The author left the protected waters and fished along the Continental Shelf where he caught this
salmon in 150 feet of water along the proverbial “Salmon Highway.”
Leaving the protected waters and head-
ing out into the ocean the floor is a wide
ledge located before it hits the abyss of the
Continental Shelf. There, you’ll find large
flats starting around 150 feet deep and slowly
sloping out to 350 feet. It is this expansive flat
ground that makes up the proverbial “Salmon
Highway.” Compared to the compressed
waters near shore the currents here are mild
making it easy for salmon to migrate home.
Bait balls are pushed around by feeding
chinook and coho and are often forced up to
the surface where birds take advantage of the
small baitfish with nowhere to go.
This is big, open water and a bit intimidat-
ing if you don’t know what to look for. My
first time fishing the highway was much easier
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thanks to the commercial anglers already
on the fish. But 17 miles out is a long way
from shore. My advice is to be sure to use the
right boat, have proper safety gear aboard,
and make sure your GPS unit is working. If
you’re fishing with one of the many lodges
that frequent these waters, you’ll be in good
hands. I’ve fished here in a private boat, and
with a couple lodges, and I’ve found that you
don’t always have to venture to the edge of
the Continental Shelf. There will be times
when the currents push the fish out towards
the edge of the shelf but most of the fishing
is done closer to shore, from 3 to 8 miles out.
A good sonar unit will locate the fish for you
and a good sign that you found the high-
way is when the fish finder screen is loaded
with fish from the top to the bottom. This
means traveling fish are on the move, mostly
large adult fish making their way back to the
spawning grounds.
The highway starts up north, as far as
Kodiak Island and the Gulf of Alaska. By
late June the chinook and chums begin their
southerly migration. They’re on the heels of
sockeye and pinks that have already begun
their journey. Coho linger and start a bit later.
The Haida Gwaii islands will have migrating
fish go by as early as May and full migration
a few weeks later in June. By late July all of
the fish are on the move and early August is
the height of the migration past Nootka and
Vancouver Islands. For a much closer look at
the more popular salmon fisheries, refer to the