A great place to fish for Alaska King Salmon fishermen: The Nushagak river
boasts one of the most famous salmon
fisheries in the world, yet
many sportsmen have yet to hear about it. Known for the largest
King Salmon
runs anywhere on the planet, anglers discover
that a trip to this fishing paradise means angling
opportunities that
go far beyond reasonable expectations.
Almost beyond belief, the Nushagak fisheries average runs of 90,000 to
150,000 king salmon ranging from 15 to 50 pounds returning each year. It
is common to get on the hook
over 40 king
salmon in a day. In 2007,
according to the Alaska Fish & Game forecast, the Nushagak
river
is expecting another great fishing year continuing an upward trend over the last 2 years.
About Chinook Salmon - Chinook salmon are the state fish of Alaska. King salmon is an alternative name for this species because of their large size,
weighing over 40 pounds on average, individuals over 120 pounds (54 kg) have been reported.
The chinook salmon is blue-green on the back and top of the head with silvery sides and
white bellies; black spots on the upper half of its body with gray/black mouth coloration.
An adult Chinook can grow to 58 inches in length and weigh up to 129 pounds; although the average chinook
salmon
reaches a nice 36 inches in length and weighs up to 30 pounds.
Alaska King Salmon
Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
The Chinook or Alaska King Salmon spawns in streams that are larger and deeper than other salmon utilize.
Chinook salmon come back to fresh water and spawn from late summer to late fall, depending on the run.
Fry and smolts usually stay in freshwater from 1 to 18 months before travelling downstream to estuaries,
where they remain for up to 189 days. Chinook salmon then spend 1 to 8 years at sea before returning to
natal streams to spawn new generations.
About The Nushagak River
The Nushagak River is approximately 275 miles long and is southwest Alaska's most extensive clearwater
river system. The river is host to not only the massive Chinook (King) salmon run, but also hosts
the other four Pacific salmon species as well (Sockeye, Coho, Chum, Pink). The river supports
sea-run Dolly Varden, resident Rainbow trout, Arctic grayling, Arctic char, and Northern pike.
The availability of all of these species of course depends on the time of year and the section of river. But
A fisherman could do worse, retiring to a cabin on the Nushagak River!
View of Nushagak River in Front of Village
(copyright Oct 2002) Photo Credit: Harlan Legare
A total of 215 thousand Chinook salmon are forecast to return to the Nushagak River in 2007.
This forecast is 30% higher than the 10-year mean (165 thousand; range of 75 thousand in 2000 to
245 thousand in 2005). The 80% confidence bounds for the forecast ranged from 159 thousand to
271 thousand. A run of 215 thousand Chinook salmon can potentially produce a harvest of 145
thousand fish. With present management practices, anticipation is an actual harvest ranging from 70
thousand to 145 thousand.
A simple average of recent returns was used to forecast age-1.1, age-1.2, and age-1.5 abundance.
The best age-1.3 and age-1.4 models were based on the relationship between sibling returns in
succeeding years (e.g., age-1.3 returns for 2007 based on age-1.2 returns in 2006).
(Source the Alaska
Fish & Game Website.)
The salmon will run in the fall. So make your reservations as soon as you can for a great
vacation of fishing and enjoying the wilderness that is Alaska.
Find your fishing supplies at On the Hook - lures,
rods, reels, line, bait, scents, tackle, fishing guides and much more! Select from the catagories on on your left.
ADF&G Releases Summary of the 2008 Salmon Season SitNews, AK - Nov 15, 2008 Preliminary 2008 prices are showing increased value for Chinook, coho, pink, and chum salmon compared to the final 2007 prices. Only the preliminary sockeye ...
Field & Stream: Palin a hero, Schwarzenegger a villain Los Angeles Times, CA - Nov 19, 2008 ... vaulted past them all, was harshly criticized for supporting gun-control measures and being on watch during the collapse of the Chinook salmon fishery. ...
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