Fishing Report Week Ending 6/27/21

King salmon fishing on the lower Kenai River remains slow.

I had two trips this past week. On Wednesday, I fished with Ben and Kaleb. On Saturday, I fished with long time friends Taylor and Colette. On both days, we never had a bite.

Ouch.

I can only conclude that low sonar numbers and marginal water conditions made for less than ideal conditions.

So, what do you do in late June when fishing is slow for king salmon on the lower Kenai River? You go to the upper Kenai River/Russian River and chase red salmon.

After a challenging year, Taylor and Colette were finally able to make it to Alaska for their honeymoon. COVID 19, and a serious skiing accident delayed earlier plans. Based on their smiles, the wait has been worth it.

For most of June, the reports have been mixed about angler’s success rate catching red salmon on the upper Kenai/Russian River.  

I would say the reports have been accurate.

Some anglers did well and caught their three fish limit. Others were fishless.  We were somewhere in between. 

Great company, awesome scenery, enough red salmon for a couple of meals, what’s not to like about that?

For the week ahead

On July 1st, the Kenai River second run management plan will go into effect. That means retention of king salmon will once again be allowed. Since the early king salmon run was lower than anticipated, the second run will be monitored very closely. Let’s hope it comes in as forecasted.

See you next week for a new fishing report. Not only will I be on my home water of the lower Kenai River, I also have a saltwater trip planned out of Homer.