Copper River king salmon wait to be weighed on the fishing tender F/V Lucid Dream on Thursday, May 20, 2021. (Emily Mesner / ADN) It is mid-May and, in the not too distant past, I would be thinking about king salmon fishing, getting my gear ready and getting very excited. I would go to my favorite river, one that I call the center of the universe, to fish for kings beginning on the Memorial Day weekend.

I’d see friends that I have seen for the past 48 years and other people I recognize but don’t know by name. We would fish and chat about old times and the people we no longer see because they have passed on to the Great King Salmon River in the Sky. We would all moan about the hell that is getting older and all of our aches and pains.

When people asked if I went to church, I would say absolutely yes — I go to the Church of the King Salmon. After surviving a long winter, just being out in the spring on a beautiful little river with the sun shining on the mountains across a shimmering Cook Inlet is a very spiritual experience. In mid-May, people all over the state would normally be getting ready for the king season with the opportunity to visit with friends and the obligation to pass down our fishing traditions and values.

Some of us sport fish, some commercial fish and some subsistence fish, but we all love and cherish the opportunity to be out after a long winter and to maybe get a taste of fresh king salmon on the grill. King salmon are the iconic Alaska salmon. Since a.