This week is normally the peak of the first run of Kenai kings. Unfortunately no one has told that to the fish. Either they are slow to appear or they aren't many fish in this years run. Because of this the Alaska Department of Fish and Game on Friday issued an emergency order restricting the Kenai river to a "catch and release" fishery until July 1st. Jane and I spent the day contacting our June customers to inform them of this change and fortunately very few cancelled their trip. A few rescheduled for July but the majority are still coming and want the Alaska experience and the fact that they could not keep a Kenai king was secondary. With groups that had multiple days of king fishing I strongly encouraged them to add a fly-in trip, a trout trip, a saltwater trip, or fish the Russian River for red salmon. They all thought Plan B was excellent and adjusted accordingly.
I feel pretty lucky with all that Alaska has to offer. Devoted readers of my blog will remember the Kearney, Nebraska analogy I used a couple of years ago when the Kenai was closed to king fishing in June. You see, Kearney is known as the world capital for viewing Sand Hill cranes. Imagine planning your trip of a lifetime around the migration of this bird and when you arrive they aren't there. What else can you do in Kearney if the cranes aren't there? My apologies to Nebraskan's, but not much. Alaska, on the other hand, can offer you fly-in red salmon fishing/bear viewing, trout fishing, red fishing at the Russian River, clam digging, and saltwater adventures as alternatives if the king salmon do not show up. Did I forget to mention that we have world class wildlife viewing, hiking on the beaches and the mountains, and glacier cruises in the Kenai fjords? I'd say that's a pretty good Plan B.
So, that being said, the fishing hasn't been too bad since the river went to catch and release on Friday. The first picture is Bob, Ron, and Keith walking down the dock excited about what lies ahead.
Only a couple of trolls into the day Keith hooked up with a nice 30lb plus king salmon.
Bob took this photo as I was getting ready to release the fish. Not the best picture in the world but clearly this fish was unharmed and ready to continue it's journey to the spawning grounds.
I'm getting my gear together today for a run to the Russian river on my day off. The reports have been very good. George and Jerry, wish you were along for the ride.
See you next week for a new report.
2 comments:
Hope you caught some reds today. Jerry and I would have been excited to have had the chance to combat Fish on the Russian with The Kenai's number 1 guide. Looks like the peak of the 2nd run on the Kenai will be during the week that we will be on the Kenai. I thought I Might have a year off from dancing to the Salmon Gods but apparently not!! Will be out on patio first thing tomorrow! Hope you have a great week of catching and releasing
George
Thanks George for the nice words. Only caught one today. There are lots of reds up there but they're sitting in the Sanctuary and that's a no fishing zone right now. I did see two well fed bears.
Keith
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