Finally, Alaska anglers can utter the words they've waited months and months to say.

King salmon are back.

Not many, for sure. Not everywhere. But the 2011 king salmon season is gearing up, and anglers can spend the next few days scouting spots that may pay off over Memorial Day weekend.

Andy Couch, owner of Fishtale River Guides in Mat-Su, put two chunky kings in his boat Monday, but came up empty Wednesday. Monday's 35-pound and 16-pound kings fell victim to K-15 silver-and-chartreuse Kwikfish lures, he said.

Sam Ivey, an Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist based in Palmer, said his agency is predicting a total return of about 21,000 kings to the Deshka River this year, with 15,000 escaping to spawn.

That would be a little down from last year, when 18,594 kings swam past the weir -- with the biggest surge coming in mid-June, when an average of more than 1,600 fish a day swam by for a week.

Biologists aim for a range of 13,000 to 28,000 spawners to ensure future runs.

"It's the same management strategy as last year," Ivey said.

Unlike the Kenai River to the south, which is enduring exceptionally low water levels, the Deshka is finally seeing its high water moderate.

"There was grass and all kinds of (stuff) coming down," Couch said. "But that's the way the Deshka is early in the season. It's already hit peak runoff, though, and it's starting to go down."

Like Ivey, Couch expects the run to build.

"Usually at the end of the month is when it starts hopping," Couch said. "I've been over there three days and I've already seen a few fish flopping around."

Elsewhere in Southcentral:

ANCHORAGE AREA

Expect hooligan to ride the flood tides up the Twentymile River near Portage. Only Alaskans can participate in this personal-use fishery targeting the small fish that some anglers love to deep fry.

Any day now, an advance guard of kings may poke its head into Ship Creek, the only stream in the Anchorage area open to king fishing. Don't expect hot action yet.

Beware that Campbell Creek, Chester Creek, and portions of Ship Creek are currently closed to all fishing.

MAT-SU

Popular Valley fisheries including Willow, Little Willow, Grays, Caswell, Sheep, Montana, Sunshine and Rabideux creeks as well as the Kashwitna River are open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week until mid-June, when they go to weekend openings. But it's early for kings up north.

A better early-season prospect is rainbow trout at the mouths of an array of Parks Highway rivers and stream. Remember, most flowing waters along the Parks Highway are catch-and-release only for rainbows until June 15.

In addition, Fish and Game forecasts excellent fishing in most Valley lakes, which were ice covered a few short weeks ago.

RESURRECTION BAY

Trollers are having some luck with king salmon inside the bay, where the limit is two fish per day of any size.

Halibut fishing is picking up too. Focus on slack tide and when the weather is calm, get into the Gulf of Alaska.

UPPER KENAI PENINSULA

King salmon are moving into the Kenai and Kasilof rivers, but the run -- projected to be below average -- is starting slowly.

Since 2003, the early king run on the Kenai River has averaged 16,027 fish past the in-river sonar. Last year, 13,248 were recorded.

Area management biologist Robert Begich estimated that last year 1,184 early-run kings were caught and 837 were harvested below the Soldotna Bridge.

Water levels in both the Kenai and Kasilof rivers are near historic low levels, and Fish and Game asks boaters to use caution when navigating in shallow sections of the rivers.

Note that Fish and Game plans to update its count of the number of kings moving up the Kenai River twice weekly -- rather than daily -- this year. The department operates a sonar and test-netting project 8.6 miles from the mouth of the Kenai River and conducts a creel survey in the lower Kenai River. Check Fish and Game's web page (www.adfg.alaska.gov) beginning Monday.

LOWER KENAI PENINSULA

King salmon are already moving up the Anchor River, the only place in Southcentral on which a fish-counting weir or sonar counter is operational.

Tuesday, a dozen kings were counted 2 miles upstream.

Though it's early, the 17 kings counted so far this season is less than the 45 by the same date last year.

The lower portion of the Anchor will open to king anglers 12:01 a.m. Saturday through midnight Monday, an the incoming tide often proves best. There's also an opening Wednesday for anglers looking to avoid weekend crowds.

Otherwise, streams along the Sterling Highway south of the Kasilof River are closed to all fishing.

Offshore, trollers are finding feeder kings on the south side of Kachemak Bay, Bluff Point, Point Pogibshi and north to Ninilchik. The nearshore salt waters of Anchor Point, Whiskey Gulch and Deep Creek have been good too. Try herring, hootchies, tube flies, and spoons.

Check the regulation book for rules governing the early-run king salmon special harvest area, in effect through the end of next month. A person may not, after taking a king salmon 20 inches or longer, fish for any species of fish that same day within the special harvest area. Marine markers are posted on the beach signifying the closed areas north and south of the river mouths.

Razor clam fans still have good minus tides through Sunday on sandy beaches from Kasilof to Homer. A few larger clams have come out of the Ninilchik area, Deep Creek or Whiskey Gulch. Mostly, though, the bivalves have been small.

Remember, the limit is 60 clams, and you must keep any you dig up, regardless of size or shell condition.

The early-season halibut fishery in Cook Inlet has produced few big fish. A 132-pound flatfish leads the Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby.

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