King salmon arrive at Deshka, Little Su, Eklutna

Two of my nephews caught king salmon at the Deshka River on May 13. We weighed those fish on the trip home at 3 Rivers Fly and they tipped the scale at a little over 30 pounds and 22 pounds. While at the tackle shop, we learned that another angler had reported catching a king salmon from the Little Susitna River on that same day. On May 18, I heard rumors that king salmon had arrived at Eklutna Tailrace, so I called the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) in Palmer to see if the biologists could confirm the news. Biologist Samantha Oslund told me Alaska State Troopers reported checking people with king salmon at the Tailrace. So, it is official, the first early king salmon have been harvested from all three fisheries in the past week. This should also be a heads up to anglers to purchase a new fishing license and king salmon stamp before heading out on the first fishing trip of the season. You may see a trooper out checking licenses and stamps on your favorite fishery.

Examining the Eklutna

Tailrace King Salmon Fishery

I’ve been attempting to catch a late April or May king salmon from the tailrace for several years now.

After hearing Oslund’s report that the first kings had already been landed there this year, and that ADF&G would be mentioning the tailrace in its weekly fishing report, I decided to try the Eklutna fishery once again — just before this week’s new ADF&G fishing report came out. So I called one of my sister’s sons and asked if perhaps four of the teenagers (who had already finished their year’s school work) would like to fish with me.

On Wednesday morning, we towed my boat to the Knik River access off of the Glenn Highway and launched. This is an unimproved launch and it always pays to scout it out before dropping the boat into the river. We found plenty of water adjacent to a smooth, hard bank and the launch proved uneventful. Shortly we were headed upriver toward the right-hand side channel that forks off toward the tailrace.

When we turned up the side channel I noticed the water was plenty shallow and proceeded with caution. By zigzagging back and forth we were able to weave our way a short ways upstream to where a cut-through channel dumped additional Kink River water into the tailrace channel, but upstream from there the water was entirely too shallow to go any further in my shallow running tunnel hull jet boat. The extremely shallow water looked like it should be an effective barrier keeping most, and especially larger, king salmon from swimming upstream — at least until such time as the water level in the tailrace side channel rose to a sufficient level to facilitate safe and comfortable passage for the big bruisers.

I rowed the boat and my three nephews and niece attempted to back troll back through the slightly deeper water we had just run the boat through on our trip upstream, but we were simply dragging our lures around in less than 3 feet of water, even in the deepest spots — that is, when the boys weren’t jumping out to drag the boat off the extra shallow spots so it could once again float down river.

We fished and drug our way downriver until we floated up to a red sign on the island between the main river channel and the tailrace side channel. Although the sign was much too far off to read, from past experience I knew it marked the spot below which king salmon fishing is not allowed in the Knik River. So I had the teenagers reel in and we floated on downriver a ways. Water I would consider deep enough to hold king salmon was not evident until we had floated back into the main river channel and downstream form the tailrace channel a little ways. At that point, my nephews, sticking fishing rods straight down into the water to measure depth, were indicating at least 6 feet of water.

To any experienced salmon angler, this section of water downstream from the tailrace side channel to the railroad bridge definitely looks like the best place on the whole Knik River system to catch one of the hatchery king salmon returning to Eklutna Tailrace during low Knik River flow levels including, perhaps, the entire month of May. Unfortunately, this section of water is never open for king salmon fishing. I have, however submitted fishery regulation proposals through both the Matanuska Valley Fish and Game Advisory Committee and Anchorage Fish and Game Advisory Committee requesting the Knik River below the tailrace side channel also be open for king salmon fishing. It is my hope that after the 2010 salmon fishing season ADF&G might support trying such a regulation change, and the Board of Fisheries would then adopt it into regulation during their winter 2011 Upper Cook Inlet meeting. What do you think?

Mat-Su Silver Salmon

Derby volunteers and

sponsors needed

The derby is scheduled to run from Aug. 6-27 and follows up last year’s successful initial run. Visit silversforacure.com for information about last year’s derby and contact Mat-Su Angler’s Club President Julie Busch at 892-7543 if you would like to volunteer or sponsor the event to a greater level of success in 2010.

Mat-Su Anglers Club would also like to announce its free website links to Mat-Su fishing guides and fishing charter businesses. Guide and charter businesses may see an example of the free listing and link by visiting matsuanlers.org then clicking “Charters and Guides” under the “Resources” navigation button. Contact Busch for additional information.

E-mail this column at sports@frontiersman.com if you have Mat-Su fishing questions or information readers should know. Andy Couch owns and operates Fishtale River Guides, fish4salmon.com, is a Mat-Su Anglers Club member and member of the Matanuska-Susitna Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Sportsmen’s Committee.