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2006 SILVER SALMON DAILY FISHING REPORT:
Daily bag limit of silver salmon on the Deshka river is 3 per person per day!!
The silver salmon fishing has already begun to take off this year. It is early to see this kind of silver fishing action but we are happy to be catching good numbers of chrome bright silvers. We still have lots of space available for prime dates and times but now that the word has gotten out that silvers are already here we are experiencing a large volume of calls for dates. Book early to reserve your seat for peak silver fishing. CAll US at 907-357-0131!
Saturday July 15th
Howard Riley's boat went out today to the Deshka river with 4 guests on board. The water was on the rise due to quite a bit of recent rain. They did really well working holes upriver using bobbers and eggs and between the 4 of them they netted 25-30 silver salmon and caught and released 2 nice king salmon.
Sunday July 16th
Again Howard Riley ran our only trip of the day and went out with 3 people for an evening run to the Deshka river. The water had gone up quite a bit and they saw good numbers of fish moving up the river. They fished several stretches of water and caught 7 silvers and 2 kings which they released. One of the kings was chrome bright. The same group will be fishing with Howard again tomorrow morning and they plan to return to the Deshka once again.
Monday July 17th
Today Howard Riley led a group of three people to the Deshka river to fish for silver salmon. They went upriver once again and found good numbers of fish. All total they caught 13 silver salmon and 1 king salmon which they released. Again the king was chrome bright and would have been a good fish to keep if the season was extended. We have called the Alaska Department of Fish and Game about issuing an emergency order to extend the king salmon season on the Deshka river as they did last year. This would allow our guests to keep those kings that are in such great shape. Since they have already exceeded their minimum escapement goals of kings salmon by over 10,000 fish there is no reason not to allow us to retain the fresh kings that are still moving up the river. This would be a nice addition to any silver salmon catch in mid July.
If you are interested in calling ADF&G to request this emergency order call 907-746-6300 and ask for Dave Rutz. Ask that an Emergency Order be issued allowing for the king salmon season to be extended from the ADF&G weir (mile 7 on the Deshka) downstream to the mouth at it's confluence with the Big Susitna river.
We still have lots of space available for silver salmon trips going out this week. Call our office at 907-357-0131 to reserve your seat today!
Tuesday July 18th
I had a group of 4 people today and as is our usual custom we set out to the Deshka River early. As we entered the river we looked for fish waking, rolling, or jumping in hopes of locating a school of fish by sight in order to be able to fish them. There was not much in the way of impericle evidence to prove that there were any salmon at all in the river this morning. So we picked a spot upriver to try and baited up the hooks and started fishing. After several good drifts down the "sweet spot" in this hole there was not even so much as a bump or a bobble on any one of the 4 bobbers bobbling down the stream. I was just about to say lets pack it up and move the the next spot when the first bobber went down. We soon had several chrome bright silver salmon on the bank and the bite seemed to be getting better. By 7:30AM everyone in our boat had caught several fish each and there was no sign of it ending. By 8:30AM they had all caught their daily bag limit of silvers (3 fish per person) and we had released many others including 3 king salmon. The total number of fish caught this morning was 35 fish and we caught all but two in that same spot! The silvers are so fresh and spunky this time of year and it is a blast to catch them on light tackle.
Howard Riley's boat also went out to the Deshka with 4 guests today. Their results were similar to ours. They fished upriver as did we and used the very effective bobber and eggs ploy. His guests all kept their daily bag limit of silver salmon and between them all they caught 25 silvers this morning.
I saw quite a few fish at the mouth when I left the river this morning. The water conditions are great and continue to drop. I expect the fishing to get better as the week goes on. Help us spread the word to those who would like to get out and catch a silver salmon. Call our office at 907-357-0131. We still have lots of openings for silver season.
Friday July 21st
Today I had two groups. I took both to the Deshka river. On the morning run I had a group of 4 and we ran upriver in search of silvers salmon. We stopped off in a hole I like to fish and my thought was we would stay there a few minutes, try it out, and maybe pick up a few fish before moving to some other more productive holes. After the first couple of drifts no bobbers bobbled at all. I was about to pull the plug and move on when one of the folks hooked and landed a silver. Then all at once the bobbers started going down and one by one we picked off an entire limit of 10 silvers in that one spot. It was a very cool morning!
For the evening group I had 5 people and I decided to stay in the lower river and fish the mouth because of the large schools I had motioned hanging out there earlier in the day. We soon began to hook fish and it looked like we would limit out in no time. We boated 9 silver salmon in the first hour and then the bite turned off. We worked the rest of our time for that last fish. Finally, just before we had to leave we hooked and caught the last fish. There was much rejoicing on the boat!
Saturday July 22nd
We had a group of 10 people so Howard Riley and I teamed up to take them all out to the Deshka River. We got out early as is our custom and believed that we were going to whack them like we did the day before. We found a big school and plopped the bait on them under bobbers as usual and nothing happened. The fish were there in mass, the day was early, the eggs were good, and no bite. We began trying hardware of all types and everything else we had in the box and nothing happened. There were 20 or so boats at the mouth that day and we saw very few fish caught, at least caught at in the mouth. Each of our boats managed only to eek out 3 silvers that day.
Sunday July 23rd
I had two trips today with a drop off in between. On the morning trip I took two people to a couple favorite tributaries of the Big Su in search of the crazy silver salmon. We found salmon in every spot we fished and it didn't take long to limit out. Each person caught and released several other silvers as well as chums and pinks.
For the evening trip I had a group of 4 and again we took off for tributaries of the Big Su that are likely candidates to hold silvers. We went to several spots before eventually finding a hole that was holding good numbers of silver salmon. We were able to limit out on very nice fat silver salmon.
Monday July 24th
Today I had a group of 4 people and we went back to the Deshka for the first time in two days. There was an overcast sky and we had some rain last night which provoked me to try the Deshka again to see if the bite would come on. We cruised through the mouth area and saw large schools of fish rolling and jumping. I decided to move upriver to see if I could find any silvers lurking in some of my favorite holes. Once again we quickly found that there were not many silvers upriver, they seemed to be piled up in the mouth awaiting higher and or cooler water. So we motored back down to the mouth and found a school of fish which was congregating just off the fish cleaning tables and we decided to give it a whirl. We chucked our bobbers and egg rigs out and the bite was on. In no time we had 13 silvers salmon in the net. Then as quickly as it began, the bite slowed and it took another 2 1/2 hours to get our last fish.
Tuesday July 25th
Today I had two trips, one in the morning and one in the evening. For the morning trip I had 3 people with me and we fished Big Susitna tributaries. The fishing was EXCELLENT! From the first cast to the last we hooked fish, silver salmon, chum salmon, and pink salmon were available in abundance. We caught fish on eggs floated under bobbers, on spinners, and on flies. Between the fisherman we boated 30 or more salmon. Each person limited out on chrome bright silver salmon.
For the evening trip I had a family of 5 on board and once again we set out to tributaries of the Big Susitna river in search of silver salmon. We began fishing with 2 rods baited with eggs fished under bobbers and the other 3 rods had spinners. The fish began to bite on both and before too long we had limits for all of shiny bright silver salmon. There were 3 kids with us on this trip under the age of 10 and they all caught their of silvers and were able to release several other salmon as well.
Wednesday July 26th
Today I had a family group of 6 people in my boat. We set out to fish some of my favorite tributaries of the Big Susitna River system. It turned out to be one of the best days of fishing action I have EVER seen. Each of the first 5 casts resulted in a silver salmon and the action stayed steady the entire time we were out. Everyone in the party limited out on chrome bright silver salmon and each fisherman was able to catch and release many more fish. We boated at least 60 fish today catching silvers, chums, and pinks. It was a great day on the river with wonderful people! I am going out again tomorrow with my wife and kids and we are looking forward to another awesome day of fishing. We still have lots of space available for those wanting to get out and catch some fish. Call us at 907-357-0131 to reserve your spot on the boat.
Thursday July 27th
Today I had the privilege of taking my wife and children fishing with me. Five of us ventured out to tributaries along the Big Susitna River. Once again we found large numbers of salmon and were able to catch lots of fish. We limited out on silvers and then caught and released quite a few more along with many pinks and chums. Salmon fishing right now is very very good and it shows no sign of slowing down soon. We still have openings in our schedule if you would like to get out and catch silver salmon. CAll our office at 907-376-0131 to get more information and to book your trip.
Friday July 28th
I went out today with two people on board and we ventured out to fish tributaries of the Big Susitna River. The morning started off well when we landed three nice silvers on the first four casts. We had steady fishing the entire morning and had no trouble limiting out on silver salmon. Between the three of us we easily landed thirty salmon today, ten or twelve of which were silver salmon with the rest being pinks and chums. It was another beautiful morning on the river.
Saturday July 29th
I had a group of 4 people with me today for a morning trip. We found some fish in one of the tributaries of the Big Susitna and began catching silvers right away floating eggs under ESB bobbers. The silver salmon are chrome bright, fat and sassy, and lots of fun to catch. The water levels on the Big Su and related tributaries is dropping daily but there is still enough water to fish. The number and quality of fish is outstanding and there continues to be strong numbers pushing up the river. The silver fishing we have been experiencing over the last two weeks is excellent and we are just now getting into the traditional peak days of silver fishing. Once again today our group boated at least 30 salmon, half of which were silvers and the rest were pinks and chums. We do have openings for silver salmon trips, if you are interested call our office at 907-357-0131.
Sunday July 30th
We had another great day on the river today. I teamed up with Andy Couch of Fishtale River Guides to host a group of 6 people for a silver salmon fishing trip. We had a ten hour trip and we fished one of the Big Susitna tributaries and had good success. We began to catch silvers right away, starting with eggs floated under bobbers. Later we fished combinations of lures and eggs and even did some fly casting and caught fish on all three methods. There are large numbers of fish moving through the river and we had no trouble finding or catching them. Everyone caught limits today and were able to release several fish each. It was another 30 fish plus day. It began to rain today and it will more than likely cause the silver action to be even better. We are going out again tomorrow with the same group and I am looking forward to seeing what the fishing will be like. We still have some openings for silver salmon fishing trips so call today if you would like to get in on the action. 907-357-0131.
Monday July 31st
I had two trips today, one in the morning and one in the evening. For the morning group I had 4 people we set out to fish Big Susitna tributaries in search of silver salmon. We began to catch fish right away using bobbers and eggs. Each person limited out on silver salmon and also caught and released several silvers. It was a great day on the river with friends and lots of fish. Between the 4 of them we had a 25-30 fish day, Silver fishing us VERY VERY good right now. CALL us to reserve your spot today! 907-357-0131
For the evening trip I had a father and son on board and they wanted to catch a fish sooo bad. They started off with a bang and the fishing was on. They easily limited out on silver salmon and caught and released many more.
Tuesday August 1st
Silver fishing continues to be EXCELLENT!! I had 4 guests with me today for a morning trip. All 4 were experienced fisherman who wanted to fish with fly rods. We chose to fish a tributary of the Big Susitna and found a great hole with literally hundreds if not thousands of salmon in it. It took only a few minutes and they were hooking up fish and having a great time. They limited out on silver salmon and each kept an additional third salmon to round out their limit. We caught 60-70 salmon today including silvers, pinks, and chums.
Thursday August 3rd
Today I had a morning group and an evening group and we fished the Deshka river both times. In the morning I had 4 people and we went down to the Deshka river. It was my first trip back to the Deshka in nearly 10 days and I was excited to see if the bite had come back on. For the last week of so the fish there had been schooling up in large numbers but were very reluctant to bite. My thinking was that the recent rain may have cooled the river a bit and the fish may get more active. The bite was DEFINITELY on!! We hammered the silvers again as if we were the only ones the fish liked. It was a very good morning of fishing, we limited out the boat (15 silver salmon) in a short time. These are some of the best days of silver fishing I have ever seen I
Friday August 4th
I had 4 guests on the boat today and we went to the Deshka river. The fish are still hanging at the mouth in large schools and the bite was on. We limited out in a very short amount of time (that is 18 silver salmon) and we caught and released another 25 silvers. We started the day floating eggs under bobbers and then after we caught our fish we switched to flies and spinners to do some catch and release fishing. This was another EXCELLENT day of fishing. There are so many fish! You see literally thousands of fish swimming around the boat. If you want to get out and catch some silvers now is the time. Call our office at 907-0131 for details.
Saturday August 5th
We left the dock today with 4 people. It was a family and friends day and we set out for the Deshka River to fish for silvers. The first line in the water produced a strike and within minutes we boated our first fish. After that, it was literally a fish every cast. The action stayed steady like that for over three hours. We boated over 50 silver salmon and kept the best 15 for our limit. It was one of the best days of silver fishing I have ever seen in over 19 years of fishing silvers here in Alaska. We have had nearly three weeks now of Excellent silver fishing with many 30-50 fish days. Now is the time to come out and catch those silvers. CAll today 907-357-0131
Sunday August 6th
Today we had a group from a wedding party that all wanted to fish together. There were 14 people in all and we set out for the Deshka for an afternoon trip starting at 2:30 PM. We had three boats running, the other two besides mine were operated by guides Howard Riley and Like Conner. The weather was sunny and hot and to be honest I had very little hope we would catch anything on such a bright sunny day. Boy were we pleasantly surprised!! When we pulled into the mouth of the Deshka we immediately located some huge schools of silvers swirling and moving around. I anchored up within casting distance and within seconds of the first bobber landing in the water we had a chrome bright silver on. The second, third, fourth, and fifth casts all resulted in our boat landing another salmon. All three boats began catching fish and soon 14 guests and 3 guides had limits of silver salmon. That is 51 silver salmon!! When you count all the fish they caught and released it added up to 70 fish. I had one guest catch and release an additional 7 silver salmon as did several others. It was an incredible day of fishing.
Monday August 7
I had 2 guests on board today and we set out for the Deshka river once again. It was a son who was taking his elderly father on a fishing trip and he wanted to get him on some fish. We did find fish when we got to the mouth of the Deshka and saw huge schools of silvers swirling around the silt line. We all caught our limit of really nice silvers and the daf was able to catch and release several other fish. It was a beautiful morning on the river.
Tuesday August 8
I had a group of 4 people on the boat today and we set out for the Deshka river. The mouth was quiet today as compared to the last week and it did not seem that there were near as many fish present there. We did catch fish but the bite was relatively slow by comparison to yesterday. Some boats did venture upriver to look for fish but soon came back to the mouth stating that they could not locate any fish upriver. We eventually left the Deshka and went to look for fish in other Susitna tributaries. We did get into a good silver bite and everyone limited easily. We caught silvers on eggs floated under bobbers and on flies.
Wednesday August 9th
I had a group of 4 people on the boat today and we fished some of my favorite spots in tributaries of the Big Susitna River. We began the day fishing eggs under bobbers and immediately found willing silvers. The fish were very bright and in awesome shape and had lots of fight. We picked through several average sized fish and kept larger ones and eventually we all caught and kept our limit. Some of our fish were caught using flies and spinners. In addition to the silvers we kept, we caught and released approximately 20 more as well as another 25 pinks and 5 chums. It was a very active day of fishing and we had lots of fun. I have openings tomorrow for those of you that want to get out right away and I still have space available for the weekend and into next week. Call us at 907-357-0131 to book a trip today!
UPDATE:
I have been fishing day and night and staying out at the cabin near the boat launch. Consequently, I have not had time to run in and update this report as I would like. Let me just say that we have been experiencing the best silver salmon fishing I have ever seen in 18 years of fishing in Alaska. Every day has been limits plus many catch and releases. We are averaging 30-50 silvers a day right now on our half day (6 hour) charters. It is OUTSTANDING fishing!!! Help us spread the word. If you know of anyone that would like to get out and catch a silver now is the time!!
Saturday August 12th
I had two groups today, one in the morning and the other in the evening. The morning group consisted of 4 people and we went to the Deshka river. The numbers of fish schooling in the lower river is astonishing. We had the privilege of witnessing and fishing schools of literally thousands of fish. We pounded them first with eggs under bobbers and then switched to flies. We caught approximately 60 silvers in 4 1/2 of fishing. The bite was outstanding. This was one of the best days of silver fishing I have ever seen. Tomorrow should be very hot.
Between the morning and afternoon charters I transported 2 guys upriver for a drop off. On my way back I was by my self and could not help but to stop and fish a little. I took out my fly rod and caught 4 fish on my first 4 casts. Man that is rough. Large schools of aggressive silvers chasing your hairball leach around seeing who can grab it first.
In the afternoon I had a group of 4 people and we blasted off for the Deshka again. I parked next to the same pile of fish that I had fished earlier in the day and the first cast produced a nice chrome bright silver. We caught an easy limit and then some being able to release many fish. What day of fishing!!!
Sunday August 13th
Today we went to the Deshka river with a group of 3 people. We motored up the river slowly looking for the large schools of fish we have been experiencing. It seemed like the largest schools were hanging around the silt line at the mouth so we anchored up on a large pile of silvers and tossed the bait out. Within seconds we had fish on and the action was hot. It was a fish every cast for a solid hour before it slowed at all. Limits were obtained easily and many fish were released.
Later today I went upriver to retrieve a couple of people I had dropped off the day before. We decided to run upstream a bit to look around. We found large numbers of silvers moving up the river and the fishing was HOT!! Anyone who wants to get out and experience world class silver salmon fishing should get on a boat in the next few days. CAll us at 357-0131 to book a trip.
Monday August 14th
I did not fish today.
Tuesday August 15th
I had two groups today. On the morning run I had 2 people and we set out for the Deshka River. Due to high water the huge schools that had been hanging near the mouth for so long had now blasted upstream in a big hurry. Recent weir counts to date are showing over 45,000 silver past the counter so far. We followed the fish upstream and finally located some good groups of fish. We had a great morning of catch and release fishing and my guests easily caught their limit of silvers. We caught them on eggs floated under bobbers, on spinners and dead drifting eggs on the bottom.
For the evening run my partner Howard Riley and I took a group of 5 upstream on the Deshka once again. We worked several spots catching a few fish and really hit the fish on the last hole. We were three fish shy of a boat limit but those folks chose to release several fish they could have kept. It was a good trip. All the fish were caught on eggs drifted under bobbers.
Wednesday August 16th
I did not fish today
Thursday August 17th
Today I had a group of 3 people looking to catch silver salmon. I saw a black bear today and we spotted a moose along the river. We fished a favorite tributary of the Big Susitna River and found water conditions to be fairly high and muddy. We worked stretches of slack water and back eddy's and found willing silver salmon in every place we stopped. Our guests were able to easily catch their limit of nice bright fish and were able to catch and release several other each.
Friday August 18th
I had a group of 4 people today and we decided to run up the Deshka to find some of those 59,000 silvers that have recently invaded the upper river. We started off the trip by seeing a brown bear along the river that gave us a great chance to take pictures before scooting off in the brush. We fished a couple of holes and managed only to catch a couple of fish until we found a sweet spot where quite a few silvers were holding. Right away we began hooking fish and easily caught our limit of 15 silvers. We had to pick through several older and colored fish to get the bright ones but we came away with some really nice chromers. We caught all the fish on eggs, mostly under bobbers, however a few were caught drifting them on the bottom. It rained the entire day and the river is rising steadily. We are scheduled to go out again tomorrow.
Update: August 19-21
We did not fish these 3 days due to high water conditions. Today (August 21st) There is a nice break in the weather and the rivers have begun to recede. If good weather prevails over the next few days we expect to be back on the river by Wednesday the 23rd. Please call our office for updated conditions. 907-357-0131
Wednesday August 23rd
Due to high water on the Deshka we opted to go to the Little Susitna river today. The daily bag limit on the Little Su has been raised to 3 fish per person. I had 4 people on the boat we set off upriver to look for silver salmon. The water conditions were still very high and muddy. We found several good groups of fish and had no trouble catching limits. We had to sort through several older red fish to get every bright one but they are still available. Some still had loose scales and sea lice showing that fresh fish are still making their way upriver from the salt. Each person on the boat was able to catch catch several silvers before retaining their bag limit.
Friday August 25th
Today we had a family of 6 people and we fished the Little Susitna river. Howard Riley and I split the group up and each took 3 people. Both boats found good pockets of silvers and everyone caught limits. Most fish were caught with eggs floated ESB under bobbers however two fly fisherman also did very well using a hairball leach. We also caught a few with spinners. Fishing is surprisingly good considering the high water and muddy color. The Little Su is holding good numbers of fish and if we are willing to release a few red ones we are getting limits of bright fish. Again we caught some with sea lice on them. Howard Riley took an afternoon group of 2 out today and they easily caught their limit of nice fat silver fish.
I actually had a couple hours today to go out by myself and fish. The sun finally came out for a while after 12 days of rain and I thought what the heck! I found a little spot holding what looked like 40 to 50 silver salmon and broke out my Orvis 7 wt fly rod. I donned the infamous purple hairball leach and proceeded to catch 15 fish in the next 90 minutes. I had a blast!
If you or someone you know would like to get out and catch some fish please call our office at 907-357-0131. We have available space on our boats daily.
Saturday August 25th
We had a group of 9 people this morning and we went out on the Little Susitna river. Howard Riley and I split them up 5 and 4 and the two boats set out in search of silver salmon. The water has been dropping fast, a good foot since yesterday afternoon, and the color is improving. Everyone in the group caught limits of nice silvers including the two guides, that's 33 fish! Each person released several older redder fish to get the brighter ones they kept. It was a great day of silver fishing! We caught fish again today with sea lice. Fresh fish continue to enter the river.
If you would like to get out and get into some great silver fishing just give us a call at 907-357-0131.
Sunday August 26th
I had a group of 3 people today and we fished the Little Susitna once again. It was a father, son, and grandson group and the goal was to get the grandson on some fish. We found a spot where some fish were hanging out and baited up the hooks. The grandson was the first to cast out and the bobber had barely hit the water and it went down. It was grins and giggles as the little guy reeled in his first salmon. Everyone caught limits and were able to release several other fish. Fishing continues to be good.
August 27th - 28th
I did not fish on these days.
Tuesday August 29th
Howard Riley took a group out today to the Little Susitna river. They fished their way upriver and caught several fish each. They caught most of the fish on eggs floated under bobbers and also caught a few fish on flies. Everyone caught limits and they got some bright fish. He will be guiding a group of 4 people to the Little Susitna again tomorrow. We expect fishing to continue to be good into September. If you would like to get out on a boat we do have space available. Call our office at 907-357-0131 for details.
READY FOR YOUR CHANCE TO CATCH SILVER SALMON?  |
