Great morning for fishing

The trip started out with an unintended sacrifice to the river gods. Andy had just gotten the boat up on step and headed toward the Deshka River when the wind caught the bill of Patty’s ball cap and flipped it off her head. She caught the hat but lost her expensive sunglasses, perched on the cap bill, when they arched over the side.

This fellowship of the river consisted of Andy, the skipper, Patty, Stefan, Jim, Dennis and me. We had all met at Deshka Landing about 5 a.m. The plan was to boat over to the Deshka River and take advantage of the first day of legal bait fishing for king salmon. Other than Patty’s sacrifice, the trip over was smooth and pleasant.

Andy guided the boat up the Deshka to a spot a few miles upriver from the mouth. To my surprise, we had that stretch of river all to ourselves, not counting the few boats passing as they went further upriver.

With gear rigged and baited, we began to fish just a minute or so past 6 a.m. Jim got the first hookup and brought the maybe 8-pound king to the boat. After a short consultation with Andy, the fish was released and Jim’s hook was rebaited. Jim had mentioned that he hadn’t been fishing for maybe 30 years, but like riding a bicycle, one never forgets. He had the technique under control. A few minutes later, Jim had a second fish on and, after bringing it in to the boat, decided to keep the 10-ish pound fish.

Dennis was next and after a good fight, brought the maybe 12-pound fish to the boat. There was no consultation this time. He wanted to keep his fish. Dennis was the newbie to the group, having only arrived in Alaska a couple of months ago from Colorado.

This was his first king salmon, and he was excited!

I missed a couple of hits and finally got a solid hookup. The fish put up a gallant fight but, in the end, I prevailed. Mine was the biggest so far, being an estimated 20-pound fish

(Larry, I have pictures this time!).

I was thrilled and the “hero” pictures were plentiful.

Patty was the next to hookup. She was obviously excited as the battle ensued. Patty was a self-confessed dip-netter who was not very experienced with rod-and-reel fishing. Andy guided her through the necessary steps of retrieving the line and she soon had her 10- to 12-pound king along side the boat.

She opted to keep her fish.

Stefan took his turn next. I think Stefan was the “ringer” of the group. He downplayed his fishing experience but obviously knew how to fight the estimated 25-pound king he hooked into. Again, after an exciting fight and some strong runs, the fish was brought to the boat and soon was in the box. I think Stefan was pleased with his fish!

The clock showed it was right at 7 a.m. Five of us had limited out in just an hour of fishing. Andy’s “bobbers and bait” technique was working exceptionally well on this beautiful day.

Andy is the owner of Fishtale River Guides and was on a busman’s holiday. This was not a charter, but rather an invited group of friends enjoying a day on the water. Since this wasn’t a charter, Andy could legally fish and decided to try his luck. He commented that this was the first time this season he was able to fish for kings.

After catching several smaller fish, Andy hooked into a respectable king and I netted it for him. Andy’s fish was just a smidgeon larger than mine, probably running between 20-22 pounds.

Stefan and Patty were recording video and still pictures of the day’s events and interviewing Andy about how this king season, so far, compared to the last few years. This was all happening while Andy was fishing and we were having fun interrupting him with a “bobber-bobber” call when his bobber disappeared and he was in the middle of explaining a point for the camera.

I sat next to Dennis and he was “blown away” with the scenery and the trip. We saw several eagles and at least three moose, all of which were exciting events for Dennis. On the way back to the landing, Dennis commented that this had been the trip of a lifetime for him. Andy said it was just another fishing trip.

I think Dennis is an Alaskan for life!

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. This column is the opinion of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman or its parent company, Wick Communications. You can leave Delo a message by emailing sports@frontiersman.com.