June is our best month for catching king salmon on the Little Susitna and Deshka Rivers located about 90 minutes drive from Anchorage or 45 minutes from Wasilla.
June 1 — I guided a morning family of 5. 2 of them caught a king salmon, before it started raining and they decided to quit early. 1 fish was caught on a Mag Lip Flatfish and the other king salmon was caught on a Kwikfish. During the trip we also saw a cow moose and a bald eagle at close range along the river.
I guided an afternoon group of 4 guests, 1 of whom caught a king salmon on a Mag Lip Flatfish. (check ?)
June 2 — I guided a morning group of 5 people, 1 of whom caught a king salmon while casting a #6 Vibrax Spinner. We saw lots of salmon during the trip, but warm water conditions seemed have over stressed the fish to where most of them did not want to bite.
I guided an afternoon group of 5 guests, 1 of whom caught a king salmon on a Mag Lip Flatfish. It was raining continuously during the trip, and the group decided to quit fishing early after catching the fish. ADF&G’s season weir count at the end of the day was 1194 king salmon.
June 3 — I guided a morning group of 5 guests, 3 of whom caught a total of 4 king salmon (one of which was released). 1 king salmon was caught on a #5 Flashtrap Spinner, 1 king salmon was caught on a #6 Vibrax Spinner, and 1 king salmon was caught on a Mag Lip Flatfish. We also hooked and lost a few additional king salmon. There were plenty of king salmon available, and rain from the previous day seemed to have cooled the river water and put the salmon in more of a biting mood.
I guided an afternoon group of 2 guests, each of whom caught a king salmon. 1 king salmon was caught on a #5 Flashtrap Spinner and 1 king salmon was caught on a Mag Lip Flatfish. During both trip we saw bald eagles.
June 4 — I guided a morning group of 4 guests who each caught a nice king salmon. Two king salmon were caught on #5 silver / black Flastrap Spinners and 2 king salmon were caught on #6 Vibrax Spinners. During the trip we saw a beaver and some bald eagles. We also saw a considerable number of king salmon.
June 5, 2015 — I guided a morning group of 5 guests, 3 of whom caught nice-sized king salmon. The other 2 guests each hooked multiple king salmon and faught some of them nearly all the way to the boat, only to have the hook pull free so we were not able to land any of them. The 3 fish that were caught were taken on a #5 silver / black Flashtrap Spinner, a #6 Vibrax Spinner, and a Mag Lip Flatfish. During the trip we saw a beaver and several bald eagles. I plan to be guiding again tomorrow.
June 6, 2015 — I guided a morning group of 4 guests, each of whom hooked a king salmon, but we only managed to land 3 of them. 2 kings were caught on a Mag Lip Flatfish and 1 king salmon was caught on a Beau Mac Spinning Cheater.
I guided an afternoon group of 4 guests, 1 of whom caught a king salmon on a Spin -N-Glo. Another guest caught a jack king salmon on a Mag Lip Flatfish, and a 3rd guest caught a nice big rainbow trout on a Spinning Cheater.
June 7 — I took some friends fishing in the morning and each of them caught a king salmon.
I guided an afternoon group of 4 guests. 3 of whom caught a king salmon. All 3 king salmon were caught on the same Mag Lip Flatfish. My 4th guest had a couple bites, but was unable to hook up a king salmon good enough to where we could land it. Water level is dropping.
June 8 — I guided a group of 4 people, 2 of whom caught king salmon. I king salmon was caught on a Kwikfish and the other king salmon was caught on a Mag Lip Flatfish. The group also had some additional bites, but did not hook them solidly.
I guided an afternoon group of 5 guest, 3 of whom caught king salmon. 1 king salmon was caught on a Mag Lip Flatfish and the other 2 king salmon were caught on the same Kwikfish. In addition, the group had several additional bites, but did not hook them.
June 9 — I guided a morning group of 4 guests, each of whom caught and harvested a king salmon. 2 king salmon were caught on Mag Lip Flatfish, 1 king salmon was caught on a Kwikfish, and 1 king salmon was caught on a Vibrax Spinner. During the trip we saw several bald eagles and a moose with a calf along the river.
I guided an afternoon group of 4 guests, who caught 4 king salmon jacks, and also hooked but lost 3 large king salmon. During the trip we saw the usual bald eagles and a moose.
June 10 — I guided a morning group of 4 guests, who caught 3 king salmon, but released the smaller two. 2 king salmon were caught on Mag Lip Flatfish and 1 king salmon was caught on a Kwikfish. In addition the group caught 2 jack king salmon.
I guided an afternoon group of 5 guests, 1 of whom caught and harvested a king salmon on a Kwikfish. One other guest also hooked but lost a large king salmon on a kwikfish. During the trip we saw a small bull moose cross the river in front of us and also saw several bald eagles.
June 11 – i guided a morning group of 3 guests, each of whom caught and kept a king salmon. 2 king salmon were caught on Mag Lip Flatfish and 1 king salmon was caught on a Kwikfish. One angler also caught and released a rainbow trout and another king salmon before keeping his final fish.
I guided an afternoon group of 5 guests, 1 of whom caught a king salmon on a Kwikfish. Although we both back trolled and cast spinners in a number of good spots where we saw king salmon rolling, we were unable to hook another salmon.
June 12 — I guided a morning group of 4 guests, each of whom caught a king salmon on #6 Vibrax Spinners. We saw the usual bunch of bald eagles and other anglers fishing most of the better spots along the river.
June 13 — I guided a morning group of 5 guests, 3 of whom caught a king salmon. The smallest king salmon was released. 1 king salmon was caught on a Mag Lip Flatfish, 1 king salmon was caught on a Magnum Wiggle Wart, and 1 king salmon was caught on a Kwikfish.
I guided an afternoon group of 5 guests, 4 of whom caught and kept king salmon. All 4 king salmon were caught on Kwikfish. During the afternoon trip we saw two moose along the river.
June 14 — I guided a morning group of of 5 people who caught 4 king salmon and kept the larger two, but released the smaller fish. In addition one of the guests caught and kept a king salmon jack. 1 king salmon was caught on a Magnum Wiggle Wart, 1 king salmon was caught on a Mag Lip Flatfish, and 2 king salmon were caught on a Kwikfish.
I guided an afternoon group of 5 people, 4 of whom caught and kept king salmon. All of the king salmon were caught on Kwikfish.
June 15 — I guided a morning group of 4 guests, each of whom caught a king salmon, one of the king salmon was just over 20 inches and released. The guest that released the king salmon hooked a much larger fish, but it threw the hook before we could even get it close to the boat. One of the guests also caught 2 jack king salmon. 3 king salmon were caught on Flashtrap Spinners and 1 king salmon was caught on a Mag Lip Flatfish. We saw some bald eagles during the trip.
I guided an afternoon group of 4 guests, and although they managed to hook 2 king salmon, both fish pulled loose before we could land them. Those were the only strikes we had during the entire afternoon of fishing. We saw a few salmon rolling during the trip, but no concentration of salmon where we were fishing in the afternoon.
June 16 — We cancelled our guided salmon fishing for today, as we were planning on fishing out of Deshka Landing —- HOWEVER because of the wildfire near Willow both Deshka Landing and Susitna Landing have been closed. Tomorrow I am now scheduled to guide a catch and release king salmon fishing trip to Little Susinta River. All guests wondering about what we have available —– we are willing to reschedule king salmon fishing trips to fish the Little Susinta River. King salmon may only be harvested from Little Susinta RIver on Saturday, Sunday and Monday each week at this time. All Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday trips on Little Susitna River are presently on a catch and release basis for king salmon. If the Little Susitna River weir count keeps climbing we could see more days where harvest is allowed.
June 17 — I guided a morning group of 3 guests on a catch and release charter. One guest caught 2 king salmon on a Spin – N – Glo and a large rainbow trout on a #5 Flashtrap Spinner. We saw several bald eagles.
June 18 — I had the day off, because of complications with the wild fire near Willow.
June 19 — I guided a morning group of 4 guests, 2 of whom caught and harvested king salmon on Mag Lip Flatfish.
I guided an afternoon group of 5 guests, each of whom harvested a king salmon. 1 king salmon was caught on a Kwikfish, 1 king salmon was caught on a Spin – N – Glo, and 3 king salmon were caught on Mag Lip Flatfish. We also saw the usual bald eagles.
June 20 — I guided a morning group of 4 guests, each of whom caught a king salmon. 1 king salmon was caught on a Kwikfish and 3 king salmon were caught on Mag Lip Flatfish. We saw several bald eagles during the trip including one with a small fish.
I guided an afternoon group of 4 guests, 3 of whom caught king salmon. all of the fish were caught on Mag Lip Flatfish. During the trip we saw two moose as we were returning to the landing.
June 21 — I took family and friends fishing, and 3 out of the 4 guests caught a king salmon. 1 king salmon was caught on a #5 Flashtrap Spinner, 1 king salmon was caught on a Kwikfish, and 1 king salmon was caught on a Mag Lip Kwikfish. During the trip we saw a cow moose with twin calves along the river.
I guided an afternoon group of 4 guests, and although we fished hard in several good spots we failed to get a single fish on the line. We saw a few salmon roll, and covered lots of water, but simply could not get hooked up.
June 22 — I guided a morning group of 3 guests, each of whom caught a nice-sized king salmon. All of the fish were caught on Mag Lip Flatfish. During the trip we saw some moose and bald eagles.
In the afternoon I fished with part of my sister’s family and all we caught was one small king salmon on a #5 Flashtrap Spinner.
June 23 — I guided a morning group of 4 guests, each of whom caught a king salmon, although one guest caught a very small fish which he released and then was unable to catch a larger fish. In addition the group also caught a couple jack king salmon. ! king salmon and 1 jack king salmon were caught on Flashtrap Spinners, while 3 king salmon and 1 jack king salmon were caught on Mag Lip Flatfish.
June 24 — I guided a morning group of 4 guests, each of whom caught a king salmon. One guest also caught another king salmon and released if before harvesting a king salmon. All of the fish were caught on Mag Lip Flatfish.
I guided an afternoon group of 3 guests, two of whom caught king salmon in the 10 pound range. Both fish were caught on Mag Lip Flatfish. During the trip we also saw 3 single moose and some bald eagles.
June 25 –I guided an afternoon group of 4 guests, 1 of whom caught and released a small king salmon on a Mag Lip Flatfish. We covered lots of water, but that was the only bite we had in my boat.
June 26 — I had a day off from guiding, but wrote the following:
Time to Allow Bait in Little Susitna River King Salmon Fishery
With an Alaska Department of FIsh and Game (ADF&G) count of of over 4,000 king salmon passing the Little Susitna River Weir as of June 25, 2015 the river’s king salmon spawning escapement will be one of the largest ever recorded by the Department. It is already 25% larger than two years of weir counts from back in the 1990’s when the Department allowed bait fishing for king salmon the entire season with harvest allowed 7 days per week and a annual limit of 5 king salmon per year per angler. Even if bait fishing were to start tomorrow (July 27) and extend through the end of the king salmon season on July 13, the most likely biological issue is how much will the final tally (counted by ADF&G aerial survey) exceed the escapement range of 900 — 1,800 fish.
Note the difference between the weir count and the aerial escapement range figures. According to ADF&G website information, “Past comparisons of weir vs. aerial data have shown that 40 – 60% of the escapement counted through the weir is counted in the aerial survey.”
Even 40% of the over 4,000 fish weir count should produce an aerial escapement exceeding 1,600 fish, while 50% of the weir count should show an aerial escapement exceeding 2,000 fish, and 60% of the weir count should show an aerial escapement over 2,400 fish. Remember that in the Department’s comparisons of past weir counts to aerial escapements there are multiple years when the comparison includes a sport fishery where bait fishing was allowed the entire season with harvest allowed 7 days per week, and an annual limit of 5 king salmon per angler. That provides a much more liberal sport harvest upstream of the weir in comparison to 2015 when bait has not been allowed up to this point, harvest was limited to 3 days per week from May 1 — June 18, AND the annual limit has been reduced to 2 fish per angler. Therefore, the most likely scenario is that even if no additional king salmon were to pass Little Susitna River weir for the remainder of 2015, ADF&G’s Little Susitna River king salmon escapement goal should be resoundingly EXCEEDED.
With Harvestable Surplus King Salmon, Why Is Sport Fishery Still Restricted?
ADF&G has managed all of the Mat-Su Valley’s sport king salmon fisheries (that target wild king salmon) under conservative and restrictive emergency order regulations since May 1. WIth a recent history of poor wild king salmon returns to many Mat-Su Valley steams this was a prudent way to start the season, BUT now after ADF&G weir counts have documented harvestable surplus wild king salmon in both the Deshka River and Little Susitna River it is past time to return these two systems to regular fishing regulations as published in ADF&G’s 2015 regulation book. The Department already lifted all remaining emergency king salmon harvest restrictions from the Northern District commercial set net fishery on June 15. By both weir counts and actions taking with the commercial fishery the Department has demonstrated there is a harvestable surplus of king salmon — at least in the Little Susitna River and Deshka River. The sport fishery on these two rivers has already borne more than its fair share of the conservation burden necessary for achieving spawning escapement needs. Isn’t it past time for ADF&G to manage these fisheries with the 5 fish annual limit established by the Alaska Board of FIsheries? I am requesting that this action occur. In addition, with the large abundance of surplus fish in the Little Susitna RIver already significantly upstream of where most of the sport harvest occurs I am requesting that this fishery be opened to bait fishing through the remainder of the season (July 13). WIth more than adequate spawning escapements to ensure future king salmon production, this surplus king salmon resource (as identified by ADF&G) should be managed for maximum benefit as called for in the Alaska State Constitution. This resource abundance will only be available for a limited time, and then the surplus salmon will die and not be available for future use. It is therefore prudent to allow expanded harvest opportunity as soon as possible.
Harvest Expectation — Less Than 400 Little Susitna King Salmon
Water conditions are currently low and clear with king salmon migrating upstream quite quickly and most of the king salmon well upstream of the Little Susitna River Public Use Facility where most of the sport king salmon effort originates. The king salmon are spooky and difficult to catch — bait would allow a more reasonable opportunity for sport harvest under such conditions. Since most of the fish are already miles past the primarily sport fishery, and with the run on the tail end I would expect a modest sport harvest of less than an additional 400 king salmon — even if bait were to be allowed in the fishery. Bait would still provide a welcomed opportunity for numerous anglers hoping to catch at least one Mat-Su Valley king salmon during the 2015 season.
June 27, 2015 EMERGENCY REGULATION CHANGE
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) reinstated the 5 fish annual king salmon limit to the Little Susitna and Deshka River fisheries — however — the Department has not allowed the use of bait on the Little Susitna River at this time.
I guided a morning group of 4 guests, 3 of whom caught small king salmon on small plugs. In addition two guests also caught a jack king salmon.
I guided an afternoon group of 5 guests, 2 of whom caught small king salmon on small plugs. 1 angler also caught a sockeye salmon on a Mag Lip Flatfish.
June 28, 2015 — I guided a morning group of 4 guests, who caught 2 smaller king salmon on a Mag Lip Flatfish and a Wiggle Wart.
I guided an afternoon group of 4 guests who caught 3 king salmon, 3 rainbow trout, and 2 jack salmon. All of the fish were caught on small plugs. Water is extremely low, and makes for difficult boating.
June 29 — I guided a morning group of 4 guests who caught one king salmon on a Mag Lip Flatfish and 1 jack king salmon on a Flashtrap Spinner. We fished over several schools of king salmon, but could not coax many bites. During the trip we saw 3 moose and some bald eagles.
June 30 — I guided a morning group of 2 people, 1 of whom caught a nice chrome king salmon of about 15 pounds on a Mag Lip Flatfish. During the trip we saw a young bull moose along the river. We fished several spots along the river, but only had the one bite.
I guided an afternoon group of 4 guests, 2 of whom caught smaller king salmon and one of those guests also caught a jack king salmon. 1 fish was caught on a Kwikfish and the other two fish were caught on Mag Lip Flatfish. One guest also hooked, but lost another salmon that jumped out of the water and shook the hook loose before we could land it. During the trip the group spotted a coyote along the river.
For our next fishing reports — Check our July 2015 Alaska Salmon Fishing Reports page.