Fishing Blog

Alaska is famous for its wild salmon. The flavor of Alaskan salmon depends upon fat content and the environment in which it matured. Alaska’s pure waters and the abundance of natural food give Alaska salmon unparalleled flavor.

Although salmon are caught in Alaska’s pristine waters year-round, fishing season in Anchorage and southcentral Alaska really heats up in late May, when the cherished king salmon returns home to spawn in the area’s glacier-fed, freshwater streams.

The remaining 4 types of Pacific salmon-sockeye, coho, bud and pink-are also found in the general area.

Many anglers are now making an attempt to catch what’s known as a “grand slam”-all five species of salmon. Some say a simple way to recollect which kind is which is to match them up with the fingers on your hand.

&8226 ; Thumb-Chum salmon (Dog). The best fishing for this fish is mid-July to late Aug. Chum salmon have a firm texture, tempting orange-pink color and delicate flavor that makes it an ideal fish for smoking. The average weight is eight pounds and they can grow to be twenty-five to 27 inches long.

&8226 ; Pointer finger-Sockeye salmon (Red). Most available late May to early June or mid-July, sockeye salmon are the 2nd most common Alaskan salmon species. This species turns from a silvery color to a bright red body and green head as they start the journey upriver to spawn. Their average weight is six pounds and they can grow to almost 3 feet in length.

&8226 ; Middle finger-King salmon (Chinook). The best fishing for king salmon is mid-June to mid- July. The biggest species of salmon in Alaska, they are valued for their color, high oil content, firm texture and tender taste. Average weight is roughly twenty pounds and length ranges from 30 to 40 inches.

• Ring finger-Silver salmon (Coho). With its orange-red flesh, firm texture and fragile flavour, cohos are very popular among neighbors. The best fishing for them is in early August to mid-September. Cohos are the second biggest of the species, with average weights of twelve pounds, and range from 25 to 35 inches in length.

&8226 ; Pinky finger-Pink salmon ( Humpy ). At the height of their run, millions of pinks swim up the freshwater streams and streams to spawning grounds. Pinks are the littlest and most common of the species and average about two to 3 pounds. The best fishing for pinks occurs in mid-July to late August.

Do you enjoy cooking and learning more about food? If yes, you may also visit cooking101.org to learn more about the many different kinds of recipes and cooking ideas that will be useful next time you are in the kitchen. Also, you might want to check out recipe for salmon croquettes.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 at 6:02 pm and is filed under Fishing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.