Alaska Fishing

Longtime Alaska anglers who find themselves whining about summer's stifling heat, take heart. Autumn isn't so far away.

Want proof?

• Silver salmon have been bending poles in Resurrection Bay for weeks.

• Bird Creek south of Anchorage on the Seward Highway opens Tuesday to pink, silver and chum salmon anglers.

• Ship Creek downstream of the power plant reopens the same day, and although there's no longer an Anchorage silver salmon derby, the sleek, hard-fighting fish are the last and often considered the best-fighting salmon to return.

• Dipnetters are already pulling red salmon out of the Kasilof River. At 6 a.m. Friday, the bigger and more popular Kenai River dipnet fishery opens, with thousands of anglers expected.

No need to tell Buck Kunz.

Buck and his dad Mike Kunz have been supplementing their Sterling welding business at Mile 82 of the Sterling Highway by making custom nets for the Kenai and Kasilof dipnetters since the late 1990s.

The Kunz team has been selling seven to 17 nets a day since the Kasilof opened last month and they expect sales will skyrocket this weekend when the Kenai opens to dipnetters.

"Oh God, yeah," said Buck, 20. "It opens on Friday, and I'm sure a flock of people will be coming by Thursday night. We usually stay open until at least 10 p.m."

The Kunz dipnets come in an elliptical shape that creates less resistance to the currents and is fortified with a center beam running along the middle of the tube. They offer four different size hoops, ranging from $140 to $190.

"Most people think it's a deal," Kunz said. "It's probably one of the best and cheapest nets you can get."

Since 1996, the Kenai River red salmon personal-use dipnet harvest has grown 128 percent to 234,109 fish landed last year -- though it is down from its peak of 295,496 in 2005. Nearly 24,000 permits were issued last year.

The Kasilof harvest, though smaller, has grown even faster -- up 383 percent to 54,051 fish in 13 years.

With the sour economy, Alaskans may be particularly motivated to fill their freezers this summer.

"Scores of permits are flying out of this office daily," said Ken Marsh, a public information officer at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. "No doubt about it, the personal-use permits for Kenai/Kasilof and Copper River are extremely popular."

Note that during the Kenai dipnet fishery, salmon may not be taken from boats powered by two-stroke motors, other than ones with direct fuel injection. Only boats powered by four-stroke motors, two-stroke DFI, or electric motors are allowed.

MAKE MINE PINK: For anglers seeking less of a crowd, pink salmon are swimming up Resurrection Creek in Hope in good numbers. Also known as humpies, pinks make are an exciting light-tackle salmon, a great fish for youngsters and good table fare when fresh.

Pinks start moving up Resurrection Creek in early July before tapering off in mid-August.

MAT-SU KING DERBY: The hard-luck PSEA Mat-Su King Derby, hampered by Fish and Game's closure of Mat-Su waterways to king fishing, is over. Organizers will have the final drawing of winners on Monday with a ceremony the next day. The derby was reorganized this year, with winners coming from a drawing, not the biggest fish entered.

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

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