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.
Adult fish range in size from 14 to 18 inches (36 to 46 cm) in length, average weight is approximately 4 pounds (1.8 kg). Pink salmon harvests are larger in odd numbered years and spawn in 2 year cycles. Hence, they are the smallest and most abundant of the salmon species.