Bays, Lagoons & Beaches

Nearshore Reefs & Kelp

Open Water & Banks

Inshore

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  Sockeye Salmon — Bristol Bay's run peaks late June into July; short-line a weighted sparse fly or bare hook through the travel lane along the bank, where reds move in dense pulses.GearSockeye fliesBead and yarn rigsDrift fishing rod

  How to ID

  • No spots on back or tail
  • Bright silver body at sea, greenish-blue back; prominent glassy eye
  • Many long, fine, serrated and closely spaced gill rakers on the first arch (over 30–40)
  • Spawners turn bright red with a green head

  Typical: 22–28 in, 4–8 lb

  Tell it apart: Spotless body plus numerous long, fine, closely set gill rakers (count them on the first arch — far more than chum's short, sparse rakers) confirm a sockeye.

  Easily confused with: Chum Salmon, Pink Salmon, Coho / Silver Salmon

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  Chinook / King Salmon — Runs June-July on the Nushagak and the Peninsula rivers; back-troll plugs and drift bobber-and-yarn through holding water, or troll cut-plug herring in the salt.GearCut-plug herring rigSalmon plugsSalmon mooching rod

  How to ID

  • Black gums/gumline at base of teeth on lower jaw (mouth interior also dark)
  • Irregular black spots on the back AND on BOTH lobes of the tail
  • Silver body, blue-green back; large, robust, deep-bodied
  • Spots present on entire caudal fin, not just the upper lobe

  Typical: 24–36 in, 15–30 lb

  Tell it apart: Black gumline along the lower jaw PLUS spots covering both tail lobes separate a king from a coho's pale/white gums and upper-lobe-only tail spotting. Don't rely on size or fin-ray counts alone.

  Easily confused with: Coho / Silver Salmon

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  Chum Salmon — Thick July-August in tidewater and the lower rivers; swing chartreuse and green spoons, spinners and yarn flies for fish that hit swung hardware hard.GearBright casting spoonsInline spinnersYarn flies

  How to ID

  • No distinct spots on back or tail
  • Silver at sea; spawners show purple/green vertical 'calico' bars
  • Whitish tips on anal and pelvic fins
  • Narrow caudal peduncle (thin tail base)
  • Large, often white-rimmed pupil/eye

  Typical: 24–28 in, 8–15 lb

  Tell it apart: A spotless back and tail combined with a thin caudal peduncle and white-tipped anal/pelvic fins separate chum from spotted pinks/coho and from spotless sockeye (use gill-raker count to split chum from sockeye).

  Easily confused with: Sockeye Salmon, Pink Salmon, Coho / Silver Salmon

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  Pink Salmon — Heavy on even years July-August; cast small pink spoons and jigs into the schools stacked at river mouths and along tide rips.GearPink casting spoonsSmall pink jigsLight salmon combo

  How to ID

  • Large oval/oblong black blotches over the entire tail AND on the back
  • Very small scales (smallest of any Pacific salmon)
  • Bright silver at sea; smallest, most slender Pacific salmon
  • Spawning males develop a pronounced humped back

  Typical: 18–25 in, 3–5 lb

  Tell it apart: Big oval spots covering the WHOLE tail plus the tiniest scales of any salmon clinch a pink; coho spot only the upper lobe and chum has no real spots.

  Easily confused with: Coho / Silver Salmon, Chum Salmon

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  Coho / Silver Salmon — Best August into October, later than Southeast; cast bright spoons and spinners across tidewater current and swing them, or troll herring outside the lagoons.GearCasting spoonsInline spinnersSalmon spinning combo

  How to ID

  • Black mouth interior but WHITE/gray gums at base of teeth on lower jaw
  • Spots on back and on the UPPER tail lobe only (lower lobe usually clean)
  • Bright silver sides, blue back; broad caudal peduncle
  • Moderately forked tail

  Typical: 24–30 in, 8–12 lb

  Tell it apart: White/gray gums (against the black mouth) with spots confined to the upper tail lobe mark a coho versus the king's black gumline and fully spotted tail.

  Easily confused with: Chinook / King Salmon

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  Dolly Varden — Sea-run dollies follow the salmon in from June; small bright spoons, beads and egg patterns along current seams and behind spawning fish.GearSmall casting spoonsBead rigsLight spinning combo

  How to ID

  • Light-colored spots on a darker greenish body — the inverse of a trout
  • Many small spots, each SMALLER than the pupil of the eye
  • Relatively thick caudal peduncle and only a slightly forked tail
  • Spawning males develop a distinct kype, red-black-and-white bellies, black gill covers and bright orange to red spots

  Typical: 12–24 in

  Tell it apart: Spots smaller than the eye's pupil, a thick caudal peduncle and a barely forked tail separate a Dolly Varden from an Arctic char, which has fewer and larger spots on a slimmer peduncle behind a deeply forked tail.

Nearshore

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  Pacific Halibut — Prime May-September; drift sand and gravel edges in 120-350 ft with heavy jigs, or anchor with large circle hooks baited with herring over the flats.GearHeavy circle hooksLarge leadhead jigsHalibut rod combo

  How to ID

  • Both eyes on the right (dark, upper) side; right-eyed flatfish
  • Large diamond/oval flat body, lies on its side
  • Dark brown/mottled top side, white underside
  • Large mouth reaching to the eye; strongly forked (lunate) tail
  • Lateral line arches high over the pectoral fin

  Typical: 30–45 in, 12–40 lb

  Tell it apart: A large right-eyed flatfish with a strongly forked tail and white underside is a halibut, not an arrowtooth flounder (slimmer, large-mouthed, nearly straight tail) — confirm the forked tail and arched lateral line.

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  Pacific Cod — The dependable fallback nearly year-round; work a plain leadhead with a big soft tail slowly over hard bottom in 100-300 ft.GearHeavy bottom jigsShrimp fly bait rigsBottomfish rod combo

  How to ID

  • Single long chin barbel (whisker) at least as long as eye diameter
  • Three separate dorsal fins and two anal fins
  • Brown/gray mottled body, pale belly
  • Pale, curved lateral line
  • Rounded/square tail, blunt snout

  Typical: 20–32 in, 5–15 lb

  Tell it apart: The single fleshy chin barbel and three separate dorsal fins are unique among Alaska bottomfish and immediately separate cod from the barbel-less, single-dorsal lingcod.

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  Black/Dusky Rockfish — Sits up off the rock around nearshore pinnacles; cast and jig swimbaits and shrimp flies near the surface and through the mid-column.GearSoft swimbaitsShrimp fly rigsMedium jigging combo

  How to ID

  • Dark gray to black (black rockfish) or olive/brown-gray (dusky)
  • Spiny dorsal fin: black rockfish ~13 spines, dusky ~14
  • Black rockfish: dark spots/blotches on the spiny dorsal fin; dusky plainer
  • Black rockfish anal fin trailing edge ROUNDED; dusky SLANTED/straight
  • Heavy-bodied schooling rockfishes; large mouth

  Typical: 14–20 in, 2–5 lb

  Tell it apart: Both are dark schooling rockfish; the trailing edge of the anal fin separates them — ROUNDED in black rockfish, SLANTED/straight in dusky.

  Easily confused with: Yelloweye Rockfish

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  Kelp Greenling — Right in the kelp and over shallow rock inside 150 ft; small baited hooks, shrimp flies and little jigs fished close to the weed take them readily.GearSmall shrimp fliesLight metal jigsLight saltwater combo

  How to ID

  • Five lateral lines along each side
  • Two fleshy cirri — one above the eye, one small one midway between eye and dorsal fin
  • Females freckled all over with small reddish-brown to golden spots on gray-brown, fins mostly yellowish orange
  • Males gray to brownish olive with irregular BLUE spots over the front half to two-thirds, each ringed by small reddish-brown spots
  • Often an eye-like ocellus at the rear of the soft dorsal, just ahead of the tail; mouth yellowish inside

  Tell it apart: Five lateral lines plus a pair of fleshy cirri over the eye identify a greenling; the sexes look like different fish — blue spots forward on males, rusty-gold freckling all over on females.

Offshore

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  Yelloweye Rockfish — Deep on the same structure as the blacks; drop heavy jigs and bait rigs to the bottom and carry a descending device to release fish unharmed.GearHeavy rockfish jigsShrimp fly rigsDescending device

  How to ID

  • Bright orange to orange-red body (adults)
  • Brilliant yellow eyes
  • Raspy/rough bony ridges over and behind the eyes
  • Juveniles have one or two pale/white horizontal stripes along the body
  • Heavy body, strong dorsal and anal fin spines

  Typical: 20–28 in, 5–12 lb

  Tell it apart: Orange-red body with vivid yellow eyes and rough bony ridges over the eyes positively IDs a yelloweye (locally 'red snapper') — its bright color alone separates it from the dark black/dusky rockfishes.

  Easily confused with: Black/Dusky Rockfish

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  Sablefish — Lives deep on the slope below about 650 ft; heavy weighted bait rigs and deep jigs on the mud edges, with electric or high-gear reels doing most of the work.GearDeep-drop rigsHeavy sinkersDeep-drop combo

  How to ID

  • Elongate body, dark gray to black above with a lighter gray underside
  • TWO dorsal fins, well separated from each other
  • Small scales giving a soft, velvety feel
  • No chin barbel

  Typical: 2–3 ft

  Tell it apart: Two well-separated dorsal fins and no chin barbel — despite the market name 'black cod', a Pacific cod has three dorsal fins and a prominent barbel under the chin.

  Easily confused with: Pacific Cod