When it comes to fishing Alaska, perhaps the most famous scene is the shoulder-to-shoulder angling experience where the Russian River joins the Kenai River. Here, local, nonresident and alien anglers alike gather by the hundreds to test their luck on Alaska’s sockeye, or red salmon.
The sockeye salmon is one of Alaska’s most important game fish. They range throughout rivers on the Kenai Peninsula, with the Kenai and Kasilof rivers being the most popular. Several rivers in the Bristol Bay region also yield astounding numbers of sockeyes, as does the outlet of Lake Iliamna, the Kvichak River, which likely hosts the largest run of reds in the world. Some of the states biggest sockeyes are found in the Naknek River.
From a sport fishing perspective, the beauty of sockeye salmon fishing is their abundance and accessibility. The annual runs of these fish are measured in the millions, which is one reason anglers from around the world target these hard-fighting, great eating fish.
Upon entering rivers in early July, sockeye salmon are as bright silver in color as could be, with deep-blue backs, thus the local name “blueback” salmon. Oddly, red salmon feed on plankton, will routinely nip at fly patterns presented to them.
Because sockeye salmon don’t actively feed like other salmonids, many people believe the fly pattern you use makes little difference. After many years of fishing sockeyes here at Rainbow Bend Lodges, we firmly believe these salmon will bite, and that fly patterns do make a difference. The key is getting your fly down quickly, to where these salmon hug the bottom while traveling, and properly presenting it.
Sockeyes travel in large schools very close to shore and average from four to eight pounds, though 10 and 12 pound fish are taken each summer. The state record of 16 pounds was taken on the Kenai in 1974 and will be a tough record to break. We get a lot of clients who’ve fished red salmon throughout Alaska, reporting that the largest size average they’ve seen is on the Naknek. We’ve caught several in the 10-12 pound class over the years, even some bigger than that, so who knows, maybe the Naknek will kick out the next world record.
After hatching in rivers, juvenile sockeye salmon spend up to four years in the ocean before returning to their natal streams. By the time sockeyes have returned to their spawning grounds, they have covered thousands of miles from ocean feeding areas to the rivers. Like all Pacific salmon, they use their olfactory senses to guide them to their parent streams.
Spawning normally takes place in rivers, streams and places of upwelling near lake shores. The hen, or female, selects an ideal site and digs a nest with her tail. As she deposits her eggs, one or more males, called bucks, simultaneously fertilize the eggs as they drop into the nest. This process will be repeated up to five times, with between 2,000 and 4,500 eggs deposited. The hen covers the nest with gravel and remains in the area until death.
Like all salmon, sockeyes perish after spawning. If you find yourself in Alaska during mid-August, locating a small stream and observing the courtship and spawning rituals of the now crimson colored fish is a scene to behold. As the sockeyes reach spawning time, the once silvery colored fish undergo a transformation unlike any other salmon, turning brilliant red, with deep green heads. Observing sockeye salmon in their final stages of life is one of fishing’s most enthralling experiences.
The eggs of sockeyes hatch during the winter, where the alevins, or sac-fry, remain in the gravel, living off nutrients stored in their yolk sacs until early spring. Juveniles will emerge and seek protective rearing areas, where they will remain for one to three years before heading to sea in the spring, as smolts. In systems without lakes, however, many fry move to the sea soon after emerging from the gravel.
In some areas, sockeye salmon are landlocked, or in lakes their entire lives. This captive form of sockeye is called a kokanee, and though it rarely exceeds 15 inches in total length, is a popular fish in many lakes outside Alaska.
Due to their rich, reddish-orange colored meat, sockeye are ideal for canning, and many folks claim them to be the most tasty of the five salmon species. Not only are sockeye salmon extremely good eating, pound for pound, they could be the world’s hardest fighting salmon.
