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Legendary Species · Alaska

Chinook salmon in Alaska

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha[1]

25 Alaska waters whose agency species list names chinook salmon. Each links to its water page (gauge, regulations, access map, guides and shops) and to the agency list it comes from.

  • 25waters list it
  • 4destination hubs
Several red-backed Chinook salmon splashing upstream through shallow, fast water
Chinook salmon moving upstream in the lower Tuolumne River, California (Dan Cook, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Photo: Dan Cook (USFWS), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Alaska waters

Most fished first. A species missing from an agency list does not mean it is absent; this page lists only waters whose list names it (at least 5 are needed for a page).

All Alaska watersChinook salmon: every state

Identification

  • Chinook have black spots on the upper body and on both lobes of the tail, and black pigment along the gum line, which is why they are called "blackmouth."[1]
    What the source says
    “They have black spots on the upper half of the body and on both lobes of the tail fin. Chinook salmon also have a black pigment along the gum line, thus the nickname "blackmouth."”
  • Alaska's angler tip: kings have spots on both tail lobes, while coho have spots only on the upper lobe. Kings have a black mouth with a black gum line in both ocean and spawning phases.[2]
    What the source says
    “Ocean-phase and spawning chinook (king) salmon have a black mouth with a black gum-line. They have black spots on their back and on both lobes of the tail. Kings are different from coho in that their tail spots cover both lobes, whereas a coho has spots only on the upper lobe of its tail.”
  • Spawning colour: as they near spawning in fresh water, Chinook turn olive brown, red or purplish, most clearly in males. Spawning males have a hooked upper jaw.[1]
    What the source says
    “In fresh water, when they are about to spawn, Chinook change to olive brown, red, or purplish. This color change is particularly evident in males. Spawning adult males can be distinguished by their hooked upper jaw.”

More on identifying chinook salmon

Status, protections and rules

As each agency stated them on the date read; a rule applies only where its agency says so. Check the current regulations for the water before you fish.

  • NOAA Fisheries lists two Chinook units as endangered under the ESA: Sacramento River winter-run and Upper Columbia River spring-run.[3]
    What the source says
    “ESA Endangered Sacramento River winter-run Upper Columbia River spring-run”
  • NOAA lists seven Chinook units as threatened: California coastal, Central Valley spring-run, Lower Columbia River, Puget Sound, Snake River fall-run, Snake River spring/summer-run and Upper Willamette River.[3]
    What the source says
    “ESA Threatened California coastal Central Valley spring-run Lower Columbia River Puget Sound Snake River fall-run Snake River spring/summer-run Upper Willamette River”

Water temperature in Alaska

Alaska Department of Fish and Game publishes no water-temperature line for trout anglers that we found. The lines below are the National Park Service's, federal guidance, not a Alaska rule:

  • Under the federal 68°F lineThat is under the 68°F at which the National Park Service, at Grand Teton National Park, recommends anglers stop fishing in the afternoon (“cease fishing at 2 p.m. when water temperatures are likely to exceed 68°F”). Water warms through the afternoon, so check again later in the day: “Carry a pocket thermometer to monitor water temperature.”
  • Stressful for troutAt 68°F the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says rainbow trout “start stressing”, and the National Park Service at Grand Teton recommends that anglers “cease fishing at 2 p.m. when water temperatures are likely to exceed 68°F.” Its advice: “Fish early in the morning while the water temperature is cooler”, “Play and land fish quickly to reduce exhaustion stress” and “Keep the fish in the water as much as possible.”

Sources: High water temperatures prompt fishing advisory in Grand Teton National Park (29 July 2022) (National Park Service); Up a climate-stressed creek (9 June 2023) (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

Destination hubs

Hubs that list one of these waters, or that a water page is near: each has guides, shops, licences and trip planning for the area.

Hatch & season charts

Sources

Every fact on this page is our paraphrase of the page cited beside it, read on the date shown. Rules and seasons change: check the agency's current regulations before you fish.

  1. Chinook Salmon | NOAA Fisheries NOAA Fisheries, read Oct 24, 2026.
  2. Alaska's Five Species of Pacific Salmon, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Alaska Department of Fish and Game, read Oct 24, 2026.
  3. Chinook Salmon (Protected) | NOAA Fisheries NOAA Fisheries, read Oct 24, 2026.