So goes Southcentral's 2010 fishing season. Turn your back for a moment and everything changes, seemingly overnight.

First the Kenai River is shut down to protect one of the worst king runs in memory. Days later, it's open and chugging past the minimum escapement goal. Guides hauling clients to the nearby Kasilof River to get a line in the water were back in business on familiar Kenai waters days later.

On the Deshka River, the story was similar -- a rush of more than 2,000 kings past the fish-counting weir Sunday pulled that waterway back from the brink of disaster.

But just as suddenly, a salmon run that over the past decade has been synonymous with consistency -- the early Russian River red run -- is seriously lagging.

"They're taking their time getting up there," said Jason Pawluk, the state assistant area management biologist based in Soldotna. "Oh no, I'm not serious worried."

Pawluk was on the river Wednesday. He estimated only 400-600 fish were in the sanctuary area at the confluence of the Kenai and Russian rivers. He talked to anglers leaving the clearwater Russian who said they hadn't seen a fish.

Anglers with short memories are worried. By June 15 last year, more than 19,000 reds had passed the fish-counting weir below Lower Russian Lake and biologists had opened sanctuary area to anglers.

This year, 420 are past the weir on the same date.

But Pawluk notes that other Russian runs have started slowly.

Two years ago, for instance, 998 reds were past the weir by June 15. Eventually, 31,000 salmon made it upstream to spawn. Four years ago saw an even bigger late explosion. Despite 1,400 reds past the weir June 15, a whopping 80,000 eventually made it to Lower Russian Lake, with seven individual days seeing more than 4,000 fish swim past the weir.

Angling restrictions haven't been imposed on the Russian since 1989, when the Russian closed July 1 and 15,338 fish passed the weir.

Clearly, it's amazing the difference a year can make. Take this June 12 entry from the Daily News Fishing Hole Forum in 2009:

"I went down last night and I hooked probably close to 60 reds in an hour -- just past the power lines," wrote one angler. "It was ridiculous."

From ridiculous to restful a year later.

"On the Russian, the water level is high," Pawluk said. "That might have something to do with it. They're not stacking up in the sanctuary like usual."

GIANT HALIBUT

Many anglers love big fish stories, so it's not surprising the tale of Aaron Buscher's 337-pound halibut caught Monday near Montague Island prompted a few responses.

Paul Broughton, of Montana but now of Arkansas, dispelled the notion that Buscher's fish may have been the largest ever brought in to the Resurrection Bay town. Boughton said he landed a 351-pounder there in September of 2003.

"I carry the photo with me everywhere I go," Broughton wrote. "I became VERY popular with neighbors. Got 210 pounds of filets. Great on the grill! At about $13 per pound, it almost paid for the trip there. Fun just remembering."

And from Sitka came word that May 20, Washington state angler Jim Pederson landed a mammoth halibut. The fish was not weighed but a length-to-weight conversion chart tabbed the fish at 427 pounds.

Pederson's fish was the final one landed on what Sitka captain Phil Carlson of Angling Unlimited charters called "an ugly day" with seas up to eight feet.

"It took about 45 minutes to get it in, but it never made a serious run. Those big ones spend all their energy on the way up," Carlson said. "That's the biggest fish I've come across."

To check the video, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZEMWABnCpU. Or get the link at adn.com/outdoors.

THE END IS NEAR

Not really, but consider this: King fishing will wind down soon. Summer solstice is Monday. And anglers are already looking for the first silver salmon to show in Resurrection Bay.

SHIP CREEK KINGS

For the second consecutive day, a new leader took over the women's division of the Ship Creek Slam'n Salm'n King Salmon Derby -- this time by the narrowest possible margin.

Deann Denter grabbed the lead from Rebecca Shaffer by a hundreth of a pound with her 23.01-pound king.

Overall, Chaunti Hall continued atop the leaderboard with her 42.9-pounder.

The 10-day derby, run by the Downtown Soup Kitchen, continues until 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are available at the derby shack next to the Ulu Factory.

MAT-SU KINGS

Up north, the PSEA Mat-Su Valley King Derby is in high gear with Don McKeown's 43-pounder, caught June 4 at Montana Creek, leading the way.

Joe Reynolds is second with a 37.5-pounder from the Kashwitna River.

In the derby's Cumulative Poundage category, Jim LeGrendre heads the list with three fish totaling 81.8 pounds.

The derby runs through noon on July 13.

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Reach reporter Mike Campbell at mcampbell@adn.com or 257-4329.