Will 2011 be a good king salmon season?

In last week’s column I mentioned people already questioning me about the strength of this summer’s Mat-Su Valley king salmon return. I had not wanted to make a forecast based on what I’d seen at that time. Even though it had been good, I felt it was too small of a sample size considering the number of days I or other people had fished for king salmon.

Well, a week has passed and all indications to me are that the king salmon fishery on the Susitna River system is shaping up considerably better than in 2010 at this time.

Susitna hooligans arrive in force

Monday, I noticed a congregation of gulls in the shallow water off a gravel bar upstream from the Deshka River confluence with the Susitna River. This is a telltale sign of a swarm of hooligan, and several of the gulls kept dipping in the water for them.

I was not on the river Tuesday, but on Wednesday while returning from the Deshka River one of my guests got excited and started pointing at something. She saw a swarm of small fish over near the bank. Pat Donnelson, owner of I Fish Alaska Guides Service, told me they were all over above the Deshka River mouth, and that when he pulled up to a bank his guests caught nearly half a garbage bag full with their bare hands.

Alaska residents are allowed to dip net hooligan for personal use from the Susitna River, and this huge mass of fish should be available for the next week or two, after which this opportunity to catch them will go away for another year. Mat-Su residents might enjoy simply having the opportunity to see this huge spawning migration of fish. I certainly caution people from catching too many of the fish before trying them and determining if they would like to eat more than a few. With the right net in the right spot it is entirely possible to catch coolers full of Susitna River hooligan in a matter of minutes.

Observations from Cook Inlet marine king fishery

I’ve read some fishing reports mentioning good success in the marine fishery for king salmon down near Anchor Point, and some of my clients have mentioned similar experiences. Further away, one of my friends who has fished out of Southeast Alaska mentioned the king salmon fishery had been more productive down there this year.

This is a totally unscientific sample, but all indications to me are that the Mat-Su Valley may once again enjoy a more productive king salmon return during 2011 than compared to what we’ve had in both 2009 and 2010. I’m definitely cautiously optimistic and hope for everyone’s sake the good fishing and better spawning escapements occur throughout the Mat-Su Valley and throughout the length of the season.

Report from Deshka Landing

I talked with Jason Votruba, the manager at Deshka Landing, and he mentioned king salmon being caught on a daily basis from the mouth of the Deshka this year. In comparison, Jason mentioned there were several days early in the season last year when nobody came back to the landing with a report of landing a king salmon.

Personal king salmon observations

The results from my king salmon charters have been similar to what Jason mentioned. I’ve guided trips on eight days in 2011 and my guests have caught at least one king salmon on every day (one day when I ran two trips the second group did not get a fish).

While this may not be a great, red-hot middle-of-the-season catch rate, these trips occurred before Memorial Day weekend, considered by many to be an unofficial start of the freshwater king salmon fishery in the Mat-Su Valley.

Stocked lakes produce

good spring trout action

With fish swimming in shallow water areas after ice breakup, many Alaskans have been out fishing on local lakes stocked by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and some of these folks have been experiencing very good success. I’ve heard of some large rainbow trout being taken from Kepler Lake, and Julie Busch, president of the Mat-Su Anglers Club, mentioned that a club member caught a 5.5-pound Arctic char from another lake in the Kepler-Bradley system this spring.

Steam trout action

Bob Meals of Tri River Charters in Talkeetna told me the recent warm weather has muddied the Talkeetna River and slowed the fishing action for floaters being dropped of near Clear Creek and fishing their way back to town. He did, however, mention that good trout catches continue to be made where clear feeder streams dump into the Talkeetna and Susitna rivers. I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend, and good fishing!

Andy Couch owns and operates Fishtale River Guides (fish4salmon.com), is a Mat-Su Anglers Club member (matsuanglers.org) and member of the Mat-Su Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Sportsmen’s Committee. Email this column at sports@frontiersman.com.