvested.

HABITS AND HABITAT Chinook generally live a four-year life cycle, though salmon up to seven years have been recorded. Longevity helps them attain such big sizes, but chinook also get an earlier start than other salmon. While coho seldom hit the big water until they’re almost 18 months, chinook head for the ocean or lakes within days of hatching. Chinook wander about the big water in loose packs. They’re more light sensitive than many other salmon and often hold in deeper water. They feed most actively in periods of low light, such as early morning or evening and night fishing can be superb. Chinook gather in their spawning rivers in mid-to-late summer where they feed heavily before making their way upstream.

SALMON FISHING TECHNIQUES: Trolling is the top producer for chinook. Trollers stick around the mouths of major spawning rivers and wherever baitfish are concentrated. Angling preferences are often divided between dodgers, with their side-to-side action and the rotating flashers. Spoons are fished flasher free. Straight bait or artificials often produce well when salmon are aggressive. Very early in the season on the great lakes when the water temps are still very cold look for warmer water say around 50 degrees. Troll very slowly using large diving fish like baits with planner boards to get them away from the side of the boat.

SALMON FISHING TACKLE: More chinook are taken by trolling than by any other method. Downriggers and flashers are standard gear for west coast and Great Lakes anglers. Flashers include the ever-popular Hot Spot and the O’Ki. Many anglers prefer dodgers, such as the well-known Jensen Dodger. Chinook anglers normally use a wide variety of terminal tackle. Popular baits are anchovies and herring, including ‘cut plugs’ and ’strips’. Spoons, including the Northern King line and the Nasty Boy, are very popular in the Great Lakes. Plugs are also favorites of trollers, including the J-Plugs and Tomics. Other ways to catch chinook is by jigging, mooching, using roe or with a variety of spinners and spoons. We suggest line counter reels, longer rods and heavier line than you would use for most other sport fish. Also consider using dipsy divers which will take your bait down and away from the side of your boat. They do require a proper dipsy rod, line counter reels and either braided line or wire line. When the chinook aren’t hitting your offerings at the other end of a downrigger, try lengthening your lead. This is especially important if the salmon are showing up on the sonar. A normal distance between cannonball and lure is about 15 to 20 feet. Try extending that distance to 40 to 60 feet to pick up fish that are too spooky to hit normal presentations.

Coho Salmon

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MATURE MALE COHO SALMON

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IMMATURE COHO SALMON

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MATURE FEMALE COHO SALMON

Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum)) also called silver salmon, are found in coastal waters of Alaska from Southeast to Point Hope on the Chukchi Sea and in the Yukon River to the Alaska-Yukon border. Coho are extremely adaptable and occur in nearly all accessible bodies of fresh water-from large transboundary watersheds to small tributaries. Maturing coho have steel-blue to slightly green backs and their sides are a brilliant silver. Coho can be confused with chinook salmon, though coho generally have white gums and fewer spots on their tails.

General description: Adults usually weigh 8 to 12 pounds and are 24 to 30 inches long, but individuals weighing 31 pounds have been landed. The forty-year-old world record for Coho, a 31-pound fish from Cowichan Bay in British Columbia, was surpassed in 1989 by a Coho from New York. On September 27, Jerry Lifton landed a 33.4-pound all-tackle record Coho from the Salmon River. This fish will be hard to beat. Adults in salt water or newly arrived in fresh water are bright silver with small black spots on the back and on the upper lobe of the caudal fin. They can be distinguished from Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) by the lack of black spots on the lower lobe of the tail and gray gums; Chinook have small black spots on both caudal lobes and they have black gums. Spawning adults of both sexes have dark backs and heads with maroon to reddish sides. The males develop a prominent hooked snout with large teeth called a kype. Juvenile coho salmon have 8 to 12 parr marks evenly distributed above and below the lateral line with the parr marks narrower than the interspaces. The adipose fin is uniformly pigmented. The anal fin has a long leading edge usually tipped with white, and all fins are frequently tinted with orange.
Life history: Coho salmon enter spawning streams from July to November, usually during periods of high runoff. Run timing has evolved to reflect the requirements of specific stocks. In some streams with barrier falls, adults arrive in July when the water is low and the falls are passable. In large rivers, adults must arrive early, as they need several weeks or months to reach headwater spawning grounds. Run timing is also regulated by the water temperature at spawning grounds: where temperatures are low and eggs develop slowly, spawners have evolved early run timing to compensate; conversely, where temperatures are warm, adults are late spawners. Adults hold in pools until they ripen, then move onto spawning grounds; spawning generally occurs at night. The female digs a nest, called a redd, and deposits 2,400 to 4,500 eggs. As the eggs are deposited, they are fertilized with sperm by the male. The eggs develop during the winter, hatch in early spring, and the embryos remain in the gravel utilizing the egg yolk until they emerge in May or June. The emergent fry occupy shallow stream margins, and, as they grow, establish territories which they defend from other salmonids. They live in ponds, lakes, and pools in streams and rivers, usually among submerged woody debris-quiet areas free of current-from which they dart out to seize drifting insects. During the fall, juvenile coho may travel miles before locating off-channel habitat where they pass the winter free of floods. Some fish leave fresh water in the spring and rear in brackish estuarine ponds and then migrate back into fresh water in the fall. They spend one to three winters in streams and may spend up to five winters in lakes before migrating to the sea as smolt. Time at sea varies. Some males (called jacks) mature and return after only 6 months at sea at a length of about 12 inches, while most fish stay 18 months before returning as full size adults. In both the ocean and Great Lakes, coho wander at random following baitfish. By late summer of their third year, most coho return to the mouths of their home river where they continue to pack on weight until cool rains attract them upstream. Little is known of the ocean migrations of coho salmon. High seas tagging shows that maturing Southeast Alaska coho move northward throughout the spring and appear to concentrate in the central Gulf of Alaska in June. They later disperse towards shore and migrate along the shoreline until they reach their stream of origin.
Sport fishing: The coho salmon is a premier sport fish and is taken in fresh and salt water from July to September. In 1986, anglers throughout Alaska took 201,000 coho salmon. In salt water they are taken by trolling or mooching (drifting) with herring or with flies or lures along shore. In fresh water they hit salmon eggs, flies, spoons, or spinners. Coho are spectacular fighters and the most acrobatic of the Pacific salmon, and on light tackle provide a thrilling and memorable fishing experience.

SALMON FISHING TECHNIQUES: Techniques for catching coho vary. Most river anglers in British Columbia use roe or roe imitations fished under a styrofoam float. Floats are easily guided using long rods to various lies. Casting spoons and spinners are also highly popular among river anglers.

Very early in the season on the great lakes when the water temps are still very cold look for warmer water say around 50 degrees. Troll very slowly using large diving fish like baits with planner boards to get them away from the side of the boat.

Downriggers and flashers are standard gear for west coast and Great Lakes anglers. Flashers include the ever-popular Hot Spot and the O’Ki. Many anglers prefer dodgers, such as the well-known Jensen Dodger. Popular baits are anchovies and herring, including ‘cut plugs’ and ’strips’. Spoons, including the Northern King line and the Nasty Boy, are very popular in the Great Lakes. Plugs are also favorites of trollers, including the J-Plugs and Tomics. Other ways to catch coho is by jigging, mooching, using roe or with a variety of spinners and spoons.

SALMON FISHING TACKLE: Coho are taken on a wide variety of tackle. Fresh or cured salmon roe is the top choice of many river anglers. Brightly colored wool is also a good bet, especially where currents are swift. Pink, red, orange and chartreuse are good colors. Spoons and spinners by Lucky Strike and Panther Martin respectively in red, silver and copper are favorite lures. Spoons are also a good bet in both the Pacific and the Great Lakes. We suggest line counter reels, longer rods and heavier line than you would use for most other sport fish. Also consider using dipsy divers which will take your bait down and away from the side of your boat. They do require a proper dipsy rod, line counter reels and either braided line or wire line. When the coho aren’t hitting your offerings at the other end of a downrigger, try lengthening your lead. This is especially important if the salmon are showing up on the sonar. A normal distance between cannonball and lure is about 15 to 20 feet. Try extending that distance to 40 to 60 feet to pick up fish that are too spooky to hit normal presentations.Anchovies and herring strips are other top bait choices. Cohos are also jigged with such standbys as the Buzz Bomb and ZZinger. Another way to catch them is on quickly trolled ‘bucktail’ flies.

TRY THESE TIPS: One of the best ways to entice coho using multiple downriggers is to run an entire set of spoons to imitate a school of bait fish. To really fool the fish, bend one of the lures so that its action is impaired slightly. This makes it resemble an injured bait fish. Once coho have spent time in the river and are highly colored in preparation to spawn, they become less interested in food and are difficult to catch. A marabou or bucktail jig may be the answer. Fish the jig slowly across the bottom. Productive colors include purple, red, white and black in sizes 1/8 to 3/4. Coho salmon are great fighters and have the unusual habit of wrapping themselves around the line by spinning their bodies in the water. This often leads to lines being severed on sharp gill plates. To prevent this use an 18 to 36-inch length of 20 to 30-pound test line as a leader. This leader can then be attached to a barrel swivel tied to the main line and will prevent broken lines and twists. When fighting a coho, remember there’s no need to hurry. As long as the fish is not threatening to spool off all your line, there is really no possibility for it to create problems such as snagging up your line. All you have to do is allow the fish to run and gently pump’ it back toward you when it slows down. By taking your time and repeating this sequence you’ll seldom lose a fish.

Pink Salmon

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MATURE MALE PINK SALMON

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IMMATURE PINK SALMON

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MATURE FEMALE PINK SALMON

The
pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) is also known as the “humpback” or “humpy” because of its very pronounced, laterally flattened hump which develops on the backs of adult males before spawning. It is called the “bread and butter” fish in many Alaskan coastal fishing communities because of its importance to commercial fisheries and thus to local economies. Pink salmon also contribute substantially to the catch of sport anglers and subsistence users in Alaska. It is native to Pacific and arctic coastal waters from northern California to the Mackenzie River, Canada, and to the west from the Lena River in Siberia to Korea.
General description: The pink salmon is the smallest of the Pacific salmon found in North America with an average weight of about 3.5 to 4 pounds and average length of 20-25 inches. An adult fish returning to coastal waters is bright steely blue on top and silvery on the sides with many large black spots on the back and entire tail fin. Its scales are very small and the flesh is pink. As the fish approaches the spawning streams the bright appearance of the male is replaced by brown to black above with a white belly; females become olive green with dusky bars or patches above and a light-colored belly. By the time the male enters the spawning stream, it has developed the characteristic hump and hooked jaws. Juvenile pink salmon are entirely silvery, without the dark vertical bars, or parr marks, of the young of other salmon species.
Life history: Adult pink salmon enter Alaska spawning streams between late June and mid-October. Different races or runs with differing spawning times frequently occur in adjacent streams or even within the same stream. Most pink salmon spawn within a few miles of the coast and spawning within the intertidal zone or the mouth of streams is very common. Shallow riffles where flowing water breaks over coarse gravel or cobble-size rock and the downstream ends of pools are favored spawning areas. The female pink salmon carries 1,500 to 2,000 eggs depending on her size. She digs a nest, or redd, with her tail and releases the eggs into the nest. They are immediately fertilized by one or more males and then covered by further digging action of the female. The process is commonly repeated several times until all the female’s eggs have been released. After spawning, both males and females soon die, usually within two weeks. Sometime during early to mid-winter, eggs hatch. The alevins, or young fry, feed on the attached yolk sac material continuing to grow and develop. In late winter or spring, the fry swim up out of the gravel and migrate downstream into salt water. The emergence and outmigration of fry is heaviest during hours of darkness and usually lasts for several weeks before all the fry have emerged. Following entry into salt water, the juvenile pink salmon move along the beaches in dense schools near the surface, feeding on plankton, larval fishes, and occasional insects. Predation is heavy on the very small, newly emerged fry, but growth is rapid. By fall, at an age of about 1 year, the juvenile pink salmon are 4 to 6 inches long and are moving into the ocean feeding grounds in the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands areas. High seas tag-and-recapture experiments have revealed that pink salmon originating from specific coastal areas have characteristic distributions at sea which are overlapping, nonrandom, and nearly identical from year to year. The ranges of Alaska pink salmon at sea and pink salmon from Asia, British Columbia, and Washington overlap each other. Pink salmon mature in two years which means that odd-year and even-year populations are essentially unrelated. Frequently in a particular stream the other odd-year or even-year cycle will predominate, although in some streams both odd- and even-year pink salmon are about equally abundant. Occasionally cycle dominance will shift, and the previously weak cycle will become most abundant. Adults in the Pacific have steel/blue to blue/green backs, white upper bellies and silver sides spotted with a limited number of black dots. Colors become less brilliant, the ‘hump’ and kype (jaw) more pronounced in fresh water. Like other salmon, the males fight over the females.
SALMON FISHING TECHNIQUES: When looking for pinks, check in pools, in the slack water behind boulders, along rock walls and in the seams between slack and fast water. The freshest and most powerful fish are invariably found closest to the mouths of spawning rivers. Using a sensitive bait rod, cast yarn flies or a tuft of pink wool to fish in these areas and you’ll have non-stop action. A No. 2 Laser Sharp or Gamakatsu is a good-size hook to use. Pinks readily devour fresh roe that anglers use for Coho and Chinook. One of the fastest-growing method of fishing for pinks involves casting to milling schools in river mouths and estuaries. Anglers often wade out as far as they can and using a seven to nine-weight rod, cast a Polar Shrimp or similar fly tied to a sinking or sink-tip line. Pinks respond best to relatively fast retrieves achieved by line strips of about 18 inches.
SALMON FISHING TACKLE: Pinks were originally ‘reserved’ for commercial anglers and ignored by sport fishermen. Most pinks are caught by accident by anglers fishing for Coho or Chinook. Since pinks are relatively small salmon, small baits and lures are most effective. The safest rule for color is simple – use pink for pink. Small pink spoons and hoochies are productive in salt and fresh water. Small spinners are also effective. A small tuft of pink yarn will produce dozens of pink salmon per day during peak runs in British Columbia streams and rivers. Pink or red is also the best for fly colors. A sure-fire method for catching pinks is the jig-fly combination. Just tie a small pink jig on your line, then tie a four to six-inch leader on the line about 10 inches above the jig. At the end of this leader, tie a small wet fly. Pinks that manage to turn down the jig presentation will be unable to resist the fly.
TRY THESE TIPS: Roe bags are good bait when Pinks enter the rivers. If the water is dirty from a heavy rain, the salmon will still hit if you make your offering more visible. This can be done by sliding a very bright plastic egg onto the line just above the hook’s eye, or by tying a piece of brightly colored yarn to the eye of the hook. Add a bright, oversized spawn sac and your dirty water special will be complete. When a float is being used with spawn bags for Pinks, always use a leader consisting of lighter line below the float. The light leader is usually tied on to a swivel, which also prevents line twist. If your bait snags up, the lighter leader line will break first, saving your float. When the water is ultra-clear, single eggs are deadly for Pinks, especially if there are spawning Chinook or Coho nearby. Boiling loose salmon eggs until they become firm can create single eggs that won’t break up on the hook. Use them with a light line and the fish won’t be able to resist. By using ordinary food coloring you can tint trout or salmon eggs whatever shade you prefer, from gold to hot orange and pink. You can increase your odds for hooking hungry river Pinks by throwing a handful of loose eggs into the pool before casting your roe bag or single egg. When using small flies for Pinks, try suspending them from a tiny float so that the fly just barely clears the bottom. Concentrate on brightly colored patterns and keep your eyes glued on the float, which will also serve as a strike indicator when a fish hits. A sure-fire method for catching Pinks is the jig-fly combination. Tie a small pink jig on your line, then tie a 4 to 6 inch leader on the line about 10 inches above the jig. At the end of this leader, tie a small wet fly. Pinks that manage to turn down your jig presentation will be unable to resist the fly.

Sockeye Salmon

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MATURE MALE SOCKEYE SALMON

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IMMATURE SOCKEYE SALMON

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MATURE FEMALE SOCKEYE SALMON

The sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), often referred to as “red” or “blueback” salmon, occurs in the North Pacific and Arctic oceans and associated freshwater systems. This species ranges south as far as the Klamath River in California and northern Hokkaido in Japan, to as far north as far as Bathurst Inlet in the Canadian Arctic and the Anadyr River in Siberia. Aboriginal people considered sockeye salmon to be an important food source and either ate them fresh or dried them for winter use. Today sockeye salmon support one of the most important commercial fisheries on the Pacific coast of North America, are increasingly sought after in recreational fisheries, and remain an important mainstay of many subsistence users.
General description: Sockeye salmon can be distinguished from Chinook, coho, and pink salmon by the lack of large, black spots and from chum salmon by the number and shape of gill rakers on the first gill arch. Sockeye salmon have 28 to 40 long, slender, rough or serrated closely set rakers on the first arch. Chum salmon have 19 to 26 short, stout, smooth rakers. Immature and prespawning sockeye salmon are elongate, fusiform, and somewhat laterally compressed. They are metallic green blue on the back and top of the head, iridescent silver on the sides, and white or silvery on the belly. Some fine black speckling may occur on the back, but large spots are absent. Juveniles, while in fresh water, have the same general coloration as immature sockeye salmon in the ocean, but are less iridescent. Juveniles also have dark, oval parr marks on their sides. These parr marks are short-less than the diameter of the eye-and rarely extend below the lateral line. Breeding males develop a humped back and elongated, hooked jaws filled with sharp caniniform teeth. Both sexes turn brilliant to dark red on the back and sides, pale to olive-green on the head and upper jaw, and white on the lower jaw.
Life history: Sockeye salmon are anadromous: they live in the sea and enter freshwater systems to spawn. After hatching, juvenile sockeye salmon may spend up to four years in fresh water before migrating to sea as silvery smolt weighing only a few ounces. They grow quickly in the sea, usually reaching a size of 4 to 8 pounds after one to four years. Mature sockeye salmon travel thousands of miles from ocean feeding areas to spawn in the same freshwater system where they were born. Little is known about the navigation mechanisms or cues they use on the high seas, although some evidence suggests that they may be able to use cues from the earth’s magnetic field. Once near their natal freshwater system, sockeye salmon use olfactory cues to guide them home. Like all Pacific salmon, sockeye salmon die within a few weeks after spawning. Maturing sockeye salmon return to freshwater systems from the ocean during the summer months, and most populations show little variation in their arrival time on the spawning grounds from year to year. Freshwater systems with lakes produce the greatest number of sockeye salmon. Spawning usually occurs in rivers, streams, and upwelling areas along lake beaches. The female selects the spawning site, digs a nest (redd) with her tail, and deposits eggs in the downstream portion of the redd as one or more males swim beside her and fertilize the eggs as they are extruded. After each spawning act, the female covers the eggs by dislodging gravel at the upstream end of the redd with her tail. A female usually deposits about five batches of eggs in a redd. Depending upon her size, a female produces from 2,000 to 4,500 eggs. Eggs hatch during the winter, and the young sac-fry, or alevins, remain in the gravel, living off the material stored in their yolk sacs, until early spring. At this time they emerge from the gravel as fry and move into rearing areas. In systems with lakes, juveniles usually spend one to three years in fresh water before migrating to the ocean in the spring as smolts. However, in systems without lakes, many juveniles migrate to the ocean soon after emerging from the gravel. Sockeye salmon return to their natal stream to spawn after spending one to four years in the ocean. Mature sockeye salmon that have spent only one year in the ocean are called jacks and are, almost without exception, males. Once in the ocean, sockeye salmon grow quickly. While returning adults usually weigh between 4 and 8 pounds, weights in excess of 15 pounds have been reported. In some areas, populations of sockeye salmon remain in fresh water all their lives. This landlocked form of sockeye salmon, called “kokanee,” reaches a much smaller maximum size than the anadromous form and rarely grows to be over 14 inches long. While in fresh water, juvenile sockeye salmon feed mainly upon zooplankton (such as ostracods, cladocerans, and copepods), benthic amphipods, and insects. In the ocean, sockeye salmon continue to feed upon zooplankton (such as copepods, euphausids, ostracods, and crustacean larvae), but also prey upon larval and small adult fishes (such as sand lance), and occasionally squid.
SALMON FISHING TECHNIQUES: In the ocean, particularly close to the river mouth, sockeye can be caught with the same baits and lures used for other salmon. Trolling with spoons, hoochies or plugs is the most common approach. In the lower stretches of a river, back-trolling from a drift boat with diving plugs, such as Kwikfish or Hot Shots, is an excellent way to locate moving fish. When wading in the narrow, upper-river or tributary streams, spoons, spinners or streamers are highly effective. sockeye readily take roe, Gooey Bobs, Jensen Eggs, colored beads or other roe imitations. Fluorescent yarn is another hot bet in pink, chartreuse, orange, salmon red and all other bright colors.
SALMON FISHING TACKLE: Since sockeye are , tackle shouldn’t be either. Most anglers use 10 and a 1/2-foot drifting rods or fly rods that are appropriate for steelhead or chinook. A 15-pound test mainline and 10-pound test leaders will be tested to the limit by 20-pound chum, especially in fast currents. All hooks should be of a size to handle these fighters.
TRY THESE TIPS: When the sockeye arrives at river mouths they will take artificial lures such as wobbling plugs. Use colour patterns that contain red or fluorescent orange. Salmon are egg eaters, so what better bait than natural spawn? Even chunks of spawn with the skein still attached are highly effective bait. Anglers often pass the line through the eye of the hook and snell it on to the hook bend. This creates a kind of loop between the eye and the bend, which can be tightened around the hooked roe chunk to keep it from falling off the hook. In a pinch, cheese rolled into a tiny ball or even kernels of corn will serve as a salmon egg imitation. To increase the attraction of your egg baits, add a piece of brightly colored Styrofoam, such as the Lil’ Corky, above the hook. These tiny balls resemble single eggs and will also increase the buoyancy of your roe bag, keeping it from snagging on the bottom. When the river is off-colour or even downright dirty, it’s important to have large roe bags. Sometimes, however, the angler may misjudge the lack of water clarity and tie up spawn sacs that are too small and not visible enough. Here’s a way to enlarge the underwater profile of your spawn bag. Simply tie a short length of fluorescent yarn into your knot as you tie on your hook, then add the roe bag. This roe-yarn sandwich will greatly improve your chances in murky water.

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