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 season begins in mid June when the first fish hit the Kenai headed for the Russian River. As the first run is winding down, the mother load of Reds hit the river in mid-July. This run is huge with millions of fish heading toward the Kenai in a four week period.