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Although more Chinook are in the local waterways in the spring and summer months when coming back to spawn, there are a number of "feeder" kings that stay within the Inside Passage throughout the winter to fatten up.

"They're actively pursing bait trying to get bigger and stronger," said Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist Ed Jones.

The feeder kings are more aggressive and can be easier to catch, said Jones - "if you're in some fish."

"You have to find them. That's the hard part," he said.

The feeder kings that hang around in the winter are relatively small in comparison to their spawning cousins, typically around 20 pounds or less.

"Generally the feeder kings are down deeper too," Jones said, adding they tend to be more than 100 feet below the surface.

Jones said you can tell if a chinook is a feeder king because they have loose scales - unlike those ready to spawn - which they use as a defense mechanism to elude capture by hungry seals.

"It's to their advantage to go ahead and lose their scales instead of getting caught by a predator," he said.

When the conditions are right, a handful of boats can be seen trolling around Gastineau Channel in the winter months.

"Fishing is one of those things that on a nice winter day, if the weather cooperates, it's a pretty nice leisure activity," Ron Taug said.

He said he's been chasing the winter kings since he caught a 20-pounder on his first winter outing with his brother in the early 1990s.

"After that I was hooked," Taug said.

With a limited number of anglers who actively pursue king salmon in the winter, knowing where to find the fish can be tricky.

"I had a hare time trying to get any information," said Phil Richards, who moved to Juneau after winter king salmon fishing for several years in Homer. "Yeah, it seems like people are pretty tight-lipped about their areas."

Beason said it's a matter of first getting out on the water if you're going to find any fish.

"I guess it's mainly just being there. You've got to put your time in," he said. "You can talk yourself out of it really easy. You just got to be there ... get the gear in the water."

Taug said there are a lot of variables in catching a winter king.

"It can be productive some years, and some years are slow," Taug said. "I'd imagine it all depends on where you're fishing at and if you're lucky."

Beason said this year, with the relatively mild winter, has been a highly productive and memorable season for him. He said he has caught nearly 20 winter kings from his boat this year. He said one day this year he watched a pod of killer whales swim into Gastineau Channel and witnessed one snack on a porpoise.

"I actually caught some fish that day," he said. "It was a pleasant surprise."

Richards said anglers pursuing winter kings have to be extra cautious when out on the water.

"We always carry survival suits year-round," he said. "Definitely double-check all your safety features."

Jones said it takes a special kind of angler to chase chinook in the winter.

"Generally it is all weather permitting and not a lot of people are brave enough to get their boat out of storage to go after them," he said.

"You kind of get it in the blood," Beason said.