I'm deeply conflicted this week. Should I convert my vast corporate income from this column into buying another bag of herring or invest it into shares of the state fuel refineries that are attempting to turn charters and private vessels into row-powered dinghies.

Being an optimist, I'll go with another bag of bait.

I haven't seen fishing so slow at The Hole since I tried it while they were last dredging the pond during the off season (some guys just get desperate).

OK, OK, I admit there have been more kings showing up. Sometimes twice as many as the three fisherpersonages manning the banks daily, but, on the whole, we still have a return that sucks worse than state and other area politicians' support of the second run of silvers.

There I said it. Now they can answer why the lagoon may soon have even less fish than your toilet bowl. As for the community businesses and just plain "citzs" that keep contributing to try and make things work? "Right on!" Whoa, way '60s there. I don't want the badges to think I'm smoking my backyard ferns.

On the dark side, we do have something sad to report. Last week, 90,000-plus second- run silvers were planted in the lagoon's pens for feeding and imprinting. Within 36 hours, an estimated 52,000 had died. As of this writing, there is no explanation for their demise and the die-off has continued but slowed dramatically. Since the normal yearly plant is 50,000 smolt, there is still good hope for a nearly normal return.

Emergency Orders

and Regulation Reminders

If you don't know this by now, you need remedial reading training or less reliance on cosmic communiqus from your poodle on local fishing regs.

By emergency order, the Anchor River is closed to sport fishing through June 30 at 11:59 p.m. to protect king salmon returning to the river. In addition, the closed area in the adjacent salt waters is increased to two miles north of the Anchor River and two miles south of Anchor River. The closed salt water area also extends one mile out from the shore.

The Anchor River will reopen to fishing for all species except king salmon on July 1 to department markers located approximately 2 miles upstream.

The positive aspect to this crash-dive closing is that there are a ton of open campsites for those sponsoring beer-enabled "Skeeter Smackin" contests and road-kill barbecues.

Fresh Waters: Salmon

The Ninilchik River is now closed to fishing. It will reopen July 1 to fishing for all species except for wild king salmon to department markers located approximately 2 miles upstream.

Deep Creek also is now closed to fishing and will reopen to fishing for all species except king salmon July 1 to department markers located approximately 2 miles upstream.

You may still fish in your wading pool or neighbor's goat watering trough.

Salt waters: Halibut

Halibut fishing is progressively getting better for Lower Cook Inlet anglers fishing 15-20 miles west of the Homer Spit. Most anglers are reaching their limits harvesting halibut between 15-20 pounds with several fish between 50-100 pounds.

Fishing near Bluff Point and Point Pogibshi has been reliably productive.

Now if you want to know a really cool secret, try the areas around Flat Island and the kelp beds adjacent to Point Adams. Big fish, big egos, a horde of sore muscles, along with Jackpot Derby entries, what more could you want?

Get this: Federal rules for filleting halibut at sea are in effect. A halibut may not be cut into more than two ventral (bottom side pieces), two dorsal (top side pieces) and two cheeks, with skin on.

Anglers are allowed to consume halibut while at sea after filleting. Personally, I recommend cooking them unless you are being approached by a high-speed fisheries enforcement boat and you have more flats onboard than an orca could slam in 15 minutes.

The daily limit remains two halibut with a possession limit of four.

Salt waters: Salmon

King salmon trolling success is fair in Lower Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay. It's slow from Stariski Creek northward. In fact, it would be cheaper to pick up some at a supermarket.

Popular trolling set-ups include herring, Hootchies, tube flies, and spoons. Dodgers or flashers are cool for grabbing the attention of lurking kings. Depending on the overcast, try different colors like bright silver for sunny days to red and greens for varying overcasts.

King salmon fishing at the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon has been way slow. Try cured salmon eggs, back-up edible herring and blue No. 5 Vibrax spinners. Try fishing around the incoming and outgoing tides for further frustration. It's not all bad. There have been some 20-pounders showing up and the midnight snaggers don't have enough big schools to drag themselves out of the bars.

King fishing is fair to good in Seldovia and slow in Halibut Cove. Trolling herring and lures works well early in the run.

Shellfish

We will be talking about these critters very soon because some mammoth minus tides are headed this way June 20-27.

"Why, you say?" Because you might be surprised about what you'll learn about the possibility of Armageddon clams sneaking around in uncertified beaches near you. Stay tuned.

Razor clams can be found on the sandy beaches north of Anchor Point to Cohoe Loop Road; razor clam beds are exposed on any minus tide. Tides of minus -2.0 feet or lower are suggested.

Remember: You may not return razor clams to the sand once you have removed them.

Littleneck (steamer) and butter clams can be found in gravel beaches on the south side of Kachemak Bay from Seldovia to Chugachik Island. Littlenecks are more often found on the muddier beaches, while butter clams are more often found on the sandier beaches.

You have been told this before but we'll run it by you gain. There is a minimum size for littleneck clams of 1.5 inches and 2.5 inches for butter clams. Undersized clams must be returned to the beach and should be reburied on their side or neck up. This is not nuclear physics; check your Southcentral Regulation Summary Booklet for basic clam rules.

Fisheries for king crab, Dungeness crab and shrimp in Cook Inlet remain closed.

More next week if anything shows up other than what's hanging on the end of my bait hook.

Nick C. Varney is a freelance columnist who also is a fishing fanatic that prowls the shores and high seas in search of semi-truthful tales, tips and facts associated with anything that includes bait and a pole. If you have some, he can be reached at ncvarney@gmail.com.