Early breakup means early king salmon

“Hey, I’ve got one!” Larry Engel proclaimed as he jerked back on his rod and a big, underwater torpedo drained line from his reel. My other three guests quickly cranked their lures from the water and stowed their rods in the boat to watch the fight.

The fish was hot, making one powerful run after another, while Larry remained calm and maintained steady rod-bending pressure at all times. When Larry was finally able to lead a nearly exhausted fish toward the boat, it summoned enough frantic strength to surge away two more times. Each time Larry let the fish pull away from our boat and the waiting net.

Then, when the fish had gained distance from the boat and relaxed, Larry applied rod pressure and direction to turn the fish back toward the net. It wasn’t until after the chrome-colored beauty was scooped up into the boat that Larry pointed out how tenaciously the mighty fish had been hooked — by a mere bit of mouth tissue that could have ripped loose with any sudden move during the battle.

Later, after I had filleted Larry’s salmon and was preparing the boat for the return trip to the launch, Lois Swensen’s persistence and continual casting paid off. Another bruiser grabbed her spinner near the boat, then rocketed downriver.

(After a long winter of catching small stocked fish through the ice, it is always mind boggling to me how quickly a fresh, ocean-run king salmon can drain line from a reel.)

Afraid the fish might pull all the line off the reel, we lifted anchor and chased it with the boat. The fish swam so far, so quickly, that another member of our party, fishing from the bank and away from the boat, inadvertently crossed lines with Lois and her racehorse king salmon. After some tense, “Oh no!” moments, our bank angler slacked his line and Lois continued her battle with an extra spinner tangled between her and the fish. Eventually Lois was able to land her first-ever king salmon, putting extra icing on an already sweet cake of a day in May for king salmon fishing in the Mat-Su Valley.

However, anyone planning on taking a king salmon fishing trip in the Valley before May 25 should be aware that anglers could still fish the entire trip without getting a bite or even seeing a king salmon surface. Temperatures can be cool, but fishing pressure is often light early in the season, so our group opted for midday fishing. We were rewarded with clear weather and temperatures into the 60s. Other anglers were already fishing when we reached the river, but there was plenty of room for everyone to fish, enjoy conversation with long-time friends, and spot wildlife. During our trip we were fortunate to see trumpeter swans, bald eagles, ducks, moose and even a beaver paddling about near our boat.

I’m convinced that our warmer-than-normal spring temperatures and early breakup played a significant role in our group’s ability to catch king salmon on May 12. Yes, I’ve caught a few Mat-Su king salmon earlier than that, however, May 12 is the earliest date a guest has caught a king salmon from my boat in the last decade. I am excited to see what other surprises the 2015 king salmon season will bring.

Parks Highway Trout

Mike Hudson of 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle told me earlier this week that some of the best trout fishing of the season had been occurring recently on the lower sections of streams that cross the Parks Highway between Willow and Talkeetna. Water conditions can vary with the weather, and fish will be moving up the tributary streams before long — better get them while you can.

Talkeetna Boat Launch

Rhett Nealis reported that there had been enough water in the Talkeetna River following last week’s rain that some people with small boats could actually launch from the Talkeetna Boat Launch. He expects trout fishing in the Talkeetna River to remain productive as long as the water remains relatively clear. For the most current information about the boat launch and Talkeetna River trout fisheries, give Phantom Tri River Charters a call at 733-2400.

Hooligan Hunting

My friend and fellow salmon guide, Ben Allen, of Miller’s Riverboat Service, said he would be scouting hotspots along the Susitna River for catching hooligan. With that knowledge, Ben is planning to guide some hooligan dipnetting trips. Ben intends to provide trips at a rate of $100 per person, and the fishery usually only lasts until about the end of May. Give him a call at 715-1095 for an update on Susitna River hooligan fishing opportunities, or to book a charter.

Andy Couch owns and operates Fishtale River Guides (fish4salmon.com) and is a member of the Mat-Su Borough Fish and Wildlife Commission.