Mat-Su fall, winter, spring fish size

Last week I wrote about critical Mat-Su Valley weirs and genetic coho salmon sampling / testing needed to more actively manage coho and sockeye salmon returning to Mat-Su Valley streams. Funding all of the Mat-Su weir projects would cost an additional $180,000 according to figures provided by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G). Why am I spending my time during the winter working on summer salmon issues? There are several reasons, but one the most is fish size — and the fact that many want to experience the opportunity to catch large fish in Alaska. It can be said that people want to catch large fish in just about every fishery, however, much of the mystique of Alaska fishing is built around the idea of catching not just large fish, but large fish that can be harvested and make great table fare. In the Mat-Su Valley the type of fish that most accurately fits that description is ocean-run salmon — the big catch, however, often only occurs from late-May to early-September. Now that the king salmon returns have been depressed for more than a decade, the time most Mat-Su anglers may harvest a big catch in their home waters is mostly reduced to mid-July throughout about the first week of September.

That leaves the second week of September through the last week of May as the period for Mat-Su anglers to target primarily much smaller fish. Harvesting enough fish to provide a similar quantity of quality fillets, comparable to what one might catch on a Mat-Su summer salmon fishing trip, for the most part, does not happen. Yes, anglers who travel far enough to access a limited number of remote or difficult-to -access Mat-Su lakes are allowed to harvest all the large pike they find — without limit. Reality is, even anglers targeting / searching fall, winter, spring large-fish fisheries often don’t harvest the bounty that may be harvested at some popular Knik Arm summer salmon fisheries.

About a week ago I stopped by Sportsman’s Warehouse and talked with my friend Jim Pougher, who manages their fishing department. Jim mentioned the opportunity to review the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s fishing stocking plan (which is currently open for public comment), and mentioned the small size of landlocked salmon at Finger Lake. Jim had talked with numerous anglers who saw or caught plenty of smaller (10-inch average-sized) stocked salmon at Finger Lake, but not much else. Reality is — Finger Lake is one of the most productive and most popular winter fisheries in the Mat-Su Valley and the opportunity to catch those numbers of “catchable-sized” stocked salmon is why. Even a 10-fish limit of these big “winter kings,” however, is not likely to meet the Alaska mystique of catching large quality-eating fish, relatively easily.

When talking to winter Alaska visitors about Mat-Su ice fishing opportunities, I am regularly asked about how guests should package and transport their catch back to their home state. My suggestion, if they want to eat some 10- 12 inch fish, then they can plan on keeping up to the legal limits, however they would be best cooked up fresh. Most times there will simply not be a big enough quantity of meat to justify packaging, freezing, and transporting 10 - 12 inch stocked salmon or trout back to another state or country. With a few exceptions fall, winter, spring fishing in the Mat-Su is mostly about enjoying the fishing experience, and maybe eating a fresh meal or two.

When people in the Mat-Su Valley mention large fish from winter fisheries, two of the most frequently mentioned locations are Big Lake for arctic char or Lake Louise for lake trout. ADF&G issued an emergency order restricting arctic char fishing in the entire Big Lake drainage to catch and release fishing, and while a very limited harvest of lake trout is allowed at Lake Louise — the fishery is about “Catching” quality-sized fish. In order to preserve that quality size of slow-growing lake trout, many private anglers and some guides working Lake Louise choose to strictly practice catch-and-release on all large lake trout.

As a friend of my dad’s used to announce in the dead of winter, “The salmon are already headed this way, and the first ones should be here in only five months!”

Now pass me another helping of that salmon you caught last summer, and fish on!