Time to break out the dip net

Breakup is progressing nicely. I was initially concerned that all the snow mixed with a prolonged warm period would flood my yard and driveways, but the temperatures have been perfect to achieve a steady snowmelt. The resulting melt-water has percolated into the thawing ground such that standing pools are smaller and disappear more quickly than I remember over the last several years.

Similar conditions are found around the Valley. Rivers are opening up, making snowmachine travel along the river routes risky. Travel conditions are deteriorating daily. If you have freight that needs to be transferred to a remote location, check conditions before attempting the run.

Fish and Game in Palmer has been checking in some grizzly bear trophies over the last few days, so the animals are out and moving. I was told one of the checked bears had a green skull measurement of almost 28 inches — a very nice bear by anyone’s standards. The black bear baiting season opened last Sunday, but it is still early for that species to be out in any significant numbers. Grizzly/brown bears usually are the first species to emerge from hibernation and begin looking for green vegetation and winter-killed carrion to eat. If you have a dead moose near your home, be aware of this increasing bear activity.

Another spring activity with a current open season (April 1 through May 31 in salt water, April 1 through June 15 in fresh water), but which won’t see much activity for a few weeks, involves a fine-mesh dip net, a 5-gallon bucket and waders. The annual migration of smelt, commonly referred to as hooligan, will be starting in earnest in three or four weeks. By my experience, the runs in the Susitna River seem to peak around Memorial Day in the Willow/ Kashwitna drainages. The timing is a little earlier further south in the Deshka River. This year could be a little different with probable higher and cooler water levels.

Over the years, my wife and I have had good success dipping hooligan near Willow Creek and along the Kashwitna River near Susitna Landing. While I haven’t tried dipping near the mouth of the Deshka, I’ve been told that if you were there when the fish were, the waters along the southern banks were black with thick schools of fish migrating up the river to spawn. I’ve also made a trip or two down to the 20-Mile River area in Turnagain Arm and dipped the salt water, working the incoming tides. If the fish are moving you can catch a lot of fish in a short period of time.

The hooligan dip net fishery is classified as personal use, so only Alaska residents can participate. There is no bag or possession limit and no permit is required. You must have your resident sportfishing license in your possession. Just because there is no limit, don’t take every last fish you can and then waste a bunch because you decide you don’t like the taste or you took too many to process in a timely manner. A full 5-gallon bucket will easily hold a couple hundred fish, and if you head and gut them like we do, that number of fish will take you some time to clean and package for future use.

We’ll probably make a trip or two down to the 20-Mile area just because the fish arrive there sooner than in our Valley river systems. I may have to pack an ultra-light rod and try some saltwater rod-and-reel fishing for hooligan while my wife dipnets. I bought some multiple-hook terminal gear on a Hawaiian vacation a few years ago, which is not legal for use in Alaska except for herring or hooligan. While not as efficient as a dip net, that could add a whole new dimension to hooligan fishing.

I knew about the commercial hooligan fishery in the Northern District, but I never paid any attention until this year. From May 1 through June 30, using a hand-operated dipnet, commercial operators holding a miscellaneous finfish permit and a commissioner’s permit can harvest up to 100 tons of hooligan in saltwater between the Chuit and Little Susitna rivers.

Somehow, I don’t think this is a real popular fishery.

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. You can leave him a message by emailing sports@frontiersman.com.