Species guide · Alaska
Chum salmon fishing in Alaska
Oncorhynchus keta, a sea-run species also called dog salmon, dogs and keta. Listed for the Alaska region.
Season by month
From the Waterlands saltwater species research: when the fish are present and biting, not whether retention is open.
Alaska
- Jan: Not present
- Feb: Not present
- Mar: Not present
- Apr: Not present
- May: Not present
- Jun: Off season
- Jul: Peak season
- Aug: Peak season
- Sep: Off season
- Oct: Not present
- Nov: Not present
- Dec: Not present
Peak: Jul to Aug.
Research notes, Alaska region
Summer chum in Southeast Alaska are best late July through mid-August, mostly at hatchery terminal areas and stream mouths such as Amalga Harbor, Macaulay Hatchery near Juneau and Deep Inlet near Sitka. Resurrection Bay chum return early July through early August.
Seasons and limits in these notes are background. The regulations below and the regulator’s own page govern.
Where it's scoring now · 0
Not scored in this forecast: Adak to Kiska Bering Side, Adak to Kiska Pacific Side, Barren Islands East, Bristol Bay from Cape Chichagof to Cape Pierce out to 15 NM, Bristol Bay from Port Heiden to Cape Chichagof out to 15 NM, Cape Beaufort to Point Franklin out to 15 NM, Cape Espenberg to Motherwood Point out to 10 NM, Cape Halkett to Flaxman Island out to 15 NM, Cape Krusenstern to Cape Thompson out to 15 NM, Cape Stephens to Moses Point out to 15 NM, Cape Thompson to Cape Beaufort out to 15 NM, Castle Cape to Cape Tolstoi out to 15 NM, Central and Eastern Prince William Sound, Chiniak Bay, Clarence Strait, Cook Inlet Kalgin Island to Point Bede, Cook Inlet North Kalgin Island, Cross Sound, Dall Point to Kwikpak Pass out to 15 NM, Flaxman Island to Demarcation Point out to 15 NM, Frederick Sound, Glacier Bay, Guam Coastal Waters, Icy Cape to Cape Suckling out to 15 NM, Icy Strait, Kachemak Bay, Kiska to Attu Bering Side, Kiska to Attu Pacific Side, Koror Palau Coastal Waters, Kwikpak Pass to Cape Stephens out to 15 NM, Marmot Bay, Moses Point to Sledge Island out to 15 NM, Motherwood Point to Cape Krusenstern out to 10 NM, Nikolski to Seguam Bering Side out to 15 NM , Nikolski to Seguam Pacfic Side out to 15 NM, North and West of Nunivak Island, North Side of Saint Lawrence Island out to 15 NM, Northern Chatham Strait, Northern Lynn Canal, Northwest Prince William Sound, Passage Canal, Point Franklin to Cape Halkett out to 15 NM, Port Heiden to Nelson Lagoon out to 15 NM, Port of Valdez, Pribilof Islands Nearshore Waters, Resurrection Bay, Rota Coastal Waters, Saint Matthew Island Waters, Saipan Coastal Waters, Shelikof Strait, Sledge Island to Wales out to 15 NM, South Side of Saint Lawrence Island out to 15 NM, Southern Chatham Strait, Southern Lynn Canal, Southwest Prince William Sound, Stephens Passage, Sumner Strait, Tinian Coastal Waters, Unalaska Bay, Unimak Pass, Valdez Arm, Valdez Narrows, Wales to Cape Espenberg out to 15 NM, West of Barren Islands Including Kamishak Bay, Yakutat Bay and Yap Coastal Waters.
How and where it feeds
- Water temperature
- Feeds from 42°F to 60°F, best between 46°F and 55°F.
- Water depth
- 3 to 40 ft of water.
- Structure
- Estuary, beach, bay, inlet, channel and point, in that order of preference.
- Tide and current
- Prefers incoming tide and high tide, with light current.Chum stage off stream mouths and hatchery beaches before moving into fresh water. Anglers at terminal areas generally do best as the flood pushes new fish toward the beach and at high water. This is guide consensus; agency pages describe the locations and dates, not tide stage.
- Light
- Some lift around dawn and dusk.
- Pressure
- Little response to pressure changes.
- Wind and sea limits
- 18 kt of wind and 3 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.
Tackle and technique
Chum stage off stream mouths and hatchery beaches in late fall in Puget Sound and Hood Canal and in midsummer in Southeast Alaska. Fish from the beach or a skiff in 5 to 30 feet with a green or cerise jig under a float, a large fly or a spoon. They fight hard, so step up to 12 to 20 pound line.
- Methods
- casting from the beach, float fishing, fly fishing, trolling in terminal areas
- Lures
- green or cerise marabou jigs under a float, chartreuse and cerise flies, spoons, spinners, green hoochie behind a flasher
- Bait
- herring strip, cured shrimp
Regulations
Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Synced with ADF&G Nov 4, 2026.
No reviewed chum salmon rule for Alaska is on file yet. Check with ADF&G before you keep one.
