Alaska’s best king run falling on hard times What’s acknowledged as the best king salmon run in Alaska if not the world is running at a historic low this year, prompting state officials to limit king fishermen to catch-and-release only, and no bait, on the legendary Nushagak and all... Read more
The downtown Anchorage Ship Creek Slam’n Salm’n Derby kicks off Friday at 6 a.m. and it’s shaping up to be the best Derby in many years. A big surge of big king salmon has been filling the creek for the past 10 days, with a 43-pounder the largest weighed... Read more
The 2019 Winter King Salmon Tournament is Saturday, March 23 and with charter captains doing very well on feeder kings in Kachemak Bay this week, conditions are prime for an excellent derby. Relatively mild weather, with light winds and drizzle, but temperatures in the 40s should both help the... Read more
Ship Creek Derby winds to muddy end
Fishing June 16, 2018
The year’s Slam’n Salm’n Derby on Ship Creek is winding to a muddy end after torrential rains Friday night again flooded the creek with high muddy water. The 28.95-p0und king was still leading as of this morning, among just 98 kings weighed in through Friday. The derby ends at... Read more
(Palmer) – The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is prohibiting the retention of king salmon on the Little Susitna River drainage from its mouth upstream to the Parks Highway effective 6 a.m. Friday, June 15 through 11:00 p.m. Friday, July 13, 2018. This sport fishery is restricted to catch-and-release only for king... Read more
Ship’s kings off to slow start but building
Fishing June 5, 2018
By Lee Leschper There are king salmon in Ship Creek. And if you put in enough time, are good enough, and especially lucky enough, you might catch one this week. I watched one of the regulars, who I know only as Peter, hook and land an honest 30-pound king... Read more
The Anchor and Ninilchik Rivers and Deep Creek Drainages Closed to Sport Fishing The bad news on this year’s king salmon runs continues. Joining the MatSu Valley and Southeast Alaska, the popular streams on the Kenai Peninsula have been closed to king salmon fishing until late summer. Here’s the... Read more
Ship Creek: Celebrating The People’s Fishery
Fishing May 20, 2018
Editor’s note: As the first king salmon of the year are being caught from downtown Anchorage’s Ship Creek, and the fish and fishermen return in droves, it seems a perfect time to take a longer look at the most popular urban fishery in America. By Lee Leschper It was... Read more
Today: The King that may never be dethroned
Fishing May 17, 2018
Today in 1985, a Soldotna fisherman went fishing…and came home with the largest king salmon ever recorded on hook and line. Les Anderson wasn’t looking for a fishing record that may never be broken. He and a buddy were just getting an early start on the year’s Kenai king... Read more
Editor’s note: Charlie Swanton, member of the Alaska Pacific Salmon Commission, wrote this analyis of the generations-old challenges of managing the salmon that Alaska and Canada share, especially for stocks that continue to struggle. This was previously published in the Juneau Empire. By Charles O. Swanton Alaska Department of Fish... Read more
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