I don’t want to burst anybody’s bubble, but fishing in Alaska is not always a wilderness experience. If you’re on the road system and salmon are in the streams, you’re bound to have plenty of company. Surprisingly, the vast majority of all participants get along just fine. I find having the right attitude is essential. First …
2020 Fishing Season in Review
As the snow melted and the river became ice free, it was evident that the global pandemic would severely impact tourism in Alaska. I thought, “ oh great, the Kenai River will have an epic run of salmon and there won’t be any visitors to enjoy it.” Have I ever mentioned fisherman are optimists by nature? Looking back, my lofty …
Fishing Report Week Ending 8/9/20
I’ll start with the bad news. The red salmon run has fizzled out on the lower Kenai River. Now the good. The red run has been replaced with a bazillion pink salmon (and a few silvers). When you think about catching a fish on every cast, this is when you want to be here. Danielle gets the opening photo all to herself. …
Fishing Report Week Ending 8/2/20
If you like a lot of action, this was the week to be on the Kenai. Between bank fishing and dipnetting, there were plenty of red and pink salmon for all. One thing I have found about a king closure is that bank fishing is a much more peaceful experience than fishing from a boat. There is a certain tranquility you …
Fishing Report Week Ending 7/26/20
As I feared, due to low returning king salmon numbers, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game closed the season on 7/23. The 2020 Kenai king salmon season is now officially in the books. It was not pretty. Hopefully, ADFG’s actions will ensure strong future returns. On to the fishing report. The only king salmon …
Fishing Report Week Ending 7/19/2020
If you like to catch and release king salmon, this was the week to be on the Kenai River. You really didn’t have a choice. On 7/13, ADFG issued an emergency order changing the Kenai River king salmon fishery to catch and release only. Even though the king numbers have been tracking below the preseason forecast, the fishing …
Fishing Report Week Ending 6/14/2020
I had big plans this week to fish the Kenai/Russian River confluence and the beaches of Seward for red salmon. After seeing no action in either areas, I decided to focus on camping/hiking, and then fish when I returned home. I'm not sure fishing was better on the lower Kenai River, but at least I caught enough for a couple of …
More New Stuff For 2020
My first fishing rod I can remember, that wasn’t made from a willow branch, was in the late 60's. My dad purchased a beautiful blue Holiday brand fishing rod for me from a Holiday gas station and paired it with a Zebco 202 spincast reel. To say I wore the reel out was not an exaggeration. My dad replaced it three times with the …