King salmon fishing

In the past week I’ve enjoyed good king salmon trips to Knik River, Deshka River, and Little Susitna River. At each of these locations my guests have caught chrome-bright king salmon over 20 pounds. This weekend and into next week may provide even better king salmon catching opportunities at these and other Mat-Su locations.

Knik RiverAt deadline for this article on the evening of June 15, the Eklutna Tailrace / Knik River fishery remains the only Mat-Su king salmon fishery where harvest is allowed. This fishery is also open 24-hours per day with bait and multiple hooks allowed. Both the boat fishing area in the side channel of the Knik River and the main bank fishing area along Eklutna Tailrace are small areas with plenty of other anglers eager to harvest one of these prized salmon. Salmon eggs, shrimp, or herring are preferred baits by different anglers targeting king salmon, and most people fishing the river itself seems to be fishing bait. I’ve been to the river fishery in my boat 3 different times in the past week, and all of the king salmon hooked from by boat were hooked on lures. Perhaps seeing something different was what triggered out bites. We had multiple bites on a Kwikfish plug, however, the river current is not always fast enough to fish this plug out of the back of the boat. We also had a couple hookups on large weighted spinners casted toward the south bank of the river and retrieved just fast enough to keep the blade turning. As the Knik River rises and gets more turbid, the river fishery will slow down and most of the action will occur in the tailrace itself, where the water will also be turbid, but cleaner than the river. The king salmon from this fishery have been larger than I’ve seen in the past few years.

Youth Fishery — the Eklutna Tailrace youth fishery will occur on Saturday June 19. Between the hours of 6am — 6 pm that portion of the tailrace from the pedestrian bridge to the tailrace confluence with the Knik River will be open to youth anglers less than 16 years of age only. Older anglers may continue to fish for king salmon in the tailrace upstream of the pedestrian bridge or in the Knik River downstream from the tailrace confluence.

Deshka RiverThe Deshka River king salmon escapement goal range is 9,000 — 18,000 fish, so with over 6,000 king salmon already having swum past the Deshka River through Monday June 14, I would have figured an emergency order could already have been issued to open Deshka River to king salmon harvest. When I talked with an Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) spokesperson on Tuesday of this week, however, I learned a decision had been made to see more escapement numbers before issuing an emergency order. I was told that king salmon harvest at Deshka River may be allowed by the June 19 / 20 weekend.

When to Open — the Management DilemmaAfter issuing emergency orders restricting all Mat-Su Valley king salmon fisheries targeting wild king salmon, it is understandable ADF&G would want to ensure a solid escapement of king salmon before liberalizing a fishery to allow harvest. After several years of low king salmon returns, I believe most Mat-Su anglers would also prioritize a quality Deshka River king salmon spawning escapement over an opportunity to harvest. It looks to me like the lower end of the escapement goal could possibly be attained by this weekend — and all future 2021 escapements past the weir should allow spawning king salmon numbers well into the escapement range. Last week ADF&G manager Sam Ivey told me this year’s king salmon return had a high number of 5-year old fish, and at that time, the percentage of female king salmon was 51%. Both of those are indicative of a quality spawning escapement.

The other issues affecting the Deshka River king salmon fishery is dropping water levels and warming water temperatures. Although large numbers of king salmon have been swimming upstream lately, those same fish have become much more difficult to catch as warming water temperatures have made them reluctant to bite artificial lures. Warmer water puts stress on the salmon and can reduce the table quality of the fish as well. Fortunately lower daily temperature and rain could cool and raise Deshka River water before the weekend. If bait is allowed along with harvest by this weekend I would think many anglers may be able to harvest a quality wild Mat-Su king salmon at Deshka River. Look for emergency order updates on the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/EONR/index.cfm?ADFG=region.R2 or read the Department’s upcoming weekly fishing reports for further updates.

Little Susitna RiverMy guests have caught some quality king salmon in the 20 —30 pound range at the Little Susitna River this year, and I am hopeful that this system will also get a quality spawning escapement of our official state fish. The weir-based king salmon escapement goal range for Little Susitna River is 2,100 — 4,300 fish and escapement past Little Susitna River weir was 139 through Monday June 14. The water level is high enough to promote king salmon migration, and more king salmon are moving upstream on a daily basis. It is harder to find concentrations of fish on the Little Susitna River, but an occasional king salmon may be caught from nearly every bend of the river from the top of tidewater to the Parks Highway bridge. There is lots of room to fish uncontested water at this catch and release fishery.

More Remote King SalmonI talked with an individual last week who was making the long trip from Deshka Landing down the Susitna River and then up the Yentna River to Lake Creek. He told me king salmon fishing had been good there — and was hopeful his family’s long boat ride would pay off. It is getting to be that time of year when more salmon should be arriving at locations throughout the Susitna River and Yentna River drainages. A person could also do some exploring along the Talkeetna River this weekend with the thought that a few king salmon may be available on a catch and release basis. Note: These trips are recommended for experienced boaters or those using a guide.

Parks Highway Tributary Streams to Susitna River (Unit 2)

According to A. J. at 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle in Wasilla fishing for rainbow trout, arctic grayling, and arctic char has been steady in the streams north of Willow, however, he expects anglers will likely have more success once water levels drop a bit. That could occur with some cooler temperatures — and partially dependent upon how much rain also occurs. A.J. has also been fishing for king salmon along the Parks Highway, but reported little success so far. King salmon numbers should build in these streams by this weekend. Remember, however, that targeted catch and release king salmon fishing in these streams is only allowed in the lower sections and is further restricted by emergency order to Sundays and Mondays at this time.

Stocked Lakes Fishing GreatBoth AJ and ADF&G fisheries biologist, Samantha Oslund, told me Mat-Su Valley lakes continue to provide excellent fishing opportunities. Samantha mentioned the department stocking truck has been busy delivering more fish to Mat-Su locations — as mentioned in previous columns, stocking locations may be searched from the ADF&G website. June often provides a better opportunity to catch fish at these lakes before warming water temperatures cause slower fishing later in the summer.

Good Luck this weekend, and Fish On!

Andy Couch is a 35-year Mat-Su Valley salmon fishing guide. You may read his daily fishing reports on his Fishtale River Guides website at https://www.fish4salmon.com/alaska-fishing-reports/