Kenai River to Reopen 6/12/10

I have received word from multiple sources that the Kenai River will reopen to fishing as of 6/12/10. It will be restricted and the only salmon that can be kept are 20" and under or 55" and over. All other fish must be released. The official announcement will occur this evening.


The Alaska Department of Fish and Game erred on the side of conservation and I applaud that. The fear was that the salmon would NOT return and the few that did needed to survive so that the run in 5 years would not be a complete disaster. The first few days after the closure was in effect the amount of salmon passing over the sonar remained small. This past week, however, the daily sonar counts have been 500 to 600 salmon. It's become obvious that the salmon were just late and needless to say the collective mood on the peninsula has improved 1000%.


On a personal note, Jane and I would like to thank George for praying to the salmon gods and keeping a postive attitude since the closure was announced. They heard you all the way from Florida.


Long live the kings!

Making Lemonade out of Lemons

What a great state Alaska is. Although we can't king fish on the Kenai there are plenty of other Alaskan adventures to experience. Clamming, hiking, saltwater fishing, red salmon fishing, trout fishing, pike fishing, rafting, bear and glacier viewing are among many alternatives to king fishing. Imagine booking a trip to Kearney, Nebraska to view the annual migration of sand hill cranes. Imagine if the cranes did not show. What plan B could you muster up in Kearney, Nebraska?


Jane and I have contacted all of our June clients and the overwhelming majority have decided that a "plan B" is great. A few plans have been adjusted but we will have the good fortune to see our customers and friends in the coming month. Although I won't be guiding my usual June schedule and the closure will affect any last minute fishing clients, Jane and I will be just fine.


Long live the kings!

Kenai River Closes to King Salmon Fishing 6/5/10

By issue of Emergency Order the Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game has closed the Kenai River to king salmon fishing from 6/5/10 until 6/30/10. Normally at this point in the run about 3100 fish will have entered the river.....this year we are at 739. Closing the river at this time is the right thing for the the health of the river, but disappointing to those who planned a trip of a lifetime. Keep in mind that if the run does improve the Emergency Order can be lifted and fishing will resume.


Jane and I are in the process of contacting our June clients. We are offering alternatives to king fishing such as red salmon fishing, trout fishing, pike fishing, and clam digging. Also, if you haven't already made plans to fish in the saltwater for halibut, we would be happy to assist you in finding a captain.


Keith & Jane

p.s. I wasn't planning on posting a picture but as I was preparing this post a momma moose and her two calves were standing in the front yard. Hard to resist.

Post Memorial Day Fishing Report

Slow.........


Low fish counts and low water visibility led to a weekend of slow fishing. Luckily the weather was near perfect, the clam tides were good and Hobo Jim started his summer concert schedule on Friday and Saturday. Above are Samantha, Sidney, and Shelby Brown posing proudly with their hooligan. Dad Tony did not want to be in the photo until he caught a king salmon......I guess we'll wait until Tony comes back in July to fulfill his wish.


The overall first run has been disappointing. Since May 16th the cumulative count was 675 king salmon. Officially this is the worst May since the sonar began counting in 1988. 2002 was the second worse run with 895 king salmon. Just to give you an idea of what is "normal" just two years ago the May run was 2590. The highest May recorded was in 1988 with 5574 king salmon.


Overall the fishing community on the Peninsual are holding their breath with this run. There have been many years when the count started slow and then a couple of tide cycles later everything was alright. Time will only tell how this run will shape up. On the up side, there have been reports of red salmon being caught at Bing's Landing and a few reds already up in the Russian River system.

Pre Memorial Day Report

My group on Tuesday canceled and I was hoping to give a first hand report about the start of the run this year. So far my only reports have come from a few guys that have been out and they've described the bite as fair.

Today was my official first day and within the first hour Pat caught this beautiful 35lb female Kenai king. We caught it at Fall In Hole on an orange spin 'n glo. That was it for our action today. I spoke with a Fish and Game officer later in the morning and he told me he counted 14 boats on the river and 4 fish had been caught. Not a bad percentage considering the low counts on the sonar. What a great first group and a great first day and my egg curing season has officially begun!

I'll be guiding the next 3 days so expect another fishing report soon.

Red Salmon Gear

A question that Jane and I are often asked is what gear do I need to fish red salmon? If you are a person that prefers a fly rod a 7wt or 8wt is a good fit for Kenai red salmon. If you are a conventional fisherman a 7ft to 8 1/2 foot medium to heavy action rod with either a spinning reel or a baitcasting reel will work fine. The line that I prefer is 17lb test monofilament for my mainline. Some people use heavier line in the "combat zone" or a braided line but through the years I have found 17lb to be a good weight overall to catch red salmon. The terminal gear that you'll need will be sinkers, I prefer split shots because you can add or subtract weight instantly, a crane swivel to prevent line twists, a leader from your swivel ranging from 18" to 36" using 25lb-30lb monofilament, and a Coho/Russian fly or 2/0 hook with yarn attached to it. Other equipment you will need are chest waders or hip boots. Red salmon run within a few feet of the riverbank and you'll need to be out in the water and how far out will depend upon the fish. Miscellaneous equipment but not essential would include needle nose pliers, a stringer, a net, polarized sunglasses, bug repellent, and sunscreen.


That's it. Pretty simple fishing gear. If you don't have this equipment there are plenty of stores in our area that will sell you everything you'll need to catch a red salmon (my personal favorite is Trustworthy Hardware).


I suppose you are now asking yourself "when do the red salmon run and what techniques do I use to catch them?" Have no fear. I will address these topics in the not so distant future.

Les Anderson Day

It was 25 years ago today that Les Anderson of Soldotna, Alaska caught the world record king salmon on the Kenai River. Les is no longer with us but his legend still lives on. The mount of his 97.4lb fish is in the Soldotna Visitor Center and a chainsaw art statue honoring him is out in front (pictured above).

I won't be out on the river today paying my respect to ol' Les because it's "drift boat, non-guided Monday" day. But you know, I'll be out this week trying to do my best to set the next world record.