The Kings of the Nushagak
by Tim Lesmeister
When the
float plane landed it softly brushed the surface of the river
before settling in. It was a picture perfect landing, which can
be expected when floats take the place of wheels and the landing
surface is water instead of tarmac. Expectations were high on the
Nushagak River in southwestern Alaska because “The Noosh” as this
river is often referred has the largest king salmon run in the
world, and the fish are huge. It’s not at all unlikely to tie
into fish over 40 pounds.
The trip was
arranged on short notice. While many anglers think that a trip to
fish kings in Alaska requires a lot of preparation the reality is
that a phone call to the camp and a few travel reservations are
all that’s required. For a last minute guy like me, it’s a
blessing to know that there are always a few open spots that can
be filled when a week suddenly opens up in the schedule. This
situation pertains to anyone; you don’t have to be “connected.”
The first
day on The Noosh was cool, but the skies were clear. It was a
short boat ride to a spot on the river where the big king salmon
had stacked up behind a rise in the bottom.
The guide
positioned the boat to hold steady in the current and handed me a
rod with a Kwikfish lure to toss out. The Kwikfish looks like a
big Lazy Ike and it dove right to the bottom where those big
salmon were stacked. It’s the current that gets that lure to
wobble so the guide holds the boat steady in a spot with the
motor, just slipping slightly one way or the other to keep the
lure in the zone. When you’re on fish it doesn’t take long to get
a bite.
Even though
these big king salmon are spawning they will crush a lure, and the
fight is beyond compare. Rod bent and drag screaming the salmon
bulldog out into the river. Head shaking and with long leaps
these fish even take to the air as they try to shake loose from
the bond that ties them to the angler. You don’t just reel in an
Alaskan king salmon. It’s a give and take battle where you reel
in ten feet of line and they take back twenty. The longer you
hold your ground, the easier it gets, but there is no easy when
you’re on the end of the rod that has just tagged a Nushagak
king. That’s why it’s so much fun.
After a few
hours of fighting the fish that were bunched up in the trench, the
hole dried up. The guide informs me that the salmon are on the
move and spread out in the channel. It’s time to change
strategies. “We’ll soak some berries,” he says, and we move on.
We making
the switch to a spin-and-glo setup with salmon eggs (soaking
berries) where a two-ounce weight is used to get a spinning
attractor tipped with a half-dollar size piece of Pro-Cured salmon
eggs down to the bottom. This technique lets you cover some
ground and pick off the kings that are spread out on the bottom
and meandering upstream.
You don’t
troll upstream with this method. You slip and drift downstream
keeping the weight on the bottom and the spinner turning. The
scent from the salmon eggs lures the big kings into biting and
when they tug you tug back.
The weather
may change in Alaska on The Noosh, but the salmon fishing remains
consistent. Salmon from 20 to 40 pounds don’t hesitate to step
into the ring to do battle. By the end of each day, with plenty
of salmon recorded on film, stories about the big ones that didn’t
get away are told over a hot meal of – what else – salmon.
There’s a slight feeling of remorse when it’s time to jump back in
the float plane for the trip home, but those big salmon run strong
every year and they’ll be there when I return.
For more
information about the mighty salmon run on the Nushagak visit
www.nushagakadventures.com.
