by John Carpenter
Thursday, June 24, 2010
It's just after 5 p.m. when we anchor up at the confluence of the Susitna and Kashwitna Rivers. Terrance Shanigan has been fishing the Big Su drainage for years. And he's confident that we're going to have no trouble finding what we've come looking for -- king salmon. It's been a slow developing season for kings, but maybe today our luck will change.
"They're just kind of back-trolling right now, we're in about 4-5 feet of water," Shanigan says. "Back there is the confluence where the fish have been holding, they just kind of move through this area."
He's seen fish pushing 60 pounds out here. Back trolling with Kwikfish and Wiggle Warts lures, we don't have to wait long before we start hooking up. First Fred Miller hooks onto a jack. Then I hook onto a jack. A few minutes later Fred's rod is bent by a much bigger king. He decides to keep this 20 pounder. I land another smaller king and decide to release it. I keep fishing. That's two, two fish for me.
