Fishing Report: End of August

It's always sad for me to say good bye to August on an even year. It means two things to me, 1) the pink salmon run is over on the lower Kenai River, and 2) Gary Blinn and his entourage will be leaving and won't be back for two years. 

How did the past week go? The fishing is starting to slow down, but it's still been very good. We started the week fishing a typical, wet August morning. From left to right is Vic, Jim, Steve, Jared, Joey, Donald, and John. Nobody seemed to mind the weather when the action was steady.

Better weather and eager fish greeted us the next day. That's John, Gary, Steve, and Donald.

We finished the month off with one of the windest days I can remember on the Kenai. These guys were suppose to be fishing on the ocean, but their trip was cancelled (imagine that). I happened to be open and this was their Plan B for the day. Not a bad way to end August. That's Steve "Money" Morris on the left, Gary, Jeremy, and Jared. I gave Steve the nickname "Money" because he limited out every single time he was on the Kenai River. Money, simply Money...

I'm going to finish this report by personally thanking Gary Blinn for everything he does for Beaver Creek Cabins and Guide Service. From organizing everything (I mean everything) for his group for three weeks, to the wonderful people he's introduced Jane and I to, we are very lucky and fortunate to call him our friend. 2020 can't come soon enough.....

Happy Labor Day weekend everybody!  See you next week for the first report of September silver fishing on the Kenai River.




Beaver Creek Cabins & Guide Service

Fishing Report Week Ending 8/26/18

I know they say there's gold at the end of a rainbow, but I really think it's silver. Wow! It was another great week to be on the Kenai River.

Jane and I started the week off fishing with our friends from Brainerd, MN, Chuck and Julie. Two ladies in the boat and a healthy run of salmon were the recipe for a quick limit of silvers.

The next day it was Dave, Chuck, and Mark finding fish as well.

If you've followed my fishing blog since I started it, you'll recognize these guys. From left to right is Jo Ray, Steve, and Gary. The morning started out real slow. After being fishless for the first three hours, I told these guys they need to go to Louie's restaurant to have a hot breakfast. That was the break we needed. When we came back out in the afternoon, we found these fish willing to bite. 

The next day couldn't have been a better weather day for August. In front is Steve and Terry. Standing behind is "Grand Slam" Chuck and Trip. Chuck, who is a Beaver Creek regular, earned the nickname "Grand Slam" because he caught all four species of salmon in the Kenai on the same day. That, is a rare feat. Very rare.

We were back to normal, wet August weather and fishing the next day. That's Jo Ray (expressive Texas hands), Trip, Terry, and Chuck.

I finished up the week fishing with the Beaver Creek Cabins All Stars. That's Steve, Will, Gary, and Jo Ray "The Closer".  I've spent a lot of time with these guys, on and off the water, and it never gets old (I'd throw Grand Slam Chuck into the All Star mix, but unfortunately, I only fish four people at a time). 

Fish Whisperer Will

Hard to say what the week ahead will bring. The leaves are changing, fireweed are dropping their petals, it's getting darker, and the water levels are starting to drop. These are all signs that we could be transitioning from the first run of silver salmon into the second run of silver salmon (transitioning is a code word for the bite slowing down). Will it be this week? Come back seven days from now to find out if the fish are still cooperating.

See you then.





Beaver Creek Cabins & Guide Service

Fishing Report Week Ending 8/19/18

Other than fighting a monster head cold the past few days, it was another great week to be on the Kenai. It started on my day off when Gary, and his son Justin, happened to be at the cabins with nothing on their schedule. Mid morning we jumped in the boat and it didn't take Gary long to shake off the rust from the last time he was here.

And it didn't take Justin long to find his groove as well. Nice fish, and nice beard!

The next day I had Team Texas in the boat. From left to right is Steve, Cindy, Chuck, and Terry. Do you think they had any fun?

Here's Team Patton, Rick, Ryan, Philip, and Steve, with their morning catch. It's always fun to be on the water with repeat customers. I look forward to the next time we do it again.

Gary's brother John made a long overdue return trip to Alaska. Catching fish on the Kenai is a little like riding a bike...

It was nice to meet John's daughter, Kelsey. She was all smiles all week: on the water, off the water, it didn't matter. As the old saying goes, "attitude is everything" and she definitely has the right one. 

Here's John, from the same town I grew up in in Minnesota. We never met until this trip, but we quickly found out we have many mutual friends.  Heck, turns out I bought two boats from his cousin, and I use to buy my bait and tackle from his uncle. Small world.

John brought his 8 year old son, Aidan, on the trip. The kid is a natural fisherman but that doesn't surprise me in the least. He comes from a family with a rich tradition of fishing and hunting. Father/son moments like this always tug at my heart strings. Good on ya, dad!

Team TX spent a second day on the river with me. Just in case you can't count the fish, you can count their fingers. Either it's hook 'em horns, or they got to tell you how many fish they caught....gotta love the Texans and their expressive hands.

I finished the week fishing with my neighbor Nancy, and her sister Laurie, who is visiting from Colorado. The morning started out hot, but that elusive last fish of the trip didn't cooperate until after lunch. However, the wait was definitely worth it. Nancy took home the big fish honors for the day.

Here's Nancy and Laurie posing with their silver limit.

My forecast for the week ahead is that we should see less pink salmon action, but the same amount of silver salmon action. I base this prediction on the last couple of days the amount of pink salmon in the lower 10 miles of the river has definitely tapered off. If my clients want to pursue pinks, they're still around, but the quality is deteriorating every day. Such is the life of a pacific salmon.

See you next week with a fresh and new report.




Beaver Creek Cabins & Guide Service

Fishing Report Week Ending 8/12/18

Lot's of fish in the river, and lot's of good people in my boat. What more could a fishing guide ask for?

I started the week fishing Team Minnesota. From left to right is Toby, Maggie, Shala, and Terry. Not only did they slay the fish in the boat, they also caught a ton of fish off the dock as well. It's always a positive when you can get out of bed in the morning and walk down to the dock and catch a salmon. Hey guys, I know this was your first trip to Alaska, but I really don't think it will be your last. Jane and I look forward to seeing you all again some time soon.

The next day I had a boat full of women, and they sure do like to fish (they fished two other days with Jeff King). Marjorie was all smiles with the first silver of the morning.

Barbara had to kiss her first silver salmon.

Carol and Kathy with back to back silvers.

Here's Team California showing off their haul.

It's not often I post multiple photos of the same people, but I really like the expressions on these two. Here's Chuck with his first silver.

His wife Pam was not be outdone.

Here's another one...

And another one....

What was fun fishing with Chuck and Pam, in addition to the conversations, is that we were able to catch fish using several different techniques. We caught them on Kwikfish, spinner baits, and on a bobber with salmon eggs. This is one of the many reasons why I like silver/pink fishing: there's not one method that will catch fish. Being able to try different things each day keeps it interesting for me.

My fishing forecast for the week ahead will be more of the same. This is the front of the peak of the first run of silvers/pinks, and unless all the fish came in early, we should all have sore backs and arms by the next report...I'll see you next week.





Beaver Creek Cabins & Guide Service

Fishing Report Week Ending 8/5/18

A silver salmon sunrise on the Kenai.

After a tumultuous king and red fishing season, it's really nice to experience a bit of normalcy on the Kenai River. The pink salmon are in thick, and there's quite a few silvers mixed in there too. It almost makes me forget about May, June, and July. Almost, almost...

Before I get on to the August report, Ken and Debbie fished with me on the last day of July. This was suppose to be a king trip, but since it was catch and release only, the two of them wanted to do a red salmon trip instead. Here they are with the last limit of red salmon for the year (and a few pinks as well). These guys are pretty good at the Kenai flip, so I know they'll be pretty good at catching kings. I can't wait to see that happen.  

August 1st was the first day of targeting silver and pink salmon 100%. It started out with a bang. Good numbers of fish, coupled with the use of bait, really kept the rods bending all day. Here's Scott with one of many nice silvers that found their way to the net.

Team Hallock

Here's the rest of Scott's crew. That's Cody, Colton, Grandpa Jim, Ryan, and Scott. I had a blast talking all things hockey and fishing with you guys (two of my favorite subjects). And, I apologize if I offended any of you by only using Scott in a single photo. I found it interesting that he's the only one wearing an ice fishing coat and pants in August. I wonder what he'd wear in October...

Anna, along with grandpa Dan and grandma Mary, sure knows how to get it done. When she got on the boat I asked her how old she was. She said "ten". Perfect. I told her she would catch her age in salmon today and that she did. This little feat gave her bragging rights over her older siblings. You see, I fished them years ago and I knew if she caught her age in fish she would catch more than her brother and sister. Way to go Anna!!!

The next day, my friends Mike and Nicole made Beaver Creek Cabins one of their stops during their trip to Alaska. Plenty of fish and sunshine greeted us.

The formula was repeated the following morning (except we kept less pink salmon). All I can say is what a great way to end the week. Hey guys, Jane and I look forward to the next time we see each other.

So if you ask me for my fishing forecast for the week ahead I would say it will be more of the same. The run is just beginning and by all measures it looks like this will be a strong one. Hope springs eternal...

Come back next week to see how accurate my prediction is.




Beaver Creek Cabins & Guide Service