Deshka bag limits raised

Valley Life editor

As of 6 a.m. yesterday, the party known as king fishing on the Deshka River just got a little bigger.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game opened the popular fishery to two king salmon per day, with four in possession. It's good news to anglers who fish the Susitna River tributary regularly. Fish and Game officials announced the liberalized bag limits after 8,695 king salmon had been counted in the department's weir, as of June 9. Those fish have escaped being caught and are headed upstream to spawn.

"I'll be down there again this weekend, but now you can fish longer," said Wasilla angler Mike Williams. "It's nice because before, if we caught our kings early, you can't fish any more. You spend hours getting the boat ready and getting down there, so you'd at least like to fish a couple of hours."

Fish and Game makes sure escapement goals are met, to ensure the fishery for the future. When the escapement numbers are sufficient, liberalized bag limits are announced.

With nearly 9,000 king salmon passing through the Fish and Game weir already, the escapement goal of 13,000 to 28,000 fish will be met, Fish and Game officials project.

It is expected that an additional 1,000 to 2,000 king salmon will be harvested as a direct result of the bag limits being raised.

The season bag limit remains at five fish, and anglers must record their catches immediately on their license.

Fishing hours have also remained the same -- the river is only open to fishing from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Bait is allowed throughout the river, which is open to fishing from its mouth to Fish and Game markers near Chijuk Creek, approximately 17 miles up river.

The news is welcomed by anglers who flock to the fishery, which, at the peak of the king salmon run, usually has hundreds of boats packed side-by-side. The mouth of the Deshka takes on a festival atmosphere, as boats start arriving around 3 a.m. for the 6 a.m. opening.

"It gets crazy with people," said Ron Grimm, an Anchorage angler who said he makes the run to the Deshka just about every weekend during the peak of the king season. "But when it's hot, it's hot down there. I've already got four on my ticket, so raising the limit doesn't really help me at all. I'm looking for one more big fish this season. Then it's time to wait for the reds to start showing up in the Kenai."

Anglers may find success on the Deshka River by going farther upstream than just the first few hundred yards of the mouth. With a large number of fish having already entered the Deshka, holes upstream may be stacked with kings.

Be warned, however, that you may be in violation if you decide to fish a different Susitna River tributary after you have success on the Deshka River.

Anglers may only possess the limit allowed for the waters they are actively fishing, meaning that if a Deshka River angler with more than one king in possession stops to fish anywhere else, they are in violation of the one king salmon in possession limit in effect for all other waters, and may receive a citation.