Alaska Wild Salmon Are A Real Catch

Alaska is feted 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 unique flavor.

Although salmon are caught in Alaska’s pristine waters all year, fishing season in port 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 four varieties of Pacific salmon-sockeye, coho, bud and pink-are also found in the general area.

Many anglers are now trying 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.

• Thumb-Chum salmon (Dog). The best fishing for this fish is mid-July to late August. Chum salmon have a firm texture, tantalizing orange-pink color and fragile flavour that makes it a perfect fish for smoking. The average weight is eight pounds and they can grow to be 25 to twenty-seven inches long.

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

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

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

• Pinky finger-Pink salmon ( Humpy ). At the height of their run, millions of pinks swim up the freshwater brooks and streams to spawning grounds. Pinks are the smallest and most common of the species and average about 2 - 3 pounds. The best fishing for pinks takes place 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 how to make salmon fishcakes.

Bookmark to: