Sport Fishing USA — January 2018

SPORTFISHINGMAG.COM 51

ILLUSTRATIONS: JOSEPH TOMELLERI, PHOTOS: COURTESY ALASKA’S BOARDWALK LODGE (2)

SALMON SAVVY

Alaska offers shots at five species of salmon, all with silvery sides except when they ascend rivers to spawn and grow darker.

CHINOOK SALMON

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha,

aka king salmon, can

reach 60 pounds or more.

Chinook are considered

the most prized salmon

sport fish by most anglers.

The IGFA all-tackle record

weighed 97 pounds,

4 ounces, caught in

Alaska’s Kenai River. Killer

whales, bears and seals

also target the salmon for

meals, so watch over your

shoulder when fishing.

COHO SALMON

Oncorhynchus kisutch,

aka silver salmon, are

widely distributed and

grow to 20 pounds. Jerry

Lifton’s record catch in

New York’s Salmon River

weighed 33 pounds,

4 ounces. Coho are also

available in cold-water

landlocked lakes, such

as the Great Lakes, after

successful transplantations

that began in the 1960s.

SOCKEYE SALMON

Oncorhynchus nerka,

aka red salmon, possess

oily flesh and generally run

6 to 15 pounds. Sockeye

turn an obvious red color

during reproduction, but

die off after spawning just

once. Stan Roach landed

the IGFA record, weighing

15 pounds, 3 ounces,

caught in the Kenai River.

CHUM SALMON

Oncorhynchus keta,

aka dog salmon, average

8 pounds but can reach up

to 40. Considered the least

flavorful of the salmon,

chum turn from a silvery

blue-green to a dark olive

green when entering fresh

waters. Spawning male

chum salmon develop

canine teeth to fend off

other males. The current

IGFA record holds strong at

35 pounds, caught in British

Columbia in July 1995.

PINK SALMON

Oncorhynchus gorbuscha,

aka humpback salmon,

seldom exceed 5 pounds,

and develop a hump after

they enter rivers. Humpies

are the smallest and most

abundant Pacific salmon.

The all-tackle record

was caught in Monroe,

Washington, weighing

14 pounds, 13 ounces.

No, the weather in

Alaska’s Panhandle

isn’t always so

idyllic, but even

on breezy days

there are plenty of

lee shores to troll

from the heated

cabins of boats like

these at anchor off

Boardwalk Lodge.