Sockeye salmon (red salmon)

Sleek, bright silver salmon with a steel-blue back and NO large black spots on the back or tail; fine gill rakers. Spawning fish turn bright red with a green head and the males grow a hooked jaw and a hump.

4–8 lb (20–26 in).

About 33 in and 15 lb.

Herring, anchovies, sardines, krill and squid in the ocean; they stop eating once they enter fresh water to spawn.

Born in rivers, grows up in the ocean, then returns to its home river to spawn and die.

Found from Alaska and British Columbia. Rivers connected to lakes, because the young fish grow up in a lake: the Kenai, Russian, Copper, Kvichak, Naknek and the rest of Bristol Bay, and the Fraser in British Columbia.

Rivers connected to lakes, because the young fish grow up in a lake: the Kenai, Russian, Copper, Kvichak, Naknek and the rest of Bristol Bay, and the Fraser in British Columbia.

2–6 ft in rivers, moving close to the bank.

20–150 ft trolling offshore, following the bait; shallower in bays and river mouths.

Ocean fishing in summer; river mouths and rivers from late summer through fall. Seasons are short and set every year.

First light is best.

In river mouths and estuaries, the incoming tide brings fresh fish in.

Calm seas offshore; cool, overcast days inshore.

Sockeye eat plankton and rarely take bait. Where bait is allowed, a small piece of yarn or a bead is used, not to feed the fish but to make a visible hook.

Coho flies, Russian River flies and small sparse flies; small spoons and spinners in lakes and saltwater.

8½–10½ ft salmon (mooching) rod with a level-wind or mooching reel; downriggers or divers to get deep.

Barbless 2/0–5/0 hooks where required; herring rigs, hoochies and spinners.

20–30 lb mono.

20–30 lb fluorocarbon, 4–6 ft behind a flasher.

In the rivers, use a long leader and a weight and swing your fly close to shore so the line drifts through a moving fish's mouth ("flipping" or "flossing"). The fish must be hooked in the mouth; snagged fish must be released.

Stand in shin-deep water and fish the first few feet off the bank. Most sockeye run that close, so don't wade out to the middle.

Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.

Excellent eating — one of the best-tasting fish in its range.

Bleed and ice it right away. Fillet, then remove the skin and any dark bloodline.

The best-eating salmon for many people: deep red, rich meat. Grill it, bake it, smoke it or can it. Fish fresh from the salt are best.

River bars can be deadly — check the bar report and Coast Guard restrictions before crossing.

Runs are managed day by day; limits on the Kenai and Russian are often raised or lowered by emergency order, and personal-use dipnetting is for Alaska residents only. Everyone 18 and older needs an Alaska sport fishing license (residents and nonresidents), and king salmon need a separate king salmon stamp. Rules are set by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (adfg.alaska.gov) and change by river and by emergency order during the season — check before you go.

Keep only what you'll eat, release the rest quickly, and follow size and bag limits.