The Kenai River salmon runs continue to be strong. Some days the action was fast and furious. On other days, we had to put our time in. Either way, it was fun, and we caught a lot of fish.
I started the week fishing with John and Howie. John has logged a lot of days with me, but this was the first time I’ve fished with Howie. Both of them made it clear they wanted to release fish and maybe keep one or two if they wouldn’t survive.
No problem.
We used single, barbless hooks and a rubber net. We didn’t play any fish to exhaustion, or remove any from the water.
On day 1, Howie caught his first ever Alaska salmon. Being his first, he decided to keep it.
The rest of the day, John and Howie released multiple silver salmon. The photo above is one of the many releases for the day.
On Tuesday, day 2 for John and Howie, Jack and Dale joined us. It wasn’t a fast bite, but with a full day effort, Jack and Dale got their limit. On the flip side, John and Howie continued to release their catch. It was a fun mix of personalities this day, and the conversations made up for the long dry spells between bites. See you next year, Jack and Dale.
Day 3 for John and Howie saw more catch and release action than the previous two days.
They even caught a couple of red salmon in full spawning colors. I’m always amazed at the transformation these fish make.
Thursday was Day 4 of the John and Howie Catch and Release Show. It was a double digit day of catching for the both of them. I’m glad the last day was their best day.
At the end of our fishing day, John told me before he left New Hampshire a friend asked him why he would travel all the way to Alaska to let fish go. John said, “if I have to explain that to you, you wouldn’t understand.” Amen, brother, amen…
John said he’s coming back next year….twice! I’ll see you then.
On Friday, it was back to putting fish in the freezer. Matt, Irving, Aaron, and Clay got their limits before lunch. These guys are on whirlwind tour of Alaska and I’m glad I was able to help them get on fish the first day.
I finished the week fishing with a wonderful family from Woodbury, Minnesota. Scott, Brenna, Jaxson, and Kiley braved the cold morning to catch these fish. The elusive final silver salmon to finish the boat limit eluded us, but three bonus red salmon sure made up for it.
Here is Jaxson with the biggest silver salmon of the day, and the season thus far.
For the week ahead.
I have the feeling that we’re on the backside of the first run of silver salmon. The overall bite was inconsistent last week. At the peak of a run, it tends to be an all day bite. It’s hard to say how soon the second run of silver salmon will make their way into the Kenai River. I hope there isn’t much of a lull between the two runs.
Come back next week to see what the river gives us.
Fishing Report Week Ending 8/22/21