KING SALMON (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

- Alaska’s State fish, the largest of the Pacific salmon

Color:	Bluish green on back with silvery sides and white belly in ocean Irregular black spots on back, dorsal fin and tail Darker colored and increasingly reddish when spawning	The largest of the Pacific Salmon, the King is Alaska's state fish, and an important sport and commercial fish.  The largest on record was found in a fish trap near Petersburg in 1949 and weighed 126 pounds. We Alaskans devote many hours to the pursuit of this fish, and with good reason. A King gives an incredible fight which can often last hours. I've seen Kings take a line to the bottom of a river and just sit there, the fisherman unable to move it eventually giving up. Some people hook Kings that are just too big for them to handle, either losing it or letting someone else reel it in. It is a thrilling experience that leaves you understanding why they are called ‘Kings.’
Size:	15 to 20-pounds, 20 – 30 inches Up to 80+ pounds
Method:	Ocean trolling with bait Cast and retrieve in rivers, fly fishing Large tackle or hooks baited with eggs
Gear:	Strong, spinning and fly rods with large reels
Range:	Kenai Peninsula, Southeastern panhandle, Cook Inlet
Season:	Year-round for “Feeder” Kings in ocean May - August in salmon streams
Taste:	Delicious pink to red meat, international acclaim Recipes
Record:	97-pounds, Kenai River, 1986
Back Issues:	May 2002 March 2002 March 2003 May 2004

Appearance

Adults have black irregular spotting on the back and dorsal fins and both lobes of the tail fin. They also have black pigment along the gum line. In saltwater, Kings have bluish-green coloration on the back which fades to a silvery color on the sides and white on the belly. Spawning Kings in freshwater range from red to copper to almost black, depending on location and degree of maturation. Males are more deeply colored than females and develop a 'ridgeback' condition and a hooked nose.

Location

In North America, Kings, or Chinook Salmon, range from Monterey Bay, California north to the Chukchi Sea area of Alaska. In Alaska they are abundant from the southeast panhandle to the Yukon River with major runs returning to the Yukon, Kuskokwim, Nushagak, Susitna, Kenai, Copper, Alsek, Taku and Stikine rivers. Important runs also occur in many smaller streams. Streams normally receive a single run of Chinook usually sometime from May through July.  Water clarity is important when choosing a river to sportfish.  Rivers that continually run muddy with silt, such as the Yukon, are nearly impossible to fish successfully.

Diet

Upon entering the ocean, young kings feed on herring, sand lance, cod, rockfishes, sand fishes, smelts, sticklebacks, wolf fish, squid and even crab larvae.  During the year prior to returning to freshwater to spawn, the salmon feed voraciously in order to grow and build strength for the journey ahead.  Upon entering freshwater, the salmon stop eating altogether and will only strike at other fish or a fisherman’s tackle in aggravation.

Angling Method

You’ll need heavy-duty gear, whether casting and retrieving with a spinning rod, drifting eggs with a bait caster or presenting a streamer with a fly-rod.  Kings are tough on equipment.  Be sure to use hardly reels with strong fishing line appropriate for the method you choose.  Tackle is usually large, flashy and sometimes noisy, such as WiggleWarts that rattle underwater.  In freshwater, the key is to usually place your hook directly in front of the salmon in an effort to aggravate it into striking.  Another method is to rig a bare hook with cured salmon eggs and drift it downstream.  Salmon will instinctively pick up the eggs in an effort to return them to a redd.  There are several ways to catch a King.  It’s always best to learn the most productive methods for the area you plan to fish beforehand.

Life History

Hatched in freshwater, spending part of their life at sea and returning to the fresh water to spawn and die.  Kings occur in a variety of situations, sometimes making identification difficult. In some saltwater there are “feeder” kings year round.  These are immature kings that can weigh from 2 to 30 pounds.  Some Chinook that mature after spending only one winter in the ocean are referred to as 'Jack Kings and are usually males.

Kings become sexually mature from their second through seventh year, and as a result, fish in any spawning run may vary greatly in size. Spent adults usually die a few days after spawning. Migration from the sea begins in December, and the first fish are near river mouths by spring. The females select a spot and begin to dig, and defend her nest. While she prepares the nest, or redd, the dominant male is in attendance, with several other smaller males usually nearby. Upon completion of the redd she drops into it immediately followed by the dominant male. They release eggs and sperm and at this point smaller males may dart in and release sperm. One female can deposit 3,000 to 14,000 eggs.  Afterward, she moves to the upstream edge of the nest and begins to dig a new one, covering the previous nest in the process. This may be repeated until the female releases all her eggs. The male then leaves and may mate with another female.  After spawning, all Chinook die.

The eggs hatch in the early spring or winter depending on water temperature.  The tiny fish are called alevins and stay beneath the thin covering of gravel for weeks.  During this time, they are nourished by yolk sacs leftover from their eggs.  When strong enough, the tiny salmon, now called fry, emerge from the gravel and enter the stream current.  The fry will continue to grow in the freshwater until migrating to the ocean at the age of two.

Between the ages of two and seven years, Chinook reach sexual maturity.  As a result, a three-year-old ready to spawn may be less than four-pounds while a 7-year-old may be 50-pounds or more.  Yet, both may belong to the same spawning run.  The smallest of Chinook that spawn are called “jacks,” which are usually two-year-old males.

Fish Alaska Magazine