DESTINATION, AN-COHO-RAGE

‘IT DOESN’T TAKE LONG TO GO FROM BAGGAGE CLAIM TO FISH ON’ WHEN IT COMES TO COHO FISHING NEAR TED STEVENS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

BY BRIAN KELLY

At least for now as I write this, there are no COVID-related restrictions for travelling to the great state of Alaska!

This means it’s time to book a flight and get in on the season’s remaining salmon action, which is often my favorite scene. This is the silver run!

Whether you have a week available or just a long weekend, there are plenty of options to score limits of fresh silvers around Anchorage itself, or by taking a short drive up to the Mat-Su Valley.

NO GEAR, NO PROBLEM Ship Creek is a great first stop on a silver salmon tour of Anchorage. Located just 6½ miles north of Ted Stevens International Airport, it doesn’t take long to go from baggage claim to fish on!

With an average annual plant of over 250,000 coho smolts from the William Jack Hernandez Sport Fishery Hatchery – conveniently located on the banks of Ship Creek – there are plenty of silvers to be had at this fish factory.

Silvers tend to make their first appearance around the end of July, with the heart of the run coming in waves through the first two weeks in August.

The beauty of this scene is that all you need to show up with is, well, you! The

Alaska’s largest city is typically Alaskan in that anglers don’t have to cast far from Anchorage’s city limits to hook into some excellent salmon fishing. Author Brian Kelly caught this fat silver in Ship Creek, only an hour after landing at Ted Stevens International Airport.

Bait Shack (baitshack.com) is the only stop a travelling angler will need to make, as owner Dustin Slinker has everything to set you up for success.

Since 2011, Dustin has put the Shack on the salmon fishing map. His shop has everything you’ll need for a day on the water. Equipment rentals are available, so no worries if you didn’t want to pack your own gear. The Bait Shack offers rods and reels, waders, tackle and nets, plus the all-important lowdown on where to target incoming silver salmon.

Not only will Dustin set you up for success, but he even offers fillet and vacuum-packing services so that your prized catch of silvers can be ready for the trip home and a trip to the grill!

A word to the wise for Ship Creek anglers: Fish early in the day, especially on an incoming tide. The crowds can get heavy on weekend days, so do yourself a favor and set that alarm for an early wakeup. The early-bird angler often gets limits on the Ship!

Jim Stepulkoski with a bright silver from the Eklutna Tailrace, located just a short drive from Anchorage in the Mat-Su Valley. (BRIAN KELLY) C ar rentals have become an issue in the challenging new world of COVID-19. If the usual rentals at the Anchorage airport aren’t proving fruitful, then try the locally owned and operated Midnight Sun Car and Van Rental (907-243-8806; ineedacarrental.com).

A short cab ride from the airport will get you to their facility and they will shuttle you back to the airport upon rental return.

Looking for a guide in the Mat-Su Valley? There are plenty of options, but two of the best in my opinion are Fishtale River Guides (907-746-2199, fish4salmon.com) and Fisherman’s Choice Charters (907-892-8707, akfishermanschoice.com). Depending on the run timing, these seasoned guides can run anglers on their fully furnished jet sleds to the bite on the Little Su, Deshka and Talkeetna Rivers.

Be sure to watch the fish counts and emergency orders on the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s website (adfg.alaska.gov) for the Mat-Su streams. This info will save you from making the run north if the runs aren’t happening and will allow you to focus on the hatchery scenes around the Anchorage area. BK

GOT TIME? GO NORTH! Looking for a little more adventure on your visit to Anchorage? Then jump on Highway AK-1 and point north towards the Mat-Su Valley. The Eklutna Tailrace is managed as another hatchery-run fishery. It has an average plant of over

Joining his brother on the family’s The mouth of Montana Creek in setnet boat, Chaney understands how the Mat-Su Valley offers anglers a critical the Bristol Bay ecosystem is variety of salmon species to catch, to his family’s livelihood. “Everything including bonus chums like this one. revolves around fish here,” he says. (BRIAN KELLY)

(TRISTON CHANEY)

125,000 coho smolts.

This tailwater scene offers shorebound anglers access from the power dam to the outflow at the Knik River. And there are trails on both sides of the outflow and a walking bridge to connect them. There is plenty of room to find an eager silver.

While most of the fishing pressure tends to focus on the outflow, a hike up the trails can provide ample elbow room. Just look for “rollers” – silvers showing themselves as they migrate upstream.

If you’ve rented gear from the Bait Shack, then be sure to deploy a hunk of Dustin’s home-cured “Creek Candy” under a float when you find a school of salmon. It’s amazing how well this stuff works!

Since the Eklutna Tailrace has a managed flow from the power station, it tends to remain fishable when local streams blow out due to summer rainstorms. The consistent flow allows for a number of presentations that can prove successful – depending, of course, on whether the silvers are in the mood!

While eggs tend to be the go-to bait for local pros, spinners such as ones made by Vibrax, Kodiak Custom Fishing Tackle and Arctic Spinners all work well at the tailrace, as do plugs and twitched hair jigs.

WILD RIVERS, WILD FISH Keep heading north and you’ll escape the Anchorage traffic and start to get a taste of rural Alaska. While the town of Wasilla has most of the same amenities as Anchorage, it offers a remote feeling once you escape the city limits.

The Little Susitna River is approximately 30 miles southwest of town, which is not a long distance on the map but you’ll feel like you’re in another world once you pull into the Burma Landing access at the Little Susitna Public Use Facility.

Managed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, this pay-to-play access has a boat ramp, primitive campground and “rugged” hiking trails along the river.

I first set foot on this stream back in

“It doesn’t take long to go from baggage claim to fish on!” Kelly writes. “Whether you have a week available or just a long weekend, there are plenty of options to score limits of fresh silvers around Anchorage.”

(BRIAN KELLY)

The Little Susitna River is an easy trip for Anchorage-area residents and travelling anglers who want to quickly get in some on great fishing and gorgeous scenery. (BRIAN KELLY) 2011 and immediately fell in love with the place. The abundant moose sightings, screeching eagles and bear scat tends to make a person smitten with such an environment. Well, so will the plump silvers that return to this gem of a stream.

Unlike the watersheds to the south, the Little Su coho are all wild and managed with a close eye by ADFG – thanks to a temporary weir located north of the Burma Landing boat ramp. Bait restrictions are first on the list if the run is slow or lagging, followed by retention limits or even a full closure. I have seen it all on the Little Su – from a complete shutdown, relaxed limits, high water, low water and a cow moose that came barreling through the brush and had my heart racing.

The aforementioned rugged trails are just that. They border on bushwhacking skills needed, so they aren’t for the faint of heart. But the effort is worth it because as the Little Su snakes its way to Cook Inlet, it creates holes, runs and undercut banks that silvers love to hold in as they take

breathers on their upstream migration.

This is truly some of the best silver water I have ever experienced. This strain of salmon tends to be more curious than most and they will literally chase your presentation to the rod tip – or ignore your eggs and try to eat your float instead!

If you keep heading north on Highway 3, you’ll come across many more watersheds that are easily accessed on foot. Willow, Sheep and Montana Creeks are all tributaries to the Susitna River, with parking and trail access to the mouths of these streams.

While each gets its own run of silvers, they also tend to draw in schools of Su salmon since the clean water from the creeks offers a break from the river’s glacial silt. All the usual silver offerings tend to work in these locales; just be sure to check the ADFG site for bait restrictions.

The time has come to get back out and explore what Alaska has to offer. Whether it’s a quick trip to the city or a longer journey to the valley, the silvers are coming. And the pandemic be damned. Be safe and catch fish! ASJ

Stepulkoski admires his Little Su prize. Getting to some of the river’s best fishing spots requires some bushwhacking, but the rewards can be well worth

it. (BRIAN KELLY)