ALSO KNOWN AS: Tyee Salmon, King Salmon, Columbia River Salmon, Black Salmon, Chub Salmon, Hook Bill Salmon, Winter Salmon, and Blackmouth.
Chinook Salmon are the largest of the salmon species, the King Salmon spends anywhere from 1-8 years at sea before returning to its natal stream to spawn once again. Chinook salmon range in habitat extends from the Kotzebue Sound in Alaska all the way to Santa Barbara, California with the most significant runs calling the Columbia River, Rogue River, and the Puget Sound's waterways home.
Chinook are the most highly sought after of the salmonid species. Highly valued for not only it's outstanding fight, but also for its table fare. The flesh of the King salmon is highly regarded, and equally pursued by commercial fisherman, and anglers alike.
NATIVE TO: Alaska, British Columbia, California, Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. * Introduced into the Great Lakes.
Freshwater streams and estuaries give the King salmon vital habitat. They feed on terrestrial and aquatic insets, amphibods, and other crustaceans as juveniles, and move on to feed on primarily other fish species as adults.
The King's eggs are often laid in deeper oxygen rich water with larger gravel and a steady supply of cool water to provide the ideal spawning habitat. Mortality of chinook salmon in its early weeks of life are elevated by predation, both human and animal, as well as the impact of human induced changes in the king salmon's habitat.
Without a doubt there are as many techniques for targeting King salmon as there are fisherman, however among the most common is the use of a flasher, and bait. Whether using cut plug herring, eggs, shrimp or another form of fresh bait this tactic generally involves the use of heavy test line, a lead weight dips diver or jet diver to help keep the bait in the desired depth, a flasher (a reflective triangle shaped visual attractant which is placed ahead of the bait), and the bait.
Quick changes in bait are vital, changing from cut bait herring to a glob of eggs and shrimp require pre-tied leaders and a leader storage system like the
Lindy Rigger make pre-tied leaders quick and easy.
Ask ten fisherman, any you are likely to get ten different responses when asked which type of bait is preferred by a Chinook, but nearly every fisherman is likely to agree that scent control is key. The use of
No Scent soap is vital to keep the scent oriented predators from passing on your offering.
Another common tactic for targeting Kings is the use of plugs, or crank baits. Chinook fisherman will use a similar setup in front of the bait itself to fish a plug for Kings, either setting up a diver or lead in front of a leader, Crank bait snap, and finally a crank bait, Like the
River Rocker.
The use of a float is also a staple for salmon fisherman, as it is for most. The ability to precisely determine the speed and location of a bait in the water column is a hallmark of the float fisherman, and an advantage unavailable in any other technique.
Anglers often use Shot, and glob of bait underneath a
Thill Big Fish Slider to meticulously and methodically work a deep slow moving pool, likely holding fish. Likewise anglers will use a jig tipped with bait or soft plastic under a larger sized
Thill Turbo Master in faster flowing runs.
WORLD RECORD: 97.4 Lb. Caught on May, 17th 1985 on the Kenai River. The fish measured nearly 5 feet long, and touted a girth of 37.5"
AVERAGE SIZE: Average size ranges from stream to stream due to genetics, but 10-50 Lb. fish are common, with the possibility of 100"+ fish in waters with genetics for larger fish.
GREAT LAKES: Salmon were introduced into the Great Lakes to help buffer the Alewife population, which at one point made up nearly 80% of the fish in the Great Lakes.
KING OF THE DINNER PLATE: Fresh King Salmon can fetch a rate of nearly $40.00 per pound.