Fishing Report Week Ending 9/28/14

The silver fishing is still good on the Kenai River.   Here's Jane with her limit of silvers.

 And here she is with the largest silver of the season, a 17lber.

On this day Jane let me catch a couple of fish to go along with her limit.

On Tuesday, my friend Boo called me and asked if I wanted to fish the middle river with him.  Glad I went along because the fishing was outstanding.  This is a rare photo of the guy who usually is the one taking the photos.

 Here's a box full of middle river silver salmon all caught on jigs.

On Wednesday, Scott and Steve spent the day on the water with me. Great weather and conversation easily made up for the lack of biters.   Wish we could have found more fish but that's just the way it goes some times.

On Saturday, my good friends Gary and Nicky came down for an afternoon of fishing.   It wasn't red hot but we caught a few and lost a few.   No complaints.

Hard to beat fresh salmon fillets late in September.

Unless my phone starts ringing, I am now officially done guiding. This does not mean I am done fishing.  I plan on fishing most of this week and well into October.  I'll keep you posted on what's going on out there....good, bad, indifferent.

Fishing Report Week Ending 9/21/14

For most of the week the fishing was really good.   It wasn't until Saturday that the affects of heavy rains finally took a toll on the bite. I had my fingers crossed that the river would stay clear until then but unfortunately it did not.

Above is a photo of the last day that I fished Ron, Rafael, Joe, and Jeff.   A steady bite was a perfect way to end their stay at Beaver Creek Cabins.  It might have been an even better day if Jeff would have left the bananas at home.  Hey guys, I look forward to the next time we can all get together to swap stories and catch a few fish on the Kenai.

On Friday,  for Team ABC Seamless (Team 1), their timing was perfect.   Good water conditions and lots of fish moving through.   From left to right is Travis, Nick, Wally, and Sid.  At the end of the trip Wally told me he contemplated going moose hunting but decided he should go fishing.  He thought his chances for success would be better.   I guess we'll never know how the hunting would have been been but you can't do any better than this on the Kenai in September.

On the flip side, Team 2 of Team ABC Seamless (Robert and Clark), probably wished they were here on Friday rather than Saturday.   Initially, I didn't think any of us thought that way because Robert landed the silver in the photo above within the first five minutes of our day.  It should be noted that this fish completed a trifecta for Robert. This was his first, his biggest, and the most fish he has ever caught.  Anyway, as we settled into the day, and as it got lighter out, I could see that overnight the water color changed had from teal green to brown.   Rats.  Fishing was going to be tough.  Well, at least we enjoyed a day of nice weather and stories.   Thanks again Team ABC Seamless (Team 1 and 2) for doing your annual fall silver trip on the Kenai.

I am not scheduled for any trips until next weekend.   When the water conditions get better there's no doubt Jane and I will be spending time on the water trying to catch a few fish for our own freezer. See you next week.

Fishing Report Week Ending 9/14/14

I think the peak of the second run of silver salmon came a week early.   Don't get me wrong, the catching was decent but the bite definitely was slower.   Well, for almost everyone it was slower, with the exception of Mary Meyer.   Mary pulled off a pure hat trick, catching her three fish limit in under 15 minutes.  All I can say is her Kit Kat mojo really paid off.

"Esko" Bill and "Thompson" Kenny had a great week in Alaska.   They spent some time with me on the river and found quite a few other fishing spots on the peninsula to fish on their own.

Here's Dan, Ron, Joe, and Jeff after a day on the water.   It's always a great day for me to be in the boat with guys who have done this before.   We've all had more productive days on the Kenai, but this wasn't bad either.

On Friday and Saturday I was a participant in the Women's Classic event.   Lot's of fun fishing boat loads of women.   If you notice in the photo of above, the event was about "Wild Women, Wild Salmon."    Not everyone in my boat landed a silver but at least everyone had one on.  I think the saying, "Fishing is the least important part of fishing" characterized this event.  Definitely a weekend for people to network.

I ended the week fishing with Joe, Ron, Jeff and Rafael (pictured above).    I thought with the timing of the trip and having a moderate tide the fishing would be much better (so did Dan Meyer). We fished in the morning and caught one fish.  We went back out in the evening and squeaked out three more.  It was no surprise to anyone that the only limit was caught by Rafael.    He's the best red salmon fisherman that I've been around so it's only natural that his fish whispering skills would work for silvers as well.  The kid can flat out fish.

My week ahead is nearly full and my only prediction is that we'll give it our all out there.  Some years the bite remains steady until October, and some years it slows down to what feels like a king trip. I can't wait to see what happens.

Fishing Report Week Ending 9/7/14

They're baaack!

Dan and Meyer arrived this week and it was good to see old friends again.   It was a tremendous week of fishing and maybe it had a lot to do with being on the water with people like Dan and Mary.  Sure, we didn't limit out every single trip but we came darn close to running the table.

Here's an old family friend from my home town in Minnesota, Jim Vandeputte.   He's been up here to fish kings but this was his first silver adventure.   Jerry Hoffman was suppose to be on this trip but for medical reasons he had to cancel.  Get better RP, and bring Kegger with you next time.

Jim, however, was not alone and brought his son Chris with him. This was the first time Chris has been to Alaska and I feel pretty confident that it won't be his last.

Don't know what to say but here's Dan and Mary with one of many photos that will be taken in the next two weeks.

It was great to be in the boat with Bill and Linda Boettcher again.   Jane and I weren't sure that we would see them this year but out of the blue they contacted us and came down to unwind and spend a couple of days with us.   They were joined on this day by newcomers Mick and Becky from Minnesota.  A hot morning  bite and good company made the day go by fast.

 The following morning the Boettcher's joined forces with the Meyer's.  A lethal combination on a soggy day.

My two favorite people from Oklahoma are here again, Bob and Judy Kingsbury.  They are flanked by the Meyer's.   It was a fun day for me because this was the first time they all fished together.

Paul Harris has been fishing with me over the years and on this trip he brought his wife, brother, and sister in law.  It was another great day to be a guide on the Kenai River.

I finished the week fishing Bill, his buddy Kenny, and the Kingsbury's. It was a steady bite, and as you can see, the weather couldn't be better.   I do believe Judy's pink parka brought us the luck.

The week ahead is considered to be the traditional peak of the second run of silvers.  If it's remotely close to what this past week was like, you should see a lot of photos in my next report.   See you then.

Fishing Report Week Ending 8/31/14

Blinn Week 3 has come and gone.  I look forward to this week of the year like I look forward to a family reunion that I WANT to go to and not the reunion that I HAVE to go to.  It's the kind of reunion that you don't want to end.  This is because the third week of Gary's trip is comprised of the old guard, the guys that I have been coming here the longest.  I'd list them all but I'm afraid I'd leave someone out.  All I can say is 2016 can't come soon enough.

What kind of week was it out there?   It definitely felt like the first run is slowing down.   Fish are being caught, silvers and pinks, but not with the same frequency as the previous week.   If you found the right spot, a boat limit of silvers could be had.  If not, you had to move around a lot to find a few fish.  My hat is off to Jeff King (who guided the Blinn group as well), for finding "the spot" and consistently put his guys on silvers.

So what's this photo all about?  When Chuck Sanders arrived he brought a new fish whacker for me to try. On the face of the club is a logo that says "Club Fishhead".  This is an 8 iron, usually the second club I need to reach the green on a par 5.

I hate to say it but not everyone caught silvers this past week.  Steve Morris was on fire (the whole week), followed closely by Chuck.  Will and Randy on the other hand, well, this photo says it all.

 Chuck posing with the Club Fishhead fish whacker.

Another photo of Chuck and Steve with an early morning silver limit.

Besides the Blinn group, I also spent some time on the water with a couple of old college friends, Todd Laflamme and Ray Rhash.  Ray came up to spend a week hiking Denali.  He had an extra day before he flew out and Todd said Ray needed to go catch a few fish on the Kenai. I'm sure glad they could make it down for a few hours.

We had to sort through ten humpies before a silver would hit.  A fun afternoon.

I also spent a day with Mike and John.  I asked them what they wanted to do and they said "fish". Specifically, they said they wanted to see the river and they wanted to release everything.  We took the old "run and gun" approach and threw spinners the whole trip.   Many, many pinks, and quite a few silvers.

 Here's Mike releasing one of his silvers.

John and Mike working the water.  A great father and son moment.

I've got a busy week ahead and I hope the silver numbers start to improve. Starting September 1st, the limit on silver salmon goes to 3 fish a day.   I've got my fingers crossed that the second run will start early....

p.s. to Steve.  I really, really liked everyone last week.  No fooling.

Fishing Report Week Ending 8/24/14

Ben, Drew, John, and Joey

What a great week of fishing (and catching too!).   The river water levels finally started to drop which lead to the first large surge of silvers.  

Not only was the fishing excellent on the river, it was also good off of the dock.   Here's Joey Martin with a one cast, one fish exhibition.

It's definitely an added bonus for guests of ours to come down to the dock and throw spinners for salmon.

Alan, Travis, Liz, and Derek

This was perhaps the dampest, coldest morning of the week but the fish sure didn't mind.

My college roommate, Don Jamieson, sent the Woods' family my way for a fishing excursion.  I asked them what kind of day would they like. Besides just being out on the Kenai, they said they would like to catch a few to bring back to Washington but they also wanted to have some action.  Sure enough, both the pinks and silvers did not disappoint.  It's not very often I can "script" a day because Mother Nature will  have her own plans.  But this day was one of those days were it all came together.   Fun for me, fun for them.

Gary, George, George, and Matt

I also had the good fortune to once again fish the boys from PolyCom. I originally met these guys through my friend, the late Phil Dreyer.  As you can see, they sure didn't lose their touch when it came to catching silvers. If you notice, Gary Blinn is in this photo.  No, it wasn't a "photo bomb" moment but the night before our scheduled trip the fourth in their group couldn't make it and Gary jumped in.  Well, it was kind of photo bomb moment but Gary actually caught his own fish.
   

Steve, Gary, Alan, and Travis

 Another successful day on the water.

Thought I'd end with a few photos from the camp cookout.  Feel free to make your own joke up about the flannel clad, Team Mississippi pose.

See you next week for a new fishing report.

Fishing Report Week Ending 8/17/14

"....And the river she rises, just like she used to do..."

If any of you remember the 1970's soft rock hit, "In the Heart of the Night" you too would have been singing this lyric all week.   With monster tides and a flooding river the Kenai was an interesting place to be.

Sunday proved to be the most challenging day of the week.   Due to muddy conditions, our pink production was cut in half and the silvers were elusive.  Justin tricked one into biting just as we ended the day. I'm not kidding, I told everyone our day was over and as Justin reeled in his line this fish hit.  I've never been more excited to see a single silver caught in my life.

This past week was also the beginning of "Blinn Week 1".  Gary, the Grand Poobah of this group, put on one of the best meals I've had all summer. King crab, grilled salmon, smoked salmon chowder, and his famous Dump Cake were on the menu.  I'm lucky that I get to experience this meal two more times this year.

Now, back to the fishing report.  The river continued to rise everyday this week. That's not always a good thing but what happened was the water began to run clearer (less mud).  This lead to better fishing. On Tuesday, Team Wolfe certainly enjoyed the increased action.

On Wednesday, I once again had the honor of participating in Senator Lisa Murkowski's Junior Classic.   This event is for children of military families, and children from the Boys and Girls Club.  Do you think "Team Alaska" was having a good time?

The event lasted for 3 hours and in that short time these girls wore me out.  

On Friday, Donald had an early morning limit of silvers.  Do you think his son was happy for him?

Mark definitely earned the title of the Man With The Most Patience.   I told him if he could wait that long for a silver to bite he would have no problem fishing for king salmon

Sunday morning the bite was definitely on.   Here's Ben, Jack, Jeremy, and Wally with their catch.

And the bite continued into the afternoon.  Here's Ian, Sham, Nick, and Gary.

So, here's my prediction for the week ahead.  With the river cresting Monday morning, I expect the fishing to get better.  Make sure to check back next week to see if I'm correct.