Wet your hooks and dip your nets

“You should have been here a couple of hours ago. That’s when all the action was happening at the mouth of the tailrace.” That’s the response I got from the first person I asked about coho fishing after arriving at the Eklutna Tailrace this past weekend. We were hoping to put some silvers in the freezer.

This was our first trip of the season. Because the king returns had been so poor, my wife and I never ventured out to wet a line. We decided to wait for the silvers and hope they returned in reasonable numbers. It was now or never for this salmon season, so we made this initial trip.

The first thing we noticed on arriving at the tailrace was that the parking lot was almost full and there was a crowd fishing at the mouth. My wife suggested walking around first to check out what was happening and if there was any room available to fish. As we approached the foot bridge over the tailrace, I noticed how high the water was — probably two to three feet above the levels we had seen in previous years.

We watched the activity, or lack thereof, for about a half hour. In that span of time, we heard one fish caught and smacked on the head (the brush was too thick to see the angler doing the smacking) and saw a young man land an accidentally snagged silver. The adults around him helped him net and release the fish.

When I asked my wife if she wanted to fish, she politely declined and suggested we head for home. We both avoid “combat fishing” at all costs and crowded fishing unless we’re desperate — and we’re not desperate yet!

Because of where my wife grew up and my remote working background, we both have been spoiled by having had the opportunity over the years to fish in areas of Alaska where there were no other anglers and plentiful numbers of fish.

One of the reasons I got a riverboat a few years after moving to the valley was to avoid combat fishing, and if the crowd got too big, we simply pulled the anchor and moved on to a less crowded hole. However, even the boat fishing hotspots are becoming crowded now. But that’s us — don’t let a crowd stop you if you are so inclined.

In case you haven’t heard, the firstl Mat-Su Silver Salmon Derby began Aug. 1 and runs through Aug. 16. Tickets are being sold at the Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce office or at both locations of 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle (Wasilla and Willow). They are $20 apiece. There are three categories for prizes: Youth, Adult Women and Adult Men.

This derby is a partnership between the Wasilla chamber, 3 Rivers and the American Cancer Society to raise breast cancer awareness. To help achieve more breast cancer awareness, a derby barbeque will be held at the Willow location of 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle this Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. There will be special prizes for all women weighing in a silver at the Willow 3 Rivers location as an added incentive to participate. For more information, go to www.silversforacure.com.

Another local fishery you may not be aware of is the Fish Creek dipnet fishery. For the first time since the mid-1990s, Fish and Game has opened Fish Creek from about a quarter-mile above Knik-Goose Bay Road (ADF&G has markers posted) to the mouth of the creek to dipnetting for sockeyes. This dipnet fishery was opened Aug. 1 and will continue through Friday. The fishing times run from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily and only sockeyes can be kept — all other salmon must be immediately released.

To participate, you must be an Alaska resident and have a current sport fishing license and a Cook Inlet personal use dipnet permit in your possession. The limits are the same as the Kenai or Kasilof Rivers. Don’t forget to clip the tails on your personal use fish. I suspect there will be a strong enforcement presence during this fishery, so complying with the rules would be the smart thing to do.

Two more quick notes: first, if you hunt along the Taylor Highway, the Alaska Outdoor Council (AOC) has issued a heads up for meetings being held by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Apparently, some federal land managed by the BLM along the Taylor will soon be transferred to private ownership. If you want to know how this might impact your access to your favorite hunting area, plan on attending the scheduled meeting in Anchorage on Thursday beginning at 6 p.m. at the Campbell Creek Science Center, 5600 Science Center Drive.

And finally, this column marks the beginning of my eighth year of writing an outdoor column for the Frontiersman. When then managing editor Frank Ameduri offered me the opportunity to pen this column, I almost passed because I wasn’t sure I could find enough to write about. Little did I know …

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