Between outboard engine repair work, and the Killey River dumping muddy water into the normal teal green Kenai River, I did not fish as much I would have liked to. For those of you who are new to the river, when the Kenai is muddy, it’s extremely difficult to get a king salmon to bite. It’s often better to find other fishing opportunities or go golfing.
Fishing reports this week from friends were uneven. I spent several days on the water myself and would have to say the same. There were a few small windows when the king salmon would bite, but other than that, it was a lot of waiting around.
Speaking of small windows, my friend Leslie had a couple of free hours before work and asked if I could take her out fishing. Leslie is a health professional dealing with the pandemic and any way I can help her take a mental break, I’m all in.
It was a rainy morning, we had an incoming tide, and we were on a mission. How could we not catch a king salmon? On our first troll, nothing. At the tail end of our second troll, pay dirt. After a ten minute battle, Leslie landed the nicest king salmon I’ve seen so far this season.
I know Leslie wasn’t disappointed she had to release this fish (the current emergency order on the Kenai River calls for the release of king salmon greater than 34”). She’ll have plenty of other opportunities to harvest salmon this year. Between bank angling and dipnetting for reds, her freezer won’t be empty.
I couldn’t let another week go by without posting more moose photos.
For the week ahead, I’ll be crossing my fingers and toes hoping the king salmon counts will improve. Right now, the run is tracking low, and if it doesn’t pick up, ADFG will place additional restrictions on the fishery. On the positive side, the red salmon run is doing well enough and should continue to gain strength over the next couple of weeks.
p.s. If either Colette or Taylor are reading this, congratulations on your marriage!
Fishing Report Week Ending 7/05/2020