Alaska Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta)
The Alaska Chum Salmon is referred to as a dog salmon becouse during the long winters many native Alaskans fed there dog teams the chum salmon as an alternative to dog food. The chum Salmon have the 2nd largest run of Salmon in the Alagnak river with a peak run totaling 400-600 thousand fish. They start entering the river mid July and fresh fish continue to mid August. Chum salmon are the most abundant and the most aggressive to the fly out of all the Salmon species. Fresh Chum Salmon average 12-16 lbs and will destroy the average anglers gear, as fresh Chum are allot of fun to fish for with a fly rod due to there ferocious strikes and aggressive nature. We fish with 8 or 9wt fly rods with 150-180 grain sink tips with bright pink and purple streamers "Popsicle fly" is one of the best in a #2 long shank 2x hook. Imagine casting into a pool of 500 Fresh Chums and getting a 14 to 15 lb fish on every 2nd or 3rd cast treat your self to some of the hottest fly fishing left on earth.
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Sea run Chum Salmon are difficult to distinguish from sockeye and coho salmon
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Ocean Run Chum Salmon
Fresh ocean run Chum salmon are metallic greenish-blue on the dorsal surface with fine black speckles. They are difficult to distinguish from sockeye and coho salmon without looking at closely by a trained guide. After entering fresh water, however, the chum salmon colors change-particularly fast with vertical bars of green and purple, which give them the common name, calico salmon. The males develop the typical hooked snout of Pacific salmon and very large teeth which partially account for their other name of dog salmon. The females have a dark horizontal band along the lateral line; their green and purple not so obvious.
Spawning Chum Salmon
Chum salmon often spawn in small side channels and other areas of large rivers where springs provide excellent conditions for egg survival. They also spawn in many of the same places as do pink salmon, small streams and tidal zones. Chum salmon spawning is typical of Pacific salmon with the eggs deposited in redds located primarily in upwelling spring areas of streams
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Chum Salmon;)
