Clean pata and slit skin (3-4 slits on both sides) without cutting bone. Place in a deep pan with a tight cover. Add water, 7 Up and salt. Bring to a boil after 15 minutes, add baking soda. Baking soda will hasten the softening of the pata's skin.
Hook 4 to 7 pound sockeye salmon from June 10 to August 1, with a peak from July 1 to August 1. Take your pick from 50,000 three to five pound pink salmon from July 20 to August 20. Silver salmon runs of 150,000 strong stop to bite from mid-August to their peak in late September.
The fishing season begins the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend (usually the last weekend in May) and extends through and includes the first Sunday in November. Exceptions are noted in each of the Regional Regulations sections within the Fishing Regulations handbook (4 MB pdf).