9/29/08

Pike & Lake Creek

We went up to the lake for the last two weekends to fish for Pike and Rainbow trout.  We had a great trip, but it was very cold running the river both trips.  The first weekend was rainy and we got in some morning duck hunting as well as spectacular fishing.  The second weekend the weather was much better but the water has dropped to the second lowest I have seen it ever.  It was work getting into and out of the lake.  We caught some nice pike, lost a few big ones and landed nearly 100 rainbows and grayling while we were fishing over the two weekends.  A great way to finish the year at the lake.  We plan on fishing for more rainbows and grayling on the local streams and I will report how we do fishing in early october.

Greg

9/10/08

Moose Hunt

I have been busy hunting Moose with my buddies and their kids.  I took my friends son out opening weekend, three adults took out the three boys.  We snuck up on a very nice fork horn bull and got him friday night in unit 14.  We packed him out that night after a lot of work and set out the next morning.  I went with Bill and his son, we saw 16 moose, three bulls that were all between the size restrictions.  My other friend, Dave took both of his boys down the trail and shot a 36 inch bull with three brow tines.  We packed that moose out and called it a weekend.

I then went with the same two friends and their wives to unit 13.  Bills wife got a nice fork horn opening morning and we got it to camp early in the afternoon.  Bill and I walked around in the evening spotting 7 bulls, all were sub legal until we spotted two very nice moose.  After a 4.5 mile hike in the afternoon we stalked within 250 yards of both bulls, I dropped min and bill missed, that bull ran off.  My moose was 55 inches, 5 brow tines one side, three on the other.  We hunted for three more days not seeing another legal moose until half way out Bill shot a nice fork horn bull.  He dropped it with one shot in a swamp.  We winched the moose out of the water, onto dry land and had it skinned, gutted and loaded in just over an hour.   All in all a great year of moose hunting, 5 moose in two weeks.

Greg

8/29/08

Little Su8-20

I took a trip of three fisherman today, Larry Csonka, Audrey Bradshaw and Jonathan from Wolverine Lake Lodge.  We had a chase boat with the film crew (Pat & Kevin) and shot some fishing action for Larry and Audrey's show, North to Alaska.  The fishing was a bit slow as it can be later in the season but we hooked fish on eggs as well as mepps and vibrax spinners.  The water conditions were great and we could see schools of fish holding in the river.  We fished several holes, starting at the slide hole and working our way up river.  We released all of the fish careful to watch for bleeders.  All in all we had a great day of fishing followed up by a some excellent conversation with Larry and the crew about our adventures, dogs and kids.  This was a great group of folks and I would welcome them in my boat anytime.  Until the next time we are out pike fishing in September have a great weekend.


Greg

8/10/08

Little Su 8-10

I fished two trips today. The first was with clients at 6 am. We caught our limit on bobbers and eggs. The fishing was good and the take is still good. In the late morning and early afternoon I took my sister, two nephews and niece. We caught three fish, hooked two others and missed a few more bites. We were using bobber and may have done better back trolling but had fun and enjoyed the sun. The river has come up significantly and was becoming very dirty with the rain runoff. The USGS shows that the water level is spiking on the lower river tonight, dropping again with a slight increase tomorrow afternoon following todays rain. I would expect fair fishing in the morning.

Greg

8/9/08

Little Su 8-9

I fished the little Su today in the afternoon with four clients. The fishing was slow, due to higher water and poor clarity. We caught eight salmon keeping one that was a bleeder. We missed several other bites using bobbers and eggs. The river was as busy as i have seen it all year long and the boat traffic was likely adding to the reduced visibility in the water. We saw Ducks, several Greebe and three Bald eagles today. We caught one very notable Pink, it was around 30 inches and weighed over over 5 pounds.

Greg

8/8/08

Little Su 8-8

I had two guided trips today, one with four clients and the other with one.
We caught 8 silvers and a chum on the first trip. We caught the fish using bobbers and eggs today. The fishing has slowed down , this is normal for the third day of bait fishing. We also caught a pink and released it today.
On the second trip we caught four silvers, releasing one. We tried lures and bait, each worked effectively but the bite had slowed down since the am trip. I am sure the boat traffic effects the afternoon fishing. The river was at least as busy today as yesterday, I expect it to be a Zoo tomorrow. The water was slightly clearer in the morning and much dirtier on the second trip.

Greg

Little Su 8-7

I fished today with two clients today. We used bobbers and eggs and caught 6 silver salmon and one Chum Salmon. The water is a bit cloudy from the recent rain and boat traffic. The fishing was good but he river is very busy, There have been boat accidents so be cautious if you are on the river.

Greg

8/6/08

Little Su 8-6

I fished the lillte su today with three students or former students from Wasilla High School. The water has dropped and cleared with the recent clear, rain free weather. Today was the first day of bait fishing and we limited out early today. The silvers are still in great condition and putting up a great fight. We used eggs and bobbers today, lots of hard takes and a full boat of fish. We have openings this week so if you want to get a few more before winter give us a call.

Greg

Pike 8-3 to 8-5

I took two guests for an overnight pike trip. We caught several pike that were in the 6-8 pound range and one that was close to 15 pounds. The water is dropping and the wind was blowing the entire trip making fishing a challenge. We saw four black bears, a river otter and a seal on the trip. We also saw hordes of pink salmon in the creek.

Greg

8/1/08

Little Su 8-1

Today I fished with four clients. We got on the water just before six am and hooked a silver on the first cast. We caught our limit by 8:30 am letting a couple of fish go and loosing several others. The last fisherman in the boat took a very long time hooking a fish back trolling. He had 10 bites before he hooked the last fish, the bad part of it is that it was me. I just could not hang the last one today, gives me insight to clients that are having an off day. It was fun and the group was giving me a lot of lip service and having fun doing it.
The water remains high and dirty on the river. There was allot of garbage, sticks and leaves in the water today. This makes casting and cleaning a regular task. We saw Mallards, Greebe and some Sandhill cranes today.

Greg

7/31/08

Little Su 7-31

I fished the Little Su today with four clients. A great group that made the trip enjoyable by catching fish and having a good time on the river. The weather has taken a turn for the better and it was dry and sunny on the river today. The water is still high and muddy but is improving- dropping every day. we caught our limit of silvers with an extra chum today in two holes. We let 7 fish go and lost several others during the fight. The fish are all bright and we are catching them on every lure we throw at them. We saw several of greebe and mallards today but no moose or bears. I will be out tomorrow, see you in August.

Greg

7/28/08

Little Su 7-27

I fished the Little Su last night with two clients on an evening trip. we departed the landing shortly after 6 pm and ran down river. The weather was great, sunny and warm. We hooked a Humpie on the first cast and landed it. We fished spinners for a while and caught one silver and lost another. The fish were not rolling as much today as they were yesterday. we went down river a little farther and back trolled. We caught another pink and five more silvers. The bites were hard but it is difficult hooking them back trolling. We saw a beaver and lots of shore birds on this trip. The fishing is good, give us a call today to book your trip with Alaska Susitna Charters.

Greg Giauque

7/26/08

Little Su 7-26

I fished the Little Su today with three clients. We limited out on silvers and brought home one pink salmon. The fishing was good but the water remains high and muddy. The forecast is continued rain and I would expect the water to remain high for the next week. Watch the USGS web site before planning your trip. The Silvers were caught on Vibrax and Mepps lures. We saw a Moose, Beaver and eagles on the river and road today.

Greg

7/25/08

Little Su 7-25

I fished with four clients today on the little su. The water is very high and the color of chocolate milk. The fishing was tough until we located some fish in a hole. We limited out on silvers and caught two large chums. Fishing is tough and we had luck using size 5 mepps and 6 vibrax in assorted colors. I will be out again tomorrow.

Greg

Pike 7-24

I went on an overnight pike fishing trip. We caught quite a few pike with the highlight being the top water action in the evening. The weather was wet and cold so the fishing was interupted every 2 hours or so by a warming in the cabin. We fished the mouth of Fish creek and caught several Pinks, silvers and sockeyes. We saw a large seal on the lower part of the Yentna but no other large wildelife this trip.

7/22/08

Kenai Dipnet 7-21

I fished the Kenai River personal use dipnet fishery on Monday July 21st with another family. We got into Kenai at 8:30, the waves were crashing the shore and pounding a few brave souls that were trying to catch fish on the North Shore of the mouth. we waited until the morning and the waves slowed down around 9 am. We got into the water around 10:00 am and had 57 fish between two of us by 2:00 pm. I found this odd but we were fishing the out going tide and caught plenty of fish. It was very good for about 3 hours and slowed significantly the last hour. Most were 4-6 pounds but we did catch a few 10-13 pound lunkers, 2 flounder and a 20 inch dolly varden. We did not catch any kings, nor did we see any landed on the North shore. There were plenty of folks around fishing and the campground was packed. If you head down follow the rules the law enforcement officers are out checking folks. I had a great time and have lots of salmon canned and froze for the year to come. If you have not tried it, it is awesome when you are catching fish and lame when you are not.

Greg

7/20/08

Little Su 7-20

I fished the Little Su today with three clients. The water was higher than it had been and a bit dirty, some of this was due to boat traffic and some to rain runoff. There were several boats on the lower river today from the landing to three trees. The fishing started out slowly but we got a silver in the boat at 6:40 am after missing a few bites. We continued to hook, land and loose several fish. We hooked three Chums but only landed one today. The Chum had sea lice on it and was headed to the smoker. The silvers, our limit, were all as bright as could be, normal for early season fish. The fish were all between 6 and 12 pounds. We caught them on Mepps and Vibrax spinners in every color of the neon rainbow.
We saw a Moose cow and her calf this morning, a beaver, several mallards and a couple of eagles during the trip. I will be fishing this week but we have openings so give us a call to book your trip with Alaska Susitna Charters.

Greg Giauque

7/17/08

Little Su 7-17

I fished the little Su today with four clients. We started the trip at 7 am in the rain. The water was low, normal for this time of the year but will come up according to the USGS water gauge readings. This is due to the rain...I had enough of the rain today to last me all season. We caught 10 silvers and had 5 others on and missed a few bites. I was pleasantly surprised, it looks as if the fish are coming into the river and we may have a strong run. The fish were all average between 6 & 8 pounds with the last fish of the day being nearly 10 pounds. We did not see any large wildlife but the bear(s) have been around the campground. We did see eagles, mallards, merganzers, and several other shore birds today. If you want to get out and catch some salmon give us a call or send us an email.

Greg Giauque

7/16/08

Little Su 7-16

I talked with a friend tonight and he fished the little su today. He said the water level was normal for this time of the year (low) but they caught 9 silvers on the river. The USGS web site shows that the river is above the historical average for this time of the year. It appears that my friend either found a school of fish or the fish are coming in. He is a very good fisherman but I have a fishing trip this weekend and will report how we do.

Greg

7/9/08

Little Su 7-9

I fished the Little Su today with four clients. We started the trip late and did not fish the first hole until 6:25 am. The water was still up and a bit dirty, I think that this helped the fishing today. We went through the Slide hole without a bite first thing and I decided to move up river. We passed another guide that was taking care of a fish and his clients. I pulled into the next hole and began my drift. We hooked and landed a 16 pound king, boating it at 6:40. We drifted the hole again after taking care of signing the license and landed a 15 pound king at 6:55. Both of these fish were very red but the clients elected to keep them. We drifted the hole two more times without a strike and I decided to move to a fresh hole. I passed two boats in holes that I wanted to fish but decided on one that I had hooked and lost a king on the previous trip. I told the clients where the bites were likely going to happen and we hooked and landed a 16 pound male at 7:20. This fish was also very red and the client elected to keep it. We motored to the top of the hole signed our license and l began another drift. I joked about the last rod being the toughest and we may be in for a 3 hour wait for the next bite. But as luck would have it we waited about three minutes. We hooked a 27 pound king in the same spot landing it at 7:33. This was also a very red male but the group was happy to have four fish and be on their way to breakfast at the Windbreak. We took our time heading to the landing and saw Eagles, a beaver, ducks and shore birds. No bear today but I did see several Moose on the drive in and out and quite a few snowshoe hares. This was one of the fastest trips of the year and a great group of gentlemen to end the king season with. We will start fishing for silvers around the 20th of August. Give us a call if you want to go fishing with Alaska Susitna Charters for Silver Salmon.

Greg Giauque

7/7/08

Little Su 7-7

I fished the Little Su for Kings today with three fisherman. We hooked three kings, and landed two. One of the fish was red and the other was a 50-50 silver red fish. The fish weighed 22 and 25 pounds and were caught on wigglewarts. We also caught and kept a very bright chum and saw several others in the river. They seem to be coming in increasing numbers with each high tide. Today we saw a small grizzly two bends below the landing. The bear was swimming the river and looked to be a two or three year old juvenile. We got some quick pictures and continued to our first fishing hole. We also saw a moose swimming the river, several eagles and a few ducks today. The water has come up and was getting dirty, I would expect the fishing to become difficult until the water drops for the king closing in a week.

Greg

7/6/08

Little Su 7-6

I fished the little Su today for Kings with three clients. We had five bites and landed three kings. Two were jacks, we threw one back. The fish we kept was a 22 pound female that had a dark red tint and a pronounced seal scar on her tail. The river has dropped significantly and was very clear. I saw several schools of Sockeys, Chums, and/ or Pinks swimming upstream in the lower river. I also saw one silver in a hole and a few chums in another hole. I would expect that by mid to Late July the fishing for the other salmon species should improve greatly.
The fish have turned the corner on quality, Wednesday will be my last day King fishing the Little Su.
we saw a cow and calf moose this morning on a beach as well as several eagles. Another point of interest is that there is a Brown bear hanging around the first island below the landing. Buzz told me that he has been spotted early in the morning and they have the hiking trails posted with warning signs.

Greg

7/5/08

Lake Creek 6-3

Bill and I fished Lake creek for about two hours. We hooked 6 kings and landed four. Two were foul hooked and we let the other two go. Bill landed a Monster king well over 50 pounds. We chased it down river three hundred yards before he could get it to the net. we took some great pictures, removed a green wiggle wart from its mouth, a bonus from a big fish and let it swim. I love seeing those big make it back into the river to make more. There were allot of fish in the river and we saw a few bright fish roll as well as kings that had turned color. Lake creek is swift and you need to be on your toes when navigating upriver from the mouth. Most of the guides were running 16 & 18 foot jon boats with 50 hp jets upstream.

Greg

Pike 6-30 to 7-4

We went to the Pike lake for a family vacation. The fishing was fair with lots of evening top water action. We did not land any huge pike this trip but lots in the 4 to 6 pound range with a few larger fish. The mosquitos however were biting very en masse. We had some friends stay with us and they brought up some bed nets, a life and sleep saver. My nephew went up with another friend and they skipped around the lake on a jet sled behind the boat, that was some much needed comic relief for the adults. All in all a great trip, lots of fun and plenty of sun and pike.

Greg

6/28/08

Little Su 6-28

I took four fisherman out this morning. Right away we had a small bull moose and a cow feed past us on a bend in the river. The water has continued to drop and has began to clear further. I would expect he king fishing to steadily slow as the water drops. Today we hooked one fish and promptly lost it in the second hole we fished. We never saw this fish so I am positive it was over 50 pounds and I will never change my story. The group was great today and we joked about that one all day. We also hooked two other fish that fought briefly and lost them, one of these fish was sizable, likely over 30 pounds. Three of the four fisherman we successful taking home a 31, 26 and 24 pound king salmon. One of the fisherman his first king ever. All in all a great day of fishing.

Greg

Pike 6-27

I went pike fishing with three friends today. We caught somewhere around 50 pike in addition to seeing beaver, moose, a black bear, eagles and shore birds. The trip was very quick and we noted that the average size was down, I think the lack of cover near deeper water may have something to do with this. We did land one pike that was between 12 and 14 pounds and sent him back to get bigger.

Greg

Little Su 6-26

I took two clients out this morning. We fished on the Little Su using Kwik fish, wiggle warts and spin n glo's. We caught four fish, returning two jacks and had two fish on for several minutes, loosing one to a snag and had the hook pull out on another. Fishing was very good today with the water conditions both dropping & clearing. The fish weighed 29 and 26 pounds and were both in excellent condition.

Greg

6/25/08

Little Su 6-25

I fished the little su today with two clients. We hooked 6 fish and boated four, keeping two fish that were 22 and 25 lbs. The water is dropping and begining to clear.

Greg

6/23/08

Little Su 6-23

I fished three clients this morning. The weather was fair but cool. We caught a 16 pound king on our first drift and fished for about two hours until our next bite. This bite was within five minutes of me discovering a Banana in the boat and having it disposed of. This was followed by a few other bites and hookups but lost fish. One appeared to be well over 30 pounds. We hooked and landed a 22 pound king at 11:00 am. I never was able to get the third fish, I blame the banana.

Greg Giauque

Little Su 6-22

I fished with two clients today in the rain. It was cold and very wet. We hooked and landed two kings and retired for the day. The first king was a 24 pound fish that was very bright and the other king was a small jack. We had time left in the trip but the conditions we poor and my clients asked to come back early.

Greg

6/21/08

Little Su 6-21

I fished this morning with two clients, a grandfather-grandson team. The weather was wet and cold but that did not deter a large number of fisherman from hitting the river. The water was down a bit but is still dirty, I would not expect the showers and warm weather combinations that we have seen recently to change the water conditions very much. The average this time of year is 694 cfs and we are currently at 939 cfs of discharge.
Today we hooked and landed a 45lb male in the first hole we fished using a wiggle wart. we had him in the boat and recorded by 6:10 am. The fish had a slight tint of red and looked every bit of the 45 pounds. He was the biggest that I have boated this year. We then fished three other holes before hooking and landing a very bright 23lb male and calling it a perfect day.


Greg Giauque

Little Su 6-20

I have fished the Little Su the last two days with clients. Friday I had two fisherman and we caught one fish, a Jack. I was not pleased with the fishing and most of the guides on the lower river had similar results. One guide had caught three fishing in the same holes that we had fished with the exact same lures. I wonder what makes a king hit one time and not another? I guess if I knew that I would be the Dr. Phil of Salmon.

Greg

6/18/08

Little Su 6-18

I went fishing today with three other guides. We took turns rowing in a little derby to see who could catch the biggest and row up the most fish. I rowed up both the most and the biggest fish of the day. I will gladly wear the crown until next year. We had 5 bites hooked 4 and landed 3 kings in a short morning trip. Our fishing has still been good and the weather forcast is looking great for the next few days. Give us a cal if you are interested in catching some fish.

Greg
Alaska Susitna Charters
(907) 745-1712
(907) 355-1712 Cell

6/16/08

Little Su 6-16

I fished the little Su this morning with two clients. We had four bites and landed two fish. They weighed 22 and 28 pounds. Both were dime bright and loaded with sea lice. The fishing was a bit slower than it has been for some of the guides, several were skunked, but we brought them home after some persistence and hard work. We saw three moose, a small bull and a cow with a very young calf. We also saw a beaver that provided us with some great photo opportunities. We have openings this week, call us at (907) 745-1712 or (907) 355-1712 to book your trip.

Greg Giauque
Alaska Susitna Charters

6/15/08

Little Su 6-15

I fished this morning with five clients. We fished for the entire trip and landed two kings and had a third by the boat that broke of before I could get it netted. We had 6 bites today, fishing has slowed some. The water level came up nearly a foot while I was on the river. The majority of the guides caught at least one or two fish today with one guide getting skunked. I saw and nearly hit two moose on the way to the river this morning, watch out for them. We also saw a beaver in the river on the way to the first hole.

Greg Giauque

6/14/08

Little Su 6-14

I fished the Little Su this morning with 5 clients. There was a light rain/ Drizzle on the river with some clearing in the later morning. we had 6 very hard bites and landed 4 fish weighing 36, 32, 26 & 25 pounds. The great news is that we are still averaging well over 50% catch rate for our fisherman for the season. The youngest fisherman in the party landed the biggest fish but did not have a Derby ticket. That is the second youngster this week that landed a good fish with no ticket, Darn. We were using Kwik fish and Spin N Glos today. The water has come up about 6 inches and and was dirty due to heavy boat traffic and increased water flow. I would expect to see the water level rise more over the next few days as the runoff from the rain in Hatcher Pass makes its way down stream.
We did not see any Moose or Large animals on the river today but we did see several Ducks and shore birds. Give us a call and lets go fishing.

Greg Giauque

6/13/08

Deshka 6-13

I called and visited with a guide and a fisherman that had been fishing out of the Deshka landing. They both said the fishing was good in the morning but slowed as the day progressed. They said that the fishing picked up in the evenings but was not quite as good as it was in the morning. I inquired about the emergency order regarding bait and they admitted that the fishing would slow but about half of the fish they were catching were on lures both at the mouth and in the river below the wier. They had both noted that the fishing varies from day to day but as a whole seemed to be improving.

Little Su 6-13

I visited with another guide today regarding his trip on the Little Su. He caught three fish and reported that of the other five guides he saw one caught two, two caught one each and two caught no fish during the morning. He also noted that there was heavy boat traffic on the river today and the water was very dirty. I have a group in the morning and will report back in the afternoon.

Greg

6/12/08

Little Su 6-12

I fished this morning with 5 clients on the Little Su. We got a late start but had 12 good bites and landed four fish. We had two other fish on for a short period of time before they pulled loose. We used spin-n-glos, Kwik Fish and Wiggle Warts today. All of the lures seemed to work as well as the other. The fish were all between 24 and 34 lbs and bright. I had my wife come out for the afternoon and she landed a 26 lb King after 5 minutes of fishing. I tried to hook one but was unable to as I was busy back trolling. The fishing is improving daily.

6/9/08

Little Su 6-9

I fished the Little Su this morning with four clients. The water is still a bit low and was clearing today after this weekends heavy boat traffic. We had four solid bites and landed two fish a 34 lb and 15 lb fish. These were both caught early in the trip. The remaining bites were spread throughout the trip and fishing remained slow after 9 am. The fish are not yet pouring into the river but I expect to see a very large surge as the water level rises with warm weather.

6/7/08

Deshka 6-7

I visited with three different fisherman today about the Deshka River. They all had the same report slow fishing with only a few being caught at the mouth. The large schools of fish are not there. The weir has had 150 fish through it as of yesterday and the water level has been steadily dropping. The Deshka, Little Su and other streams all seem to be having a king run that is later than the normal average.

Greg

Little Su 6-7

I fished the Little Su today with four clients. The fishing was slow for everyone on the river, there were ten fish through the check station at 1:00. We had three fish on, lost one after a 5 or 6 minute fight and landed two others. I saw several other guide boats pull in with no fish today and the gentleman manning the booth told me many of the fish caught were from the bank. Every fish that we have caught has been a Chromer with lots of sea lice (5-8 per side). This makes me think that the fish that are being caught are ones that are just trickling in. The run appears to be late, like elsewhere in the Susitna drainage and the fishing should improve very soon. One more note is that the trucks and boat trailers were lined up the hill at the landing, there were more boats on the water today than any day I have seen this year.

6/6/08

Little Su 6-6

I had a nice couple fishing with me today, newly weds from Minnesota. We got started a bit late but made it down river to some good holes. We had four bites, hooked three fish and landed two. The first fish we hooked found a snag and pulled off. The fish looked to be about 30 pounds. The second fish was a bright 27 pound female that jumped all over the Kwikfish and put up a great fight. The second fish was a 17 pound fish that also took a Kwikfish and tore my client up. At one point it ran at us and he lowered his rod in frustration, I told him to reel fast, it was coming at us. We netted the fish, signed his license, took some pictures and were bak to the landing by 10:45. Another Guide that was working around me had three clients, each caught a fish and he had two other bites that were missed. he fishing is picking up and should be getting better daily. We have seats open, give us a call.

Greg

6/5/08

Deshka 6-5

I visited with a friend today that has fished the Deshka River the last three mornings. He reported, "The fishing has been great the catching has been poor". He said they have seen a few fish landed but the numbers of fish rolling and moving appears to be lower than in the past. I have noted that on some of the fishing forums there is allot of talk about the Deshka run being later than normal this year. I have guide trips for the remainder of the week and a few next week. I will have a report on the Little Su Friday or Saturday.

Greg

6/2/08

Hooligan

On our way to the pike lake we caught and observed several very large schools of Hooligan along the river. I have not chartered for Hooligan but would be open to the idea. We filled our cooler in 6 dips at our Secret Spot. If you are interested in a Hooligan Charter give me a call and we can work something out.

Greg

Lake Creek 6-1

I visited with a guide that had been fishing Lake Creek and the surrounding streams today. There are a few fish at Lake Creek being caught as well as elsewhere. The thought is that these are fish headed to the Talchulitna River and other tributaries of the Yentna and Skwetna drainages. We did not see any fish roll but he indicated that they had hooked one just prior to our arrival. The fishing is slow and will not likely pick up for another two weeks or more.

Pike 6-1

We spent the night at the lake for an overnight Pike fishing trip. I had two clients from New Hampshire in a bit of a one sided fishing derby. We caught well over 50 pike with 2/3 of the fish being caught by one client. The slow and steady attitude won out with a 43" 20 lb pike just an hour be fore we quit fishing and came home. This fish was a whopper that looked like a log in the water. We got the dimensions and lots of good pictures for a great mount. We saw several moose both going up and back,a very plump Beaver, Eagles, and other shore birds on this trip. All in all a great trip and more happy customers fishing with Alaska Susitna Charters.

Greg

Little Su 5-31

I took two guests out for a combination King salmon and Pike fishing trip. We got a late start and fished for kings on the Little Susitna river. We had one very good bit but missed it. The fish are still just trickling in, when we left at 6pm there were 15 fish on the board at the parks toll booth. I visited with a few of the guides and most of them were having a slow day as well. I would expect the fishing to improve dramatically over the next week or so, peak around the 10th of June.

Greg

5/29/08

Pike Fishing 5-23 to 5-26

We fished for Pike over the weekend and had a great time at the lake. The fishing was slow, I attribute this to the high water, the pike move into the weeds where we can't get at them and the cold water temperatures. We have fished the Pike early in the past and they are aggressive but this trip they were a bit slow on the take. I would expect the fishing to improve with warmer temperatures and lower water levels.

Greg

5/21/08

Susitna Kings

There are reports of a Few King Salmon being caught in the Susitna Valley. I have only seen one fish, via a photograph taken recently. The local sporting goods stores have a few photos up but nothing like we will see in the next few weeks. We have a few openings during the peak of the run in Early June, give us a call.

We will be heading out to the lake for some Pike fishing over the weekend and I expect to report well over 100 pike landed during our Derby. Have a great weekend,

Greg

5/14/08

Eklutna Tail Race

I talked with two other guides today and both had heard that the first king salmon of the year had been caught at the Eklutna Tailrace the day before yesterday. I have not hear of a definite catch from the sporting goods stores but would not be surprised in the slightest. The water at the tailrace has come up due to the recent warm weather and snow melt. I would expect quite a few fish to start coming in over the next two weeks in the lower Matanuska-Susitna rivers and streams. The Yentna River Drainage is reported to be ice free with the exceptions of some bank ice according to Eric Johnson jr. at Northwoods lodge. The water level is also expected to be higher than last year due to a "normal" snow fall in the drainage. I am planning to head up the Yentna later next week for a memorial weekend Pike fishing trip and will provide a full report on conditions and fishing. The early fishing has been spectacular in the past and I am sure that this year will not be any different.

5/5/08

Fishing forecast

The Big Susitna tributary strems, Talchulitna, Lake Creek, Deshka, Talketna, and Little Susitna rivers are expected to have good returns of King and Silver Salmon in 2008. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game, ADF&G, showed that most of these rivers either met or exceeded escapement in 2007. The return on the Deshka river is forecast to be down this year but the ADF&G is still expecting a Deshka King Salmon return of over 20,000 in 2008, Spawning escapements topped 40,000 fish for coho salmon that should return to both Deshka and Little Susitna River in 2008. This will produce some phenominal fishing in late July through August for Silver Salmon.
The ice is moving on the rivers and most of the lakes re almost ice free. I expect many of them to be navigable in just over a week. This is dependent upon the wether but the 5 day forecast for the Matanuska-Susitna Valley looks good. We had some great trips ice fishing for Pike this winter and are expecting this fishery to continue to produce for us in 2008.

The fishing season is upon us and the forecast looks great and we are ready to get fishing.

Greg

3/18/08

Cabin Construction

We have been up to the lake working on the cabin several weekends this winter. We have had some varied luck ice fishing. I think we have had 4 pike through the ice that were over 40 inches and put 3 of them back. There is alot of snow and ice this year and the conditions should be prime for salmon and pike fishing this summer.

Greg