It's the first salmon run of the season at Ship Creek in downtown Anchorage and it's time to get out your rod and land a fish. Here's what you'll need:
First, slide the weight onto the line. Put the line through the end of the barrel swivel, giving yourself about two inches of line to work with to tie a knot. Using a fisherman's knot, turn the line over six times and then finish with an overhand knot. Cut off the extra line. Roll a small ball of salmon eggs and add to a piece of netting to create a pouch for the bait. Place the pouch in the loop at the end of the cheater rig and pull tight. Now you're ready to cast.
For the first method called bottom fishing or soaking bait, cast not far from the shore, let the lure touch bottom and make sure the line is tight. Now wait and pay attention. The second method is called floating bait or bobber fishing. In this method, you cast the lure and let it float with the current. Then, in synchronicity with your neighbors, you pull the line and recast it, letting it float with the current. Repeat over and over.
Befriend your neighbors; you're going to need a hand netting that king once you've landed it. When you see a tug on your line, make sure your neighbors know that you have a fish on the line by saying "fish" or fish on" so they move their lines out of your way. Hopefully your neighbor fishermen will grapple with the very slippery glacial mud found in Ship Creek to help you net your fish. Once the hook is removed, use your bat to give the fish two strong bonks on the head. Then take your knife to cut under the gills to bleed the fish.
Once you've landed your one fish per day limit, you must record the date, the species of fish and the water it was caught in on the back of your fishing license. If you plan to continue catch and release fishing, you cannot remove another catch from the water. You must remove the hook while the fish is still in the net in the water.
Ready to get cooking? Here's how to fillet your catch.
Watch this video on YouTube, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more great videos. Contact Tara Young at tara(at)alaskadispatch.com.