Pro Staff for:

HLOutdoors

 

Fish with Quantum Performance Tuned rods & reels on Andy Couch's boat.

Read about Pautzke Bait Cures, Scents, Bait Products.

Alaska Fishing Reports 2005

2005 Alaska fishing reports and forecasts cover Deshka River and Little Susitna River king salmon and silver salmon fishing trips in Alaska summer seasons and winter ice fishing in Mat-Su Valley lakes road accessible from Anchorage, Palmer, and Wasilla. Our season fishing forecast is posted first, however, you may skip the forecast by scrolling down, or clicking fishing report.

2005 Alaska Salmon Fishing Forecast - Excellent for Deshka River King Salmon
The Deshka River king salmon run has exceeded 30,000 fish each of the past 6 years, and Alaska Department of Fish and Game data collected at Deshka River Weir indicates another excellent run, over 30,000 fish, should return in 2005. Deshka River produces king salmon by May 15, and in 2005 we plan to guide considerably more May trips to the Deshka. Our availability for Deshka River and other Susitna River tributary trips is limited, so please make reservations well in advance if you would like to fish Susitna River tributaries with us in 2005.

Big Salmon Alert: In 2004, guests on Fishtale trips caught the 2nd place, 7th place, and 17th place adult division king salmon in the Mat-Su King Salmon Derby. Focusing effort based on daily fishing conditions, and providing guests an opportunity to participate in the Derby (through ticket sales) contributed to our success. In 2005 we're hoping to guide guests to at least 3 kings in the top 20 of the adult division and add at least 1 king salmon in the top 20 of the youth division of the derby. Consider joining us for some derby fun.

Little Susitna Produces Larger Average King Salmon
We have limited availability for Deshka River trips, because we guide most of our salmon fishing trips on Little Su. The number of king salmon in this river is considerably less than the Deshka, however, Little Su kings average about 10 pounds heavier. Recent Alaska Department of Fish and Game spawning index counts for Little Susitna River indicate the 2005 Little Su king salmon run should provide consistent fishing with past years.

Silver Salmon Forecasts - Expect Strong Little Susitna and Deshka Runs
Alaska Department of Fish and Game silver salmon weir counts for Deshka and Little Susitna Rivers from the past 4 years indicate above average runs of silver salmon should return to both rivers in 2005. In addition, Alaska silver salmon seem to grow larger and enjoy better survival rates following warmer El Nino type winters, and the National Weather Service has predicted the 2004 - 2005 winter as warmer than normal, so with the El Nino winter, we're hoping for strong runs of large silver salmon in 2005.

Our goal is to post a report for each trip we run, but if time constraints delay us from updating for a few days, you can click on links for other  year's reports to see what has happened in previous seasons.   Enjoy the reports, and you may want to bookmark this page for easy future reference.

Viewing: September 2005

September 01, 2005

Little Susitna River -- I guided 3 people in the morning, each of whom caught a limit of silver salmon. 2 guests caught and kept limits of silver salmon by casting Flashtrap Spinners. The remaining guest caught his limit of silver salmon by casting and drifting salmon roe along the bottom.

September 02, 2005

Little Susitna River -- I guided a moring group of 3 guests who each caught and released a few silvers and also kept their limits of brighter fish. Most of the fish were caught on Flashtrap Spinners, but some were also caught on Mepps Spinners and also by casting and drifting salmon roe along the bottom. The river looked like it had risen a bit with our recent rain, but the water remained plenty clear for catching fish.

September 03, 2005

Little Susitna River -- I guided a group of 4 guests, each of whom caught a limit of silver salmon. Most of the silvers were caught casting with #4 Flashtrap Spinners, and a few were also caught by drifting salmon roe along the bottom. The river remains high, but looked like it had been dropping a bit today.

I`ll am scheduled to guide 2 groups on Sunday, September 4, but have good availability after this weekend, so give us a call at 907-746-2199 if you would like to reserve a trip to catch some silver salmon.

September 04, 2005

Little Susitna River -- I guided a morning group of 3 guests who caught 4 silver salmon on #4 and #5 Flashtrap Spinners.

I guided an afternoon group of 5 guests who caught and kept 6 silver salmon and caught and released 4 silver salmon all on #4 Flashtrap Spinners.

September 05, 2005

Little Susitna River -- I guided an afternoon group of 2 guests who caught their limits of silver salmon while casting #4 silver and black Flashtrap Spinners. Even after the rain we`ve had the past few days, the river seemed to be dropping and clearing up. Weather was nice out at the river this afternoon.

I`ll be guiding a morning group on Tuesday, but have space available for the rest of the week, so give us a call if you`d like to make a reservation to catch some silver salmon at 907-746-2199.

September 06, 2005

Little Susitna River -- I guided a group of 3 guests who caught and released some silvers and each of them also kept a limit of brighter silvers as well. Most of the salmon were caught on #4 silver and black Flashtrap Spinners, but my guests also caught several salmon by casting and drifting salmon roe along the bottom.

September 07, 2005

I did not fish today.

September 08, 2005

Little Susitna River -- The river has risen considerably with the recent rain we had, so I drove out to see if I could catch some fish. I fished perhaps 2 hours and caught 3 silver salmon and hooked and lost another fish as well. I hooked 2 fish on a #4 silver and black Flashtrap Spinner and another 2 fish by casting and drifting salmon eggs along the bottom. The river was high and dark colored, but also had about a foot of visibility. I`m scheduled to guide a trip Friday, so check back in the evening if you`d like to know what we caught.

September 09, 2005

Little Susitna River -- I guided a group of 2 guests who caught a total of 7 silver salmon, 3 of which they kept. My guests caught all of their silver salmon on Flashtrap Spinners, although they also tried drifting salmon eggs along the bottom but were not able to detect any bites. The water had dropped a little overnight in the lower river, however, with today`s steady rain and the USGS chart showing rising river levels in the upper Little Susitna River, water levels should likely go up even further in the lower river. I would expect consistent salmon catches in the lower river will be difficult unless the water level drops soon. With weather reports calling for more rain that does not seem likely.

September 10, 2005

Little Susitna River -- I guided one guest who caught a pair of nice silver salmon and also some darker fish as well. He caught fish on a #4 silver and black Flashtrap Spinner and also on some flies he had tied himself. The river had risen since yesterday and was continuing to rise as we fished. My guest caught all of his salmon caught in one hole.

September 11, 2005

Little Susitna River -- I had no guests and did not fish, however, I see on the USGS waterchart for the upper Little Susitna River that the water has gone way up, and consequently water will continue to be very high in the lower river for the next few days.

September 12, 2005

Little Susitna River -- I did not fish today, but heard from a friend that the lower river is very high and continuing to rise as of this evening.

September 13, 2005

Little Susitna River -- I drove to the river today, and talked with a ranger assistant from the park service. He said the water had been dropping today, so the river must have crested near the lower boat launch either last night or sometime this morning. The water was very high and dark colored, so I decided to drive home without spending time fishing. I may try fishing the lower river tomorrow.

September 14, 2005

The group I had scheduled to fish cancelled, so I did not fish today, but am still scheduled to guide a group tomorrow. The water level continues to drop and I expect we will catch some salmon on Thursday. Check back late Thursday or Friday if you would like to know what we catch.

September 15, 2005

Little Susitna River -- I guided a group of 4 guests who caught 9 silver salmon on #4 silver and black Flashtrap Spinners. They kept the 3 brightest salmon and released the rest. The river is still quite high and somewhat muddy, but looks to have dropped at least a foot since the last time I was there.