Deshka River June 2004

Recreational salmon fishing for kings, or also called chinook salmon, on the Deshka River in southcentral Alaska. The Deshka is a tributary of the Susitna River which runs to Cooks Inlet near Anchorage. It can be reached by driving one hour north from Anchorage to a Susitna River landing near Willow. From the landing you can take a guided trip or your own boat on a 15 minute boat ride down the Susitna to it’s confluence with the Deshka. Flight services in Anchorage or the MatSu valley offer trips to the area. The river is only a few minutes plane ride from Anchorage. In early to mid-June many Alaska and Outside fisherman descend upon the river to catch kings that have come the short distance up the Susitna from the saltwater of the inlet. During the peak of the run in mid-June as many as 3000 kings a day pass a fish weir on the river. In late summer, silver salmon head up the Deshka. This popular river is visited heavily during both the king and silver runs.