Moms and kids love the Youth-Only Coho Salmon Fishing Day at the Eklutna Tailrace

PALMER— Small fries, ages 15 and under got their own day to fish for all kinds of big fish, on Saturday for the Youth-Only Coho Salmon Fishing Day at the Eklutna Tailrace fishery.

Young anglers were allowed to fish from the confluence with the Knik River, upstream to the pedestrian bridge. There are several signs posted near the water and bridge, indicating youth-only fishing areas, established by the Alaska State Legislature and implemented by the Alaska Board of Fisheries. The main idea of this initiative is simple and will likely sound familiar to parents raising their kids in the Mat-Su Valley: get young people outside and go fishing.

The daily bag limit is three coho salmon. The youth anglers were allowed to use bait and multiple hooks. Adults were allowed to help their little ones with the baiting and casting. From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., several families cast their lines at the fishery throughout the day. The reminder of the Tailrace fishery was open to anglers of all ages.

Melissa and John Gordaoff took their two young kids, Johnny and Lily, to try and catch some salmon after hearing about this special day on Facebook. Melissa said that they wanted to go to Eklutna anyway so this was a great excuse to go.

The Eklutna Tailrace is located at Mile 3.5 on the Old Glenn Highway, flowing glacial-fed currents that look blueish gray. This particular fishery was recently ranked as the top mom-approved place to fish in the nation, according to a recent press release. Melissa heard about that and through her peers on the powers of social media, she heard it was one of the easiest places to take kids fishing.

Lily and Johnny are both still fairly young so they were bursting with energy as their parents were setting their hooks. Johnny ran up and down the hills around their spot, stomping in mud puddles with his rain boots. Lily was more preoccupied with her rod and the fish hopping around in the water.

“Watch for jumpers Johnny,” Melissa said as she was getting his rod ready.

John got his daughter’s rod ready and he helped her cast her line. Earlier this summer, Lily caught a clam and her brother caught a rock fish while the family was fishing at Deep Creek. Melissa said she hoped they would reel in some salmon this time.

“This is wonderful. We love the Valley,” Melissa said.

Now that the Gordaoff family is in the Valley, they are more likely to have more of these trips. They moved here about two years ago from Anchorage and Melissa said that although the rent is basically the same, they can get a house instead of a cramped apartment. Lily is particularly photogenic and grinned ear to ear for the photographer in this interview. Her mom calls her “Sissy,” a common nicknames daughters get when they’re also a sister. Melissa said that they all saw two black bears on the way here and Johnny belted, “yeah!”

“You were scared weren’t you Sissy?” Melissa giggled.

Sissy smirked and softly said, “yeah…” and got back to fishing with her dad.

“We try get outside as much as possible,” Melissa said.

There is plenty of parking at the Eklutna Tailrace, the river is right there, and there’s a designated area for kids (not just on this day)- so it’s easy to see why so many moms choose to take their kids here to fish.

For additional information, review page 40 of the 2018 Southcentral Alaska Sport Fishing Regulations Summary booklet or contact the ADF&G Palmer office at (907) 746-6300.