It’s early April and the king salmon, or chinook, are beginning to be caught near Juneau in Auke Bay, Fritz Cove and False Outer Point. In District 11, from April 4 through June 30, 2015, the king salmon bag and possession limit for resident and non-resident anglers is one king salmon, 28 inches or greater in length. Fritz Cove and False Outer Point are typically the hottest spots for king salmon fishing from mid-May to early June for both boaters and bank fisherman.
In recent years, the bag limit has been relaxed later in the season for an area referred to as the Juneau Terminal Harvest Area (THA). This area experiences a high concentration of returning hatchery kings and chums because of two local hatcheries and several smolt release points. Fritz Cove is within this area on the north end and on the south end, in Gastineau Channel, the THA boundary is a quarter mile south of the old DuPont Dock (eastside). This area can also be a good producer. Any changes to hatchery king salmon regulations for the THA will be released in late May. Also take note that the upper reach of Taku Inlet is closed to king salmon fishing north of a line from Cooper Point to the mouth of Dorothy Creek.
What are the predictions for 2015? Pink salmon returns in SE Alaska for 2015 are projected to be near 58 million or excellent and well above the ten-year average of 41 million. Since 2010, chinook hatchery smolt releases in the Juneau area have been around 570,000 per year so above average returns should occur again in 2015. Predictions for 2015 coho returns in SE Alaska are down slightly from 2014.
Kings, cohos, chum and pinks are normally taken in salt water by trolling or mooching. Trolling involves using downriggers to put your terminal tackle at the proper depth—a herring, hoochie, plug, or fly then adjusting your speed with the tidal current to provide suitable action of the bait or lure. Use medium- to heavy-action trolling or spinning boat rods in the 7- to 9-ft range are the norm with 15- to 40-pound test monofilament. Bait or lures are frequently used in combination with a large flasher or dodger. Trolling depth is a matter of experimenting and location. For kings, trolling slower and deeper produces better success.
