newsminer.com

With harvest by commercial fishermen in Cordova less than half of what was anticipated by now, and sonar counts at Miles Lake lagging behind preseason projections, the opening of the dip netting season at Chitina has been pushed back by a day and shortened.

Personal-use dip netting for salmon in the Copper River at Chitina is now scheduled to open June 5 at 8 p.m. and will close on June 8 at 8 p.m. The original opener was set for 8 a.m. on June 4 and the fishery was going to basically remain open.

However, with sonar counts running well behind the anticipated counts, chances are the dip net fishery will be shut down for a day or two after the June 8 closure.

“Right now, if the counts hold the way they’re going, there will probably be a day or two lapse before the next opener,” said Mark Somerville, area management biologist for the Department of Fish and Game in Glennallen.

As of Tuesday, about 49,700 fish had been counted at the Miles Lake sonar, which is located about 70 miles downstream of Chitina. That compares with an anticipated count of 89,300 for that date. The daily count of 7,435 on Tuesday was only about half of the projected daily count of 14,130.

The commercial harvest of both red and king salmon has been running well behind anticipated counts, too.

Through four commercial openings, fishermen have netted about 116,000 reds and 6,000 kings. The projected harvest was about 230,000 reds and 18,000 kings.

Commercial fisheries manager Glenn Hollowell in Cordova said a commercial opening planned for today will likely be canceled because of the low harvest and sonar totals.

“The numbers have not come up,” he said. “At first, it looked like it was a late return but it looks like it’s weakening a bit.”

Chitina charter operator Mark Hem doesn’t expect dip netting at Chitina to be great for the opener.

“My experience for the opening is that it’s really good fishing for the first few hours and it’s slow the rest of the time,” he said.

Fish wheels in Chitina are catching a few fish and the river is still on the low side, but that could change, Hem said. The temperature on Wednesday in Chitina was pushing 70 degrees, which could bring the river up, he said.

Hem and charter partner Sam McCallister will be set up at O’Brien Creek for the opener and they will be operating on Sunday, as well, he said. Charters cost $100 this year.

For an updated report on dip netting at Chitina, call Hem’s hot line at 823-2200.

• • •

Fishing for arctic grayling in Badger (a.k.a. Chena) Slough is winding down, which means fishing in the Chena River should begin picking up.

The slough is a major spawning habitat for Chena River grayling and the cool spring made for a later spawning period this year, said Howie Van Ness at the Alaska Fly Shop.

“They were leaving Badger Slough and heading for the Chena a little later than usual,” he said.

Some anglers have reported picking up a few grayling on the upper Chena, Van Ness said.

“Nobody has come in and said it’s gangbusters” he said.

Cooler than normal temperatures have also been keeping the bite down, Van Ness said.

“Even for cold water fish like grayling, their metabolism is still a little slowed down,” he said. “They’re not as apt to go up and take dry flies now as they will when it gets warmer.”

• • •

Just about all the local lakes and ponds around Fairbanks except Harding Lake are ice-free and should offer good fishing with the cool weather, according to Richard Barnes at the Department of Fish and Game in Fairbanks.

“The last I heard, Harding Lake had some open water but not a lot,” reported Barnes. “The rest of them ought to be ice- free.”

Even though there’s still ice on Harding Lake, it might be worth trolling around the edges for lake trout and arctic char, he said.

• • •

It’s still early, but anglers have reported catching grayling in the Delta Clearwater River, Van Ness reported.

• • •

Higher-elevation lakes south of Fairbanks, most notably Summit, Paxson and Tangle, are still covered in ice except for the inlets and outlets, according to a report Barnes received from an angler friend who drove south last weekend to fish the Tangle River.

• • •

No reports of any kings being taken in the Gulkana River yet but that should change any day now. The water level in the Gulkana is reported to be low. Still too early for kings in the Klutina River.

• • •

The start of the Valdez Halibut Derby on Saturday was met with a torrential downpour and temperatures in the low 40s, but things started to heat up over the weekend.

Wayne Switalski of Fairbanks weighed in the first fish in this year’s Valdez Halibut Derby, a 75.5-pounder caught on Saturday. By the end of the day, however, Switalski’s fish was no longer on the leader board.

Mary Jo Kampschnieder of Howells, Neb. weighed in a 96.6-pound halibut she caught aboard the Dan Orion later that same day and Danny Allen of Sutton caught a 128-pounder aboard the Harvester on Sunday to claim the early lead in the three-month-long derby.

Martin Snyder of North Pole netted a 91.9-pound fish aboard the Dawn Treader on Sunday to hook third place.

The rumor is that this year’s halibut fishing season is running a little late because of the cool spring.

• • •

There haven’t been many kings reported taken in Valdez yet.

• • •

Anglers in the Mat-Su Valley are picking up a few kings on the Deshka River and Little Susitna River but fishing is still slow. It’s still too early for kings in the Parks Highway streams, though a few have been reported taken from the Kashwitna River. Still too early for good fishing at Eklutna Tailrace, too.

• • •

King salmon fishing in the Kenai and Kasilof rivers was reported to be slow over the Memorial Day weekend on the Kenai Peninsula. Water levels in both rivers are extremely low.

• • •

Karl Sanford of Fairbanks was finally knocked out of first place in the Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby but he can still win a $750 check for taking second place for the month of May if the 128.8-pounder he caught on May 3 remains in second place.

Wade Medema of Princeton, Minn. caught a 160.4-pound halibut on May 26 to take over the lead in the Homer derby.