Fishing Report Week Ending 9/22/19

And the beat goes on, and the beat goes on. La de da de de, la de da de da....

Thought I'd continue the music theme from last week's fishing report (ala Lawrence Welk). The beat definitely stayed the same this week. The fishing was never hot, but we managed to catch at least two fish every trip. As my dad would often say, "it could be worse".

Above is Gary with the first fish of the week.

And that's his son Jake ending the day with a fine Kenai silver salmon.

On Wednesday, Gary had the hot rod and caught these two.

The next day I guided was on Friday, and the action picked up for us. That's Jake and Gary in the front, and in the back is Lloyd and his daughter Kim. I think having four rods spread out helped find the seam that the fishing were running on.

On Saturday, it was just Lloyd and Kim in my boat. It was a long day, but we are able to fool these three fish into biting. See you guys again!

We went from a warm, wet day on Saturday, to the coldest temperatures of the year on Sunday morning. That's not frost on my boat seat covers, that's ice. Needless to say, it was a very chilly boat ride to start the day.

Even though the air temperature was cold, the fishing was decent. You may recognize the lady on the left. That's my wife Jane. On the right, is perennial Beaver Creek Cabins and Guide Service All-Star, Grant. He's been staying at the cabins since the Jahrig's built them, and fishing with me for nearly 20 years. Always great to spend time with you, and I can't wait to do it all over again.

It's hard to believe, but I'm getting close to the end of my guiding season. I'll be fishing nearly every day next week, and possibly into October. All I can say is I hope the run can hang on a little bit longer...

See you next week with a new fishing report.



Beaver Creek Cabins & Guide Service

Fishing Report Week Ending 9/15/19

There was a whole lot of this happening this past week....sitting around waiting for a bite. Other than one day when we caught four silvers, and another day when we caught nine, we had what my grandpa would call Lawrence Welk fishing. What's that you ask? Well, Lawrence Welk fishing is when you catch....a one and a two, and a one and two....

For three days I fished with Mike, Michael, Dick, and Rich. We were never shut out, but it would have been nice to find a few more fish each day. Still, enough fish were landed to fill a nice sized fish box for each of them to bring home. A 90lb halibut caught by Michael in Homer sure helped to get that done.

Here's Mike with a nice, bright silver salmon.

And here's his son Michael holding up another beauty.

The next three days I got caught up with the Bloch family. Hard to believe that is was six years ago when we last fished silver salmon together. Here's the fish whisperer Ruth with her first fish of the day.

And here she is with her second fish of the day.

We finished the week fishing in the rain. I always say you need to be a little bit miserable to catch September silvers and that is exactly what happened. That's Dan and Audria kneeling in the front, and in the back, Ruth and Bob.

Even though the fishing this past week was on the slow side, the time on the water was well spent. I had the pleasure to be with two outstanding groups who really made the days enjoyable. I'm sad to see you all go, but I know I'll see you again in the future.

Speaking of the future, my immediate future has me on the river for the next couple of weeks. Come back in seven days for a new fishing report. See you then.



Beaver Creek Cabins & Guide Service

Fishing Report Week Ending 9/8/19

I fished everyday this past week and there were no easy days. Back that up. That opening line doesn't quite sound right, so let me clarify. The people were easy to be with this past week, it was the catching that wasn't easy.

Pictured above is Nick, junior member of Team White. His fish came early in the morning on Tuesday, so the optimism was high.

Not long after Nick caught his fish, Craig caught this one (Rod is on his right).  We worked hard the rest of the day and managed to put two more fish (4 total) in the box. Unfortunately, none of the fish came on Jeff's line, so that is the reason why he is not pictured in this report. I'm sure the brothers are okay with Jeff not holding a fish, but I was hoping for a dock photo with a dozen salmon at their feet. Next time, boys, next time....

I thought the second run was starting to pick up after the day I had with Kevin, Ron, Leslie and Greg. Sadly, it turned out to be the the high catch of the week. 

On Friday, I got reacquainted with Susan, Walter, and Jessica. Not a lot of action, but it was great to spend a day on the water with these guys.

Saturday, we received some much needed rain. That's a usually a recipe for classic silver salmon fishing on the Kenai. Not this day. Eric ended up with the money fish and collected his bet from his buddy Craig for the first fish caught, the biggest fish caught, and the most fish caught.

On Sunday, I fished Eric, Craig, Randy, and my old buddy Gary (we've been fishing together on the Kenai for 20 years). Gary started the morning with this nice fish.

It was a long time in between bites before Craig finally got on board with this one.

Eric caught one, and a little bit later landed this beauty. He once again was able to collect on his bet with Craig for catching the first fish, the biggest fish, and the most fish.  Sorry Randy (who is not in any photos), you spent a long day in the boat only to get one legitimate bite. We'll get 'em next time.

The way this week fished gives me pause to think about the week ahead. If you trust the biologist, we should becoming up on the peak of the second run of silver salmon. I'm an optimist, but I'm not sure what to expect. At least one thing will be certain, you know we'll be giving it a 100%.

Come back next week to check out the fish photos. I'll see you then.






Beaver Creek Cabins & Guide Service

Fishing Report Week Ending 9/1/19

In the beginning of the week, we were catching boat limits of silver salmon. By the end of the week, we were catching a single fish a day. We are definitely between the runs.

If you read the fishing report last week, you'll recognize these folks. From left to right are Gwen, Billie, Sandra, and Lee. Like the previous trip, the ladies were the first to catch their limit.

On Wednesday, I fished these guys for a third time. We managed to boat five silver salmon (we lost 9). I was hoping that this was an off day, but it marked the beginning of a tapering run.

On Thursday, I fished my neighbor Nancy and her friend Lynn. Lynn caught the first two, and unfortunately, Nancy did not catch a fish. Oh well, I feel better knowing I have three weeks to get Nancy out again so she can even the score.

On Friday, Greg and Leslie spent the day with me. Leslie caught the only silver salmon. It sure was a nice one. By the way, that's not fog in the background. That's smoke from the Swan Lake fire. I do appreciate the people who have checked in on our well being. Other than occasional smoke, we are doing just fine and are not in harms way.

Saturday afternoon I fished with the Larson's and Johnson's. The only fish caught was by Laura. It may look like her husband Eric wasn't happy with the catch, but that's just how he smiles... 

I finished the week fishing Team White (Rod, Nick, Jeff, Craig). Rod caught the only fish of the day. We're going to do it all over again on Wednesday, and my goal is to have a photo of the entire team holding fish.

For the week ahead, I'm hoping that the second run finds its way into the river. My week is full and I'd like the fish box to be that way too....

See you next week.




Beaver Creek Cabins & Guide Service

Fishing Report Week Ending 8/25/19

"Hey Keith, why do you have two nets in the boat?"

"You never know when you'll get two silvers on at the same time."

This week it happened. It happened twice.

I'm glad to report that the morning temperatures have been normal this past week. It hit 38 degrees a couple of times. Dressing appropriately for the predawn chill is essential. Renee and I are modeling the proper clothing for a silver salmon fishing trip on the Kenai. The cool temperatures are a welcome respite from all the heat we’ve been having.

On to the fishing report.

It was a great start to the week. Visiting and fishing with longtime friends, Todd and Renee, was good for the soul. The icing on the cake was having new friends, Cheryl and Mush, in the boat. They fished with me last year during some very poor king salmon conditions and I told them they ought to come back to fish the fun fish....silvers. Glad they did. 

What’s better than doing this one day with these guys? It’s doing it for two days. You’d be proud, George, that I didn’t repeat a single story. That feat is nearly as impressive as the fish we caught over the two days.

The next day we had the first double silver salmon catch of the year. That's Cliff and Jason.  

We didn't get all of our fish, but sure had our chances. Thanks Jared, Jeremy, Jason, and Cliff for a great day on the water. Your enthusiasm for this fishery tells me you’ll all be back. 

 

It was hard to believe that it's been six years since Billie and Gwen last fished with me. Instead of family, they brought their friends, Lee and Sandra along to enjoy all things Alaska. The ladies had their limit early in the day (naturally) and we were struggling to find the last two fish for the guys. We missed a few, but on our end of the day Hail Mary troll we had our second double silver salmon hook up of the week. In my world, it was as eventful as a walk off home run in baseball. Wow. That’s how you want to end a week of fishing.  

See you next week for an update on the silver salmon action.

Beaver Creek Cabins & Guide Service

Fishing Report Week Ending 8/18/19

Silver salmon was the focus this week, and the fishing was very good.

On Tuesday, I fished the Marlatt family once again. Here's Alyssa with her first silver salmon ever. It took a little coaxing to get her to hold it, but she came through like a champ (notice her hands...).

Sister Megan continued her fishy ways from the week before and caught this one. She also caught another one to complete her silver salmon limit.

Dad Mike, ended the day with the biggest fish. Please don't ask me why there's a beer coozy in it's mouth...

On Wednesday, Angeline and Tavish got their limit of nice silver salmon. Way to go Team Wisconsin.

On Thursday, I fished with my college roommate, Buddy, his son, and their friends.

Here's his son Tucker.

We caught our limit of silvers (and let a couple go). From left to right are Tucker, Buddy, Derek, and Byron.

On Friday I fished with Cy, Matt, Craig, and Ardiss. We didn't quite get our boat limit but we had our chances to do so. Can you tell what state everyone is from? 

Saturday, I had Derek, Tucker, Byron, and Buddy out on the river once again. The only thing different from our trip on Thursday is we caught a couple of extra fish: a pink, and two red salmon. The competition was hot for these guys, and as judge/guide, I would have to declare a draw when it comes to Team USA vs. Team Canada...

I finished the week on Sunday with a solid effort from Team Minnesota and Team South Carolina. That's Mike and Mary in the front (Team Minnesota), and Robert Allen and Robert in the back (Team South Carolina).

My only prediction for the week ahead is more of the same. I've got great people coming in, and I expect the silver fishing to continue to be great as well.

See you next Sunday.




Beaver Creek Cabins & Guide Service

Fishing Report Week Ending 8/11/19

We spent more time this past week out of the boat than in the boat. That's because the red salmon fishing has been that good. We tried to find a few silvers, and we did, but the generous limit and action with red salmon was too hard to resist.

Here's Kris, John, Nate, and Del. We spent the first two hours of our day trying to catch silvers and found only one. We spent the next two hours fishing red salmon and caught twenty three.

It's been awhile since I last saw Orrin. He brought his buddy Tim along and before lunch they had their limit.

Taylor and Kris were in Alaska for their honeymoon, and the last thing they did before flying back to Wisconsin was fish on the Kenai. We targeted silvers first thing in the morning and Taylor found this one.

It was slow going in the boat, so we put on our waders and started flipping for red salmon. The action was steady.

If you read last week's report, you know I haven't been able to fish with Jane as much as I'd like. Well, we had an open afternoon, and I brought her and Kate out. Glad I did.

A great week of fishing ended with the Marlatt family. From left to right are Alyssa, Anders, Mike, Alex, and Meghan. Mike, and his wife Pam, fished with me two years ago during an incredible king salmon run. This year they wanted to try silvers (or reds, or whatever was in the river) and brought their daughters and sons in law with. It was fun, fun, fun...

Thoughts about the week ahead. I really don't know how long this fantastic run of red salmon will continue. I hope it's just long enough for a big ball of silver salmon to find their way into the river. I have some old friends coming in this week and I really don't want to tell them, "you should've been here last week..."

See you next week for a new report.

Beaver Creek Cabins & Guide Service