UTER
Photo: Milton Love, Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Oncorhynchus nerka
How to catch Sockeye (red) salmon
Sockeye (red) salmon feed in 45–62°F water and bite best at 48–58°F. Fish Scouter's season calendar follows them in 4 waters.
30 pts · trophy at 26"Feeds 45–62°FBest 48–58°FOut of season nowBeach / surfPass / inletChannel edgeRiverLake
About
The red: a plankton-eater that rarely bites a lure in the ocean, then pours into Alaska's river mouths by the million in July. The Kenai and Russian runs are the most famous fishery in the state, and the best eating salmon there is.
How to fish it
Shore-fish the river mouths and lower river current seams with a short-leader 'flossing' rig in the travel lanes; residents dipnet the Kenai and Kasilof mouths.
What it eats
little — flossed on a bare hook and yarnplankton and krill at sea
What to fish it with
the sizes that fish itLeader20–40 lb fluorocarbon
Hook#1–4/0
Jig head1/8–1/2 oz
Braid10–30 lb
The rule
not confirmed hereRules differ by state — check ADF&G (emergency orders open and close runs in-season) before you keep one.
The current rule →Where it is, month by month
PPeakSSpawningAArriving·AroundLLeaving
Alaska & Hawaii
Fresh water by state