Anchorage Daily News

WASILLA -- It's bad enough that so few salmon have trickled up the Deshka River that the state last month was forced to close the Susitna Valley's most popular king fishery.

But guide services, lodge operators and others in the Su Valley sportfishing sector are also battling the perception that there are no fish in Alaska, period -- even as salmon are finally showing up in some area rivers and streams.

Reports of the Deshka closure, coupled with news stories about poor returns throughout much of Alaska, scared off at least a quarter of the clients at iFish Alaska Guide Service.

Pat Donelson, owner of iFish, spent Wednesday floating the Little Susitna River with customers.

"Most people aren't canceling because they're that set to go on the Deshka," Donelson said, reporting slow but steady fishing on the Little Su. "They're canceling because they've heard fishing just isn't good."

King fishing has reportedly picked up at the Parks Highway streams -- Willow, Sheep and Montana creeks -- as well as the Talkeetna River. Reports came in over the weekend of a pulse of nice, bright fish moving into the Susitna system, assistant Mat-Su area state sportfish biologist Sam Ivey said.

But don't get too excited: While biologists won't know for sure until they fly the area later this month, counting fire-engine-red spawners, it appears that the number of kings returning to Su Valley streams will end up well below average, Ivey said.

KINGS COME FORTH

Still, with the Deshka closed, it's not surprising that guides and private anglers alike would move to other spots.

Alaska Fisherman's Choice lost 10 to 15 clients daily at $150 a pop once the state closed the Deshka on June 20, said Terry Studnicka, business manager and guide.

But consider this, Studnicka said: A Fisherman's Choice boat with four clients hit the Talkeetna River at 6 a.m. Wednesday. Each limited out with a king apiece a little more than an hour later.

"We're not doing half bad," she said. "Unfortunately, everybody thinks the Deshka is the almighty king-having river and if the Deshka's not open, there's no kings to be had."

Fishing on the Talkeetna improved "markedly" over the weekend, with jacks and smaller kings giving way to big fish, some into the high-40-pound range, said David Sutton, a guide with Mahay's Riverboat Service since 1991.

Yep, there certainly are more charters plying the Talkeetna this week, Sutton said, but he's willing to share his turf.

"The nice thing about being home boys is they know where to fish on the river," he said. "It's a totally different experience being up here on the twisty, braided Talkeetna River instead of the Deshka 'lake'."

Salmon returns throughout Alaska are largely either late or low this summer, though the Kenai River appears to be on track for a normal year.

Missing on the Deshka: the usual big daily pulses of 1,000 to 2,000 chinook salmon cruising up the river's shallow waters.

By late June, so few kings had crossed a state fish-counting weir 7 miles up the coffee-colored river that biologists worried there wouldn't be enough coming back to spawn and keep future runs healthy.

SPAWNERS FALL SHORT

As of Thursday, a few more than 5,300 chinook had passed the weir -- a far cry from the 16,300 counted last year at the same time, and a long way from the 13,000 biologists set as a minimum goal to ensure good future returns.

At this point, the state doesn't expect to make that goal, Ivey said: "We don't have a lot of season left."

Some charters are setting their sights on coho salmon returning later this summer.

While kings are definitely out there, they're harder or more expensive to get to, said Donna Mosier. Her parents, Ray and Shirley Roth, own EagleQuest Cabins & Lodge.

Due to the Deshka closure, EagleQuest canceled 10 or 15 charters last week and this, Mosier said.

The company is still taking people to Willow Creek -- "they haven't been doing very well there" -- or up to Lake Creek, though that involves a plane ride and a rate starting at $375 instead of $125 for the Deshka.

"We're just kind of waiting on silvers," she said.

Find Zaz Hollander online at adn.com/contact/zhollander or call 1-907-352-6711.

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