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Salmon
The mighty salmon is the most sought after and prized sport fish in the
North Pacific. Each of the five species carries its own unique
behavior and attraction. We find ourselves very fortunate to have
sizable runs of all five species, on the rivers of our area.
We have links below to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's
biological descriptions. The information there, along with
my attempt to put in words, can never give you a sense of the
heart pounding thrill of hooking these great fish. Fishing is not
a field to study and dissect, it must be lived. Italio River
Adventures will bring you into this amazing world of wonder, so
you can experience it all first hand.
Although each of the salmon species runs and peaks at different times,
they also overlap, enabling you to experience a continuous season
from May to November. There is even a brief time in early August
where we have caught at least one fish from all five species in a single
day. That is no easy task by any means, but here...
all things are possible.
Salmon
begin to arrive in May. King (Chinook) peak first around the first
week of June, just as the Sockeye (Red) begin to appear. The
volume of Sockeye continue to increase through the third and fourth
weeks of July, when the Pink (Humpback or Humpy) and Chum (Dog)
salmon start to swell the rivers. Last, but not least,
the most popular sport fish in Alaska, the Coho (Silver) make
their presence known. By mid August, Coho displace the large
quantities of Pinks, until casting without hooking a Coho becomes
nearly impossible, in early October. Bright Coho are often
seen as late (or early) as February. As the last arrival,
they take advantage of every possible creek and stream to lay their
eggs.
As I have said, each species has its own unique attraction.
Some salmon are more popular, or have a better reputation,
but all are considered among the greatest fish in the world. Each
one provides the angler with its own challenge and charm.
King
(Chinook):
Kings are the largest, but also the least common. Their
average size weighs in at around 30 lbs, although specimens
between 50 and 100 lbs are possible. Kings can have either a pale
white flesh, or a darker red that is more attractive, but
essentially tastes the same. They bite an assortment of spoons,
spinners and flies. We try not to deliberately target the King
run, however they are always present throughout the Sockeye
season.
Kings often don't play so much as sit there for what may seem like
hours. You can go through a roller coaster ride of emotions as you
hook a submerged log, only to find it swim away just before you
decide to write off your fly.
The taking of King salmon requires an additional fee and stamp from the
Alaska Department of Fish and Game. As King salmon numbers
continue to shrink throughout their historic range, this fee goes
toward habitat restoration, tagging and tracking, research and
preservation. We, at Italio River Adventures, are also
protective of Alaska's state fish and we promote catch and release for
this species. The King stamp is not required when you do not
intend to target this species and you carefully release your catch.
See more information on King
Salmon from the Alaska
Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Notebook Series
Sockeye
(Red):
The deep red meat (hence the name) of the Sockeye helps to make this
fish Alaska's biggest moneymaker. Extremely high in oil and omega
3 fats, Sockeye have the richest flavor and are one of the
healthiest foods on earth. Averaging between 5 and 6 lbs,
Sockeye are one of the smaller salmon, but still the perfect size
for a typical family dinner.
Sockeye are unique in that they do not respond well to spinning lures.
They do not feed like the other salmon, preferring the gentle hand
of a fly fisherman. You can occasionally catch them with spinners
and spoons, but it is usually more of a defensive snap that gets
them rather than the usual feeding habits of salmon. For this
reason, we choose to have a fly-only policy during the Sockeye
season.
The Sockeye run has many attractive elements. They are aggressive
fighters, especially for their size. Their numbers are quite
strong, but require a fly fisherman with skill and patience.
Best of all, their run peaks during our "dry spell",
where the weather shows all the mountains, ripens the strawberries
and brings the bear population out into the open. There is just so
much to do and see throughout June, July and early August.
See more information on Sockeye
Salmon from the Alaska
Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Notebook Series
Pink
(Humpback) and Chum (Dog):
These two siblings are easy to distinguish, but hard to separate.
They run simultaneously, spawn low in the river and respond
similarly to spin, or fly fishing. The big difference?
Pinks are the smallest, averaging from 3 to 4 lbs and Chum the
largest (except for Kings), weighing in from 8 to near 30 lbs.
Pinks are the most plentiful salmon in Alaska, outnumbering their
larger Chum by more than 10 to 1. Their extremely large volume,
combined with warm July and August weather, make this the perfect
time for families and newer anglers. Fly fishing takes years to master,
so it is nice to have large quantities of eager bitters to practice on.
The meat of a Pink is somewhat pale (hence the name) and softer than the
other salmon. Although it is the smallest of the salmon, it
is still bigger, better and easier to catch than almost any trout.
Chum are much lower in fat than Sockeye, but smoke very well.
Toward the end of August, both of these fish become tougher to
catch, because the Coho start to steal the show.
See more information on Pink
Salmon from the Alaska
Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Notebook Series
See more information on Chum Salmon from the Alaska
Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Notebook Series
Coho
(Silver):
A beautifully bright fish, Coho will bite nearly anything you
throw at them. Egg patterns, streamers, flashflies,
nymphs, or bass poppers, they are the only Pacific salmon
eager to take dry flies for top-water fishing. Sometimes when a
handful of Coho arrive early, you can't catch a Pink, or
Chum because the aggressive Coho get there first.
There are obvious reasons why the Coho are Alaska's most popular sport
fish. Besides their insatiable appetite, they are spectacular
acrobats. Fresh from the ocean, Coho have been known to
charge right back out to sea with every inch of your line.
Although the state average weighs in at 8 lbs, the New Italio and
Akwe Rivers have an international reputation for AVERAGING as much as 5
lbs higher than that. We catch fish each season well into the mid
20's.
Fall along the Alaska Gulf Coast can be very wet. The rivers swell
and creeks form in normally dry ditches. Coho seem to thrive in
this time of year, using any and every pool, puddle and
place to spawn. Their thick bodies and widely spread pectoral fins
enable them to stay upright even without water. They will scoot
across shallows of no more than an inch, while searching for their
home.
Coho
hit the peak of their frenzied and euphoric run while the waterfowl
descend all around us. Ducks are fair game from September 1st on,
with the Canadian Geese season opening on the 21st. Throughout
October, there are wonderful opportunities to combine hunting the
abundant waterfowl and fishing the prolific Coho.
Salmon are not the only fish to be had in our area streams, lakes
and bays. Sea run Dolly Varden Char and fresh water trout are
always present. We have partnerships with local deep sea charter
boats for combination trips in town, since Yakutat Bay is home to
many of Alaska's other great sport fish. Halibut, Red
Snapper, Cod... Italio River Adventures will put a package
together that combines the absolute best Alaska has to offer.
See more information on Coho
Salmon from the Alaska
Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Notebook Series

World-class Flyfishing
in the Alaskan Wilderness
http://www.italio.com
Italio River
Adventures
P.O. Box 210
Yakutat, Alaska 99689
(907)784-3697
1-866-737-1123
***E-mail***
www.italio.com
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