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.
Pink salmon generally spawn in small rivers near the coast, and in estuaries near the mouths of rivers. Most pink salmon do not travel farther than 40 miles up a river to spawn. However, in Alaska they have been known to go greater distances in larger river systems, such as the Yukon, Kuskokwim and Nushagak.