Species guide · Alaska
Sockeye salmon fishing in Alaska
Oncorhynchus nerka, a sea-run species also called red salmon, reds and blueback. 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: Shoulder season
- Jul: Peak season
- Aug: Off season
- Sep: Not present
- Oct: Not present
- Nov: Not present
- Dec: Not present
Peak: Jul. In season (shoulder or peak): Jun to Jul.
Research notes, Alaska region
Most Alaska sport sockeye are caught in fresh water or by personal-use dipnet. Saltwater catch concentrates at enhanced terminal areas: China Poot and Tutka Bay Lagoon in Kachemak Bay from late June through July (snagging in salt water allowed from June 24) and the Resurrection River mouth in Resurrection Bay in June and July.
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 44°F to 60°F, best between 48°F and 56°F.
- Water depth
- 5 to 600 ft of water.
- Structure
- Estuary, inlet, bay, beach, channel and open water, in that order of preference.
- Tide and current
- Prefers incoming tide and high tide, with light current.At terminal areas fish mill off lagoon and creek mouths and new fish move in on the flood. Open-water trolling for Fraser sockeye is less tide driven. Low confidence, based on terminal-fishery descriptions rather than tide studies.
- Light
- Some lift around dawn and dusk.
- Pressure
- Little response to pressure changes.
- Wind and sea limits
- 18 kt of wind and 4 ft of sea. The Waterlands engine scores hours down as conditions pass them.
Tackle and technique
Sockeye feed on plankton and rarely chase lures, so saltwater catches come where fish crowd into terminal areas near hatchery creeks and lagoons in late June and July. In Alaska most saltwater sockeye are snagged where that is legal in salt water, while boat anglers troll a small flasher ahead of a bare red hook, a small fly or cut herring. In Washington, Fraser and Skagit sockeye pass through the Strait of Juan de Fuca and San Juan Islands in July and August, with short retention openings.
- Methods
- snagging where legal in salt water, trolling with dodger or flasher, casting from shore
- Lures
- small flasher or dodger ahead of a bare red hook, small red or pink hoochie, small red flies, weighted treble hook where snagging is legal
- Bait
- cut herring
Regulations
Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Synced with ADF&G Sep 19, 2026.
No reviewed sockeye salmon rule for Alaska is on file yet. Check with ADF&G before you keep one.
