Second Annual Kenai River Silver Salmon Derby

Mark your calendar.

The city of Kenai and the Kenai Chamber of Commerce have announced the Second Annual Kenai River Silver Salmon Derby will be held September 14th-16th, and September 21st-23rd. Ticket prices will be the same as last year, $25 for adults, $15 for youth. All proceeds from ticket sales go to the Kenai Community Foundation, which supports habitat protection throughout the Kenai watershed.

This is a fun derby because it's not a big fish contest. A daily prize is given to the angler who registers a silver salmon that is closest to a randomly chosen, daily mystery weight.

Fishing. Prizes. Money raised for habitat. That's a win/win/win formula. What's not to like about that?

If you like a little bit of gambling to go with your fishing, get a hold of Jane, beavercreekcabins@yahoo.com, and ask about our derby fishing/lodging packages.




Beaver Creek Cabins & Guide Service

Erin Go Bragh

Beaver Creek Cabins & Guide Service

Official 2018 Kenai King Salmon Forecast

It's finally here.

The official 2018 Kenai king forecast from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) was made this past week. The takeway is this: although ADFG projects the run will be slightly lower than last year, both the early and late run will fall within the optimum escapement goal (OEG). This means no preseason restrictions to existing regulations. If you're a fish wonk, the actual report for the early and late run can be found here.

The one thing that ADFG forgot to announce is I'll be continuing the tradition of giving away a nifty t-shirt to all my clients who release an early run king (May-June) larger than 36".  I began the t-shirt giveaway last year in support of the regulatory change requiring the release of all early run Kenai king salmon greater than 36".

Fishing+Conservation+Fashion=BIG FUN in 2018.





Beaver Creek Cabins & Guide Service

Tech Tips: Tuning A Kwikfish Lure

I was really hoping ADFG would have released their 2018 king forecast this week. Instead, I'm going to continue the discourse about one of the most popular lures on the Kenai River: the Kwikfish. Specifically, the discussion will be about tuning this lure for maximum effectiveness. Oh boy. I can hear the clicking and swiping away from this page right now...

What separates successful fisherman from unsuccessful fisherman is paying attention to how this lure tracks through the water. What's critical is every time a Kwikfish lure is wrapped with a sardine fillet, or after a fish is caught, there is a potential to throw off the balance. The key is to tune the lure properly so the action/wobble is even side to side. A "swimmer".

How do you go about tuning this lure?

Using small adjustments, take a needle nose plier and turn the screw eye in the opposite direction that the lure is favoring. Sometimes it will take quite a bit of tweaking, but keep making the adjustments until the lure tracks straight.

Here's an example of the screw eye turned to the right.

Here's the screw eye perfectly perpendicular to the lip of the lure.

And here's an example of the screw eye turned to the left.

It should be noted that the Kwikfish K series, Brad’s Killerfish, and Worden's Flatfish lures are the only ones that have a screw eye that can be adjusted. The Kwikfish Xtreme, the Hawg Nose, and the Mag Lip lures do not have an adjustable screw eye. The manufacturers of these lures claim that tuning is not needed. I beg to differ, but I will save that discussion for another day.

Does it pay to hone in on this little detail when fishing Kwikfish lures? You betcha. Good things  happen when your lure is properly tuned.




Beaver Creek Cabins & Guide Service