At Campbell Creek youth-only fishery, kids learn to bait, and learn to wait

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Helen Wood sits on her dad J.P. Wood’s lap as she fishes from the bank of Campbell Creek in south Anchorage, Alaska on Saturday, June 24, 2017. The pair was taking part in the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s kids fishing day on Campbell Creek and Taku Lake. (Bob Hallinen / Alaska Dispatch News)

After casting his line twice into Campbell Creek, 3-year-old Fergus Wood was ready for a sandwich.

Henry Craig, age 5, could relate. A few hundred yards upcreek from where Fergus was fishing, Henry put down his rod and reel, dug into a nearby backpack and grabbed a baggie filled with goldfish crackers.

Both boys were at Taku Park with their families Saturday, taking advantage of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's youth-only Campbell Creek king salmon fishery.

The boys were getting their feet wet as Alaska anglers, but their mothers were performing like pros.

Katherine Wood, mother of Fergus and 6-year-old Helen, dipped her hand into a baggie filled with a hot-pink salmon roe mixture and baited each child's hook.

"Your fingers are pink!" said a delighted Helen.

"That comes with fishing," Katherine replied. "You've gotta be ready to get a little messy."

And you've gotta be patient, said Kristi Neptun, mother of Henry and 9-year-old Lucas Craig.

"Fishing and catching aren't the same," she said.

Lessons of all sorts were being taught Saturday — how to bait, how to wait, how to cast, how to untangle lines.

Helping the grownups help the kids were several Fish and Game employees who manned a table at the park entry for several hours. They gave away bags of bait, loaned out rods and answered questions for a steady stream of youngsters and their families.

A tally board next to the table recorded the day's bounty. By noon, six hours into the day-long fishery, four king salmon, 33 Dolly Varden and five rainbow trout had been caught — although the numbers were probably higher, because there are other places to access the creek.

The fishery, for youths 15 and under, continues Sunday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. It extends from Dimond Boulevard to the Old Seward Highway.

Saturday's turnout was good, said Fish and Game wildlife technician Katelyn Zonneville.

"We've probably had more kids than last year," she said. "We went through a whole box of roe today."

Kali Hulquist, an information officer for Fish and Game, said some families showed up right at 6 a.m. Saturday. Some kids fished the creek and some tried their luck at Taku Lake, which has been stocked with rainbows.

The Wood family headed down a short, narrow trail to the creek and quickly found a spot to stop.

After Katherine baited hooks, Helen and Fergus each made a few casts. Then Fergus got hungry. And then Helen got distracted by the arrival of a friend and left her rod with her dad.

"Helen, this is supposed to be you, sweetie," J.P. said as he reeled in the line.

The Wood children started fishing last year, Katherine said. The key to a successful outing is simple, she said: "Food, snacks and short durations."

Over at the lake, 12-year-old Alexander Lockwood made a series of skillful casts. He caught the fishing bug last summer when the family went to a military fishing event on the Kenai River, said mom Jennifer Lockwood, and now he begs to go fishing.

As Alexander fished, his 5-year-old sister Sydney scurried around the shoreline looking for shells.

"And they're not fighting right now!" Jennifer said. "It's amazing! We're going to do this every weekend."