Chinook Salmon - Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
The Chinook Salmon is the largest of all species of Salmon. A mature chinook averages 36 inches and 30 lbs. A three year old may weigh only about four pounds while a 6-7 year old may exceed 50 pounds. They have been known to exceed 120 lbs.
A Chinook starts it's life cycle in fresh water and returns to exactly the same spot to spawn. A female builds a nest, redd, in larger gravel with a good water flow. They will spend a few days to a month guarding the redd until they die. A smolt may spend as little as 3 months in the fresh water stream or as much as 1 to 2 years. They normally spend about 3-4 years in salt water and returning to spawn and die. Some will mature later at 6 -7 years, it is only this returning age group that has more females than males. Some yearling males return after 2 to 3 months in salt water or maturing in fresh water, these small bucks are often refered to as "Jacks".
Females mature at an older age. The Chinook is the largest of the Salmon species.
Most rivers and streams have only one run King Salmon returning each year. On the Kenai Peninsula and early and late run return to the Kasilof and Kenai Rivers. Approximately 75,000 Kings are caught every year and over half of those are on the Kenai Peninsula.
There are two types of Chinook Salmon, the stream and ocean. Alaska Chinooks are of the stream type, they spend longer in the fresh water, are larger smolts and migrate to the North Central Pacific Ocean. The ocean type leave earlier for the salt water and spend their time maturing in coastal waters. These have mainly spring and summer runs. The stream type migrate much further and have runs in the fall and winter especially in the coastal waters off Alaska. Chinook Salmon are caught throughout the winter in Alaska.