Silver Salmon Runs

grizzmoose · Jul 30, 2008

Hi guys,

I have been to Alaska twice to fish the Situk River for Silvers. Both years were pretty good, though very different. This year I have a friend who is going to the same place at my recommendation. The river is running very high and other species appear to be low in numbers. I have been watching weir count numbers for the King and Sockeye runs and they are extremely low compared to years past. Low enough that F&G have closed the river for those species. What Im wondering is if any of you have had any experience or have any knowledge as to whether these low run numbers will/can forecast silver numbers. I think if the water goes down, things will get better, but the low run numbers have me nervous for him. Based on this information, do you all think he is in for a tough fishing trip?

Thanks,

-Travis

manny15 · Jul 30, 2008

wow, now alaska.....Low numbers Scarry!

gleninaz · Jul 30, 2008

My bet is if he is there mid september he will catch plenty of silvers. Yakutat never had a great run of kings that I can remember. I know the Japs continue to impact the runs through "incidental" salmon catches and the king runs in the lower 48 are poor but my buddy just got back from the Nushagak and they caught 70+ kings a day for him and 2 grandsons so they are fine that far north. If he is early then that is a bigger problem on the Situk and Lost.

grizzmoose · Jul 31, 2008

It seems that when the water is high up there, the Situk is a bust, but I caught some good fish on the Lost. How many times have you been up there Glen?

MuskegMan · Jul 31, 2008

Fish are running 2-3 weeks late in Southeast this year. It hasn't been raining too hard this last week. We are currently about 7" of rain above average in Juneau. It's been a sheeeiitty summer. I just wimped out on spiking out for the deer opener tomorrow. Just don't like bivvying out in the rain much.

My kid is deckhanding on a gillnetter. They are just starting to pick up silvers now. I plan on taking my boat out and sporting fishing for them this weekend. I hear they are running big.

The king run was a bust.

Tsiuboyss · Jul 31, 2008

fish the tsiu if ya can handle the blowing sand and cranking comercial fisherman 100 plus silvers a day

CAelknuts · Aug 1, 2008

It's a long way from where you're talking, but if you want some of the finest silver fishing in all of Alaska, the Unalakleet River can't be beat. I haven't been there in a long time, but I had 100+ fish days on that river before. It was the most ridiculous silver fishing I've ever seen.

gleninaz · Aug 1, 2008

Griz-I have done 26 trips in the last 30 years and 5 to Yakutat but most of those were in the early 80's. I drowned in '82 on the Situk when the tide came in and I tried to cross the river. One other guy on the river and as I was seeing a bright light I felt a 15# test line in my hand and got a death grip and he played me in to shore and got the water out. Altered the way I looked at life. It is a great fishery if you hit it right.