2008 Alaska fishing reports and forecasts cover Deshka River and Little Susitna River king salmon and silver salmon fishing trips in Alaska summer seasons, and winter ice fishing in Mat-Su Valley lakes road accessible from Anchorage, Palmer, and Wasilla. Our season fishing forecast is posted first, however, you may skip the forecast by scrolling down, or clicking fishing report.

2008 Alaska Salmon Fishing Forecasts

King Salmon - Deshka River Expectations
Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) data collected at Deshka River Weir during 2007 indicates the Deshka River king salmon run will likely be smaller than last year, however, ADF&G is still expecting a Deshka king salmon return of over 20,000 fish.  Deshka fishermen will be allowed to use bait starting May 15,  but, the daily bag limit for king salmon will likely remain at one fish per day rather than increasing to two kings daily as it has in the past.  We expect the river to be open on a 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. basis in 2008.  Because  Deshka River fishing regulations have been liberalized by ADF&G each of the past several seasons, and could be adjusted in 2008, we encourage anglers to check current regulations before fishing Deshka River.  For a Deshka River regulation update call ADF&G at 746-6300.    

Little Susitna River King Salmon - Less, but Larger 
ADF&G data for the Little Susitna River king salmon fishery is not as good as that available for the Deshka River, however, I would expect a Little Susitna king salmon fishery similar to what we’ve seen in past seasons.  This river does not have near as many king salmon as the Deshka, however the average king salmon caught caught can weigh up to 10 pounds heavier than the average Deshka River king salmon.

Silver Salmon Forecast - Expect Better Fishing in August
Parent year spawning escapements topped 40,000 fish for coho salmon that should return to both Deshka and Little Susitna River in 2008. On the other hand we experienced a large flooding event on both rivers in the fall of 2006 which could have affected in river survival of juvenile coho salmon. When a huge return of silver salmon occurs we usually have larger numbers of coho salmon through out the entire season, however, with uncertainty of how high water may have affected young salmon that would return this year, I would advise people with flexibility to schedule silver salmon trips in August (when the bulk of the salmon are available in the rivers we fish).

Our goal is to post a daily fishing report for each trip I run (when I have time I may post reports form other guides as well) but if time constraints delay us from updating for a few days, you can also visit previous year's reports to see what happened then. Salmon run timing is relatively consistent from year to year, so that should give you a rough idea of what to expect. Enjoy our 2008 reports.