Salmon mania

[Richard Flanders]

We have a dip netting sockeye fishery up here in the Copper River. Went down with a neighbor two days ago and fished yesterday. We were dropped here by a charter operator and had our 60 fish limit, to include one 35+lb king in good shape, by noon-thirty. Chris had the best spot so I mostly killed, gilled and strung them. The two coolers of filets weigh at least 70# each. We got home at 0230 this morning. Now the vacuum packing... and then the grilling, starts! These Copper River reds are considered the best salmon in Alaska.

[Big D]

Copper River salmon is the best. Isn't there a restriction which limits high volume takes to Native Americans?

[Richard Flanders]

We were in on the "personal use" fishery below the bridge at Chitina. Above the bridge it's "susbsistence", whatever that means. The natives often get to do what they please at times, but not always. I really don't know or care what those rules are, I do know that subsistence is not limited to natives at all. I could probably qualify for subsistence fishing next year. Everything went our way yesterday - best spot on the river, CAVU weather, no rain or wind, I didn't fall into the river and no running off the road from exhaustion while driving back home after fishing all day, which is a big one and not unheard of. It was a spectacular and productive day and very economic if you consider having to buy 150# of sockeye at the store for $8/# or whatever it is these days. If gas was $10/gal you'd just laugh and pay it and haul azz off to go fishing. It's a very worthwhile trip. The charter guy said they were considering raising their price from $110/person to $140... I did the math in my head and that raises the cost by the price of only two filets off one smallish sized fish at the grocery store so has an insignificant effect on the economics of the situation. Here are the cleaning tables the charter outfit sets up. The clouds of gulls in the creek where all the waste goes are a very well-fed lot...

[Big D]

Wish I'd been there

[edgarspencer]

Richard, My son got back to Kodiak, after 4 hot years in Clearwater, last month.
He makes sure that any of the guys going to the Prop school (10 miles from me) bring fresh fish. I mean, hey, scotch don't grow on trees anymore.

[Dean Romig]

And all this time I thought the reds came in in late June and the first few weeks of July and turned bright red with green heads after being in the river only about two weeks or so...
Apparently that is dependent on the river or drainage they're in.

Were they all taken with dip nets?

Have you ever caught those crazies on a fly?

[Richard Flanders]

I think they're called reds because their meat is by far the reddest of any salmon. The king isn't near as red as the "reds", not even close. All my friends share their kings long before they share their sockeye. Quite frankly, I'm not much of a salmon fan most of the time, but these reds are absolutely yummy and not as "fishy" as some other salmon. I don't know if these sockeye turn deep red on the outside when they get way upriver and start falling apart but I think they, I think all salmon do. They're not edible at that point, except to the bears. They were all caught with a net; it's a special dip net fishery that requires a Chitina dip netting permit. They would be lots of fun on a flyrod if that were possible. I did snag a 15# salmon while trout fishing on the Kvichak two yrs ago, which was quite the battle. I've also snagged them while grayling fishing with a light spinning rod in a small creek - also quite a battle. They're still very strong at this point in their travels upriver and are near impossible to hold down to the sand so you can club them. It was a major accomplishment for me to not have whacked myself on the hand or thumb with our bonker, a stout little steel axle off something, for 60 fish. Yesterday was a long vacuum packing session on my packing blanket-covered cherry dining table and they're all in the freezer. Now it's time to get ready for the duck opener Sept. 1!

[Dean Romig]

I've taken both sockeye and chinooks (kings) on the fly rod. More fun than a man oughta have standin' up. I'll show some pics soon.

Sockeye fillets on the grill are delicious, especially lathered with your favorite sauce,

[Twice Shooter]

Hi Richard, My son and I fished salt water silvers at Kodiak and Afognak one summer and caught fish until our arms hurt so bad we had to stop fishing. I did the same thing in the south river at Unalakleet with pinks.
Also did the dip netting at Chitna but luck was not with us on that one. but still had a great time. Your pictures make me home sick. Cheers, tom

[Richard Flanders]

The silvers will start running up the Copper here pretty soon. Chris caught most of the fish and his shoulders and forearms were pretty trashed by days end, and he's stout lad. I've caught a lot of pinks at the mouth of the Nome River when they were flooding in by the gajillions; big fun and they're nice and fresh at that point so cook up pretty nicely. There's good dolly fishing on a flyrod upriver also. I used a 00-wt Sage flyrod to catch them up to 30" and had a ball. It's that time of year up here. I've picked about 4gal of blueberries so far with my berry pickin' buddy below and many friends are out doing the same. Everyone is out harvesting something for the next month and a half. Our grouse season opened Aug 10. I saw some nice caribou in the back of pickups on the way to Chitina.