Kenai River insiders believe when 20,000 reds cross the sonar counter the river is “fishable”. Every day last week, the daily sonar counted much more than 20,000 fish a day. The largest count came on Monday when 56,130 reds came in. It’s definitely “fishable”. Is everybody catching limits? No. But overall it’s been good …
Fishing Report Week Ending 7/7/24
I had July 5th circled on my calendar for a Homer saltwater trip for ling cod, yelloweye, black rockfish, and halibut. It’s the Upper Cook Inlet Grand Slam. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get out. Mother Nature greeted us with 20mph winds and gusts to 35mph. This made traveling 60-90 miles out to the fishing grounds …
Fishing Report Week Ending 6/30/24
Without a Kenai River king fishery to participate in, I’m currently in a lull between the early red salmon run, and the late red salmon run. The closest freshwater salmon fishery that has been consistently good (sorry Russian River, this wasn’t your year) has been the Kasilof River, a mere 15 miles away from the …
Fishing Report Week Ending 6/23/24
Team Holtan/Matthies split up this past week. I went to the Russian River to fish for several days, and Jane went to Homer to fish the ocean. One of us had a lot more “catching” success than the other. For many years I’ve wanted to camp at the Russian River during the peak of the early red salmon run. There’s …
Happy Father’s Day
It’s been quite a week. Not so much for fishing, but for me personally. It began with my birthday on Monday, and ends with Father’s Day. This week included lots of time with friends enjoying dinners and barbecues (Ken and Michelle, I will dedicate an entire blogpost to the two of you in the off-season). I’m a …
Fishing Report Week Ending 6/9/24
Tuesday was the first day I ventured out on the Kenai River to try to catch a fish. The target species: Russian River bound red salmon passing through the lower river. Hellooo! Winner, winner, salmon dinner. It only took me three flips(casts) to catch my first river fish of the year. Yeah!!! The rest of the …
Friendship & Fishing
It was a great week of friendship and fishing. It began when the Ames Road neighborhood got together for a clam and halibut fry. Jane and I always look forward to summer gatherings like this. A special shout-out goes to Bill for flying to Polly Creek and digging all the clams. Next, my college buddy Jim, his partner …
Memorial Weekend
It’s important that we remember that this weekend is more than travel, mattress sales, barbecues, car races, and fishing. Memorial Day weekend is about mourning the nation’s fallen service members. Take a moment out of your day to honor the men and women who represented the very best of our nation. So, what was happening at …
River Salvage And The Seward Mermaid Festival
When the dock goes in, the fun begins. Not only did I float the Kenai River in my cataraft this past week, I also attended the two day Mermaid Festival/Opening of the Harbor in Seward. Late last fall, a guy I know went on a salvage run and found 8 anchors (the Holy Grail of Kenai River salvaging). Because of that, I …
Dock Is In
Spring is the morning of the year, And summer is the noontide bright; The autumn is the evening clear, That comes before the winter’s night. This is the opening verse of a poem titled “The Golden Rod” written by Frank Dempster Sherman. What does a poem have to do with dock installation at Beaver Creek Cabins and Guide …