|
|
Chapter 8: Sockeye Salmon,
|
Sockeye (Red) Salmon, Chum Salmon, and Pink Salmon
While the Silver Salmon (coho) fishing is going strong during the month of August, there are also other species of Salmon to be caught. Sockeye Salmon, which are also called Red Salmon, run through-out the drainages we fish. Several lakes in the area have especially large runs, and almost every creek and stream will have Sockeyes mixed in with the Silver Salmon. Chum Salmon, also known as Dog Salmon, run all of our creeks and streams and occur in small schools and mixed in with the Silver Salmon. Pink Salmon, or Humpies, generally run on a 2 year cycle with the odd number years (1997, 1999, 2001...) having less Pinks spawning, while the even number years (2000, 2002...) see millions of Pink Salmon arrive.
|
|
| Sockeye Salmon fishing requires a great deal of patience and will be productive if the water conditions allow for good visibility. |
|
 |
They range in size from 5- 10 lbs., with many reaching 14-15 lbs. They vary widely in size from one geographical area (stream or river) to another.
|
| An added bonus to the angler who finds a school of Sockeye Salmon (pictured at right) are the Rainbow Trout that follow the schools of spawning salmon to feast of their eggs. |
|
|
Sockeye Salmon are not known for their aggressive strikes but with patience and good presentation they will take a fly or lure. The most commonly used fly is the Russian River, or Coho Fly. |
|
Cast upstream and mend your line so that the fly will drift down right to the nose of the salmon. From their coloration you can easily see where the name Red Salmon comes from.
|
|
Their body color changes from bright silver to a fluorescent red during the spawn and their head changes to green. When their run is strong and numbers are high you can easily catch one after another. |
We have one stream where we have good returns of both the Sockeye Salmon and Silver Salmon. In fact, at the mouth when we anchor and fish out of the boat the fishing is unbelievable. Scott Vigder and his dad, Fred, stated it best when they said, "If we wanted to catch Silvers we cast to the right side of the boat and if we wanted to catch Sockeyes we cast to the left side of the boat."
|
|
 |
Chum Salmon are the second largest species of pacific salmon, averaging 12 lbs., with large fish weighing over 20 lbs. Chum Salmon are often overlooked by sport fishermen who view the tiger striped body of Chum as an indication of inferiority. |
|
It shouldn't be, as Chum Salmon can be very aggressive and with their size can put up a tremendous fight. They consistently rise up from the deep and hit flies from below. They are also taken very well on spinners, spoons, and plugs. |
|
|
|
If Chum Salmon didn't run at the same time as Silver Salmon, they would have a much greater reputation as a sport fish.
|
|
It is noted that in the last couple of years, there are more and more articles in the fly fishing magazines about fly fishing for Chums. |
|
 |
| One of the newest and most fun ways to catch Chum Salmon are with Surface Flies. Chum Salmon are very aggressive and will take a fly off of the surface. It is widely known that Silver Salmon and Pink Salmon take surface flies under the right conditions, but Chum Salmon also take surface flies and are very aggressive in doing so. Note the Pink Popper Fly still in the mouth. |
|
|
| The Pink Salmon runs for the summer of 2002 should be extremely large. The runs are on a two year cycle with the even years (2000, 2002,...) having enormous runs while the odd years have small runs. They come in early and are distributed through-out the drainages. |
|
|
|
Pink Salmon, because of their small size (averaging 3 lbs.) are usually not a highly sought after species. They do however, act very aggressive toward lures and flies. When casting near a school of Pinks, many times 4 or 5 fish will run at the lure at the same time.They can provide much excitement for the ultra-light fisherman. |
|
As many of our trout fishermen can attest to, the spawning Pink Salmon are a great place to find some very nice Rainbow Trout, Dolly Varden, and Arctic Grayling. |
 |
The presence of Sockeyes, Chum, and Pinks add to the fishing experience of the anglers who fish for the Silver Salmon. Most anglers find it enjoyable to catch a variety of fish species and often compete for the total number of species caught each day. It is possible to catch all 5 species of pacific salmon in one day, the most difficult aspect is finding late spawning king Salmon. Combining 5 salmon species with Rainbow Trout, Dolly Varden, and Arctic Grayling, adds up to a very exciting fishing day! We had several fishermen this past 2000 season hit the Grand Slam when they caught all 5 Pacific Salmon species plus Rainbow Trout, Dolly Varden, and Arctic Grayling. This is a feat that can't easily be matched anywhere in Alaska.
For more information on Fly Patterns, visit our Fly Patterns web page using the link below.
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
||||||||