Recalling a successful quest for kings on the Deshka

WASILLA — The Deshka River is experiencing a good run of king salmon this year. Fish and Game recently relaxed the seasonal bag limit from the preseason emergency restriction of two fish back to five, as specified in regulation, and is allowing bait. I hope this trend continues.

About 10 years ago, I took my friend Steve on a charter out to the Deshka for kings. I had known Ron, our skipper, for more than a decade and knew, if anybody could get us on fish, it would be Ron. I called to check dates when I could book a charter. Back then, the daily bag limit was two fish. I was footing the bill to say “thanks” to Steve for some significant kindness and help during a traumatic time in my life.

We met the two other clients for the charter at Susitna Landing just before 6 a.m. that morning and loaded our gear into Ron’s 24-foot custom jet-boat. The run down to the Deshka went quickly as we all got to know each other.

Ron had anchored the boat a little before 7 a.m. and had just finished baiting the last hook and tossed the third line into the water. Bait on the Deshka was legal then. I listened to his advice: “Let the fish nibble on the bait and give it time to bite and move before you set the hook. Otherwise, you’ll pull the hook out of its mouth and lose the fish.”

Steve was fishing from the bow with a Vibrax lure while the other clients and I fished bait off the stern of Ron’s boat.

I cringed a bit.

I have difficulty feeling a light bite and, consequently, usually miss at least half of my opportunities when fishing with bait. Fishing for king salmon with lures like Mag Worts, Kwikfish, or Vibrax spinners leave no doubt when a strike occurs. Finesse fishing with bait takes a good sense of touch to do well and, because of job-related injuries, my hands don’t work as well as they used to.

We settled into watching our rod tips. I was holding my fishing pole but eventually set it into one of the rod holders Ron had spaced around the stern of his boat. Steve was working the waters off the port side of the boat from the bow and keeping his lure just off the bottom as he retrieved each cast. Kings were rolling and finning all around us and we watched fish breaking the surface as far down the river as we could see.

About a half-hour after we began fishing, I watched my rod tip begin to move. I lifted the rod out of its holder and continued to watch the tip gently bend down. When the rod tip took a good bend and stayed for a second, I set the hook. My jerk was met by an equally strong response and the fight commenced. I yelled “Fish On” and the other guys quickly reeled in their lines and cleared the stern, allowing me room to move while fighting the fish.

Ron had coached us that, once we were hooked up, we should keep the rod tip up and pull back on the rod without reeling. As we lowered the rod tip forward, we were to reel in the line prior to pulling the rod up again. The reel drags had been previously set and the 65-pound-test synthetic line Ron used pretty much guaranteed we could bring the fish up to the boat assuming we didn’t do something stupid during the battle.

After a couple of strong runs, my king tired and I began gaining ground retrieving the line. Ron cautioned me to relax and slow down while pumping the rod and reeling in. Finally, the king was coming into net range. Ron leaned over the side and scooped up my 25-pound king salmon. A quick swing of the fish club and the first fish was “in the box.” I logged my first king on the back of my license.

Baits quickly went back in the water and Steve was casting with renewed enthusiasm from the bow. Ron snapped a gill arch on the fish and hung it off the side of the boat to bleed out. After re-baiting my hook, we once again had four lines working.

I again noticed my rod tip acting “fishy” and took the rod out of the holder. When the tip indicated a good bite, I jerked the rod. I felt nothing and assumed I had pulled the bait away from the fish. I quickly retrieved the line when, about halfway back to the boat, I felt a jerk from the hook. The fish had run upstream towards the boat rather than away. I had a second king hooked up!

Lines were reeled in and fighting space was cleared. I said, “Fish On” just because. This fight was over a little quicker than the first and Ron scooped up the tired fish. I said “Yes” before Ron could even ask, so he just reached for the club and repeated the earlier process. I logged my second and final king salmon for the day. After stowing my fishing pole, I found my thermos and a good spot to watch from the rear seat. It was 8 AM and I was already limited out!

Steve came down from the bow and three baits were back in the water. About a half-hour after my second fish was landed, Steve shouted “Fish On” and the combat scene was repeated. Ron netted Steve’s fish after a good fight and we now had three fish for the grill.

By about 10 a.m., the action had slowed but the guys kept fishing anyway because one never knows. A little after noon, Steve had a hit but the small jack threw the hook before the fight got started. He had better luck with a later bite and landed a larger jack around 1 p.m.

Consider booking a chartered trip for salmon. While there are no guarantees, charters are often your best means of getting on the fish. And don’t forget a cooler to keep your fish cold on the drive home.