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2010 Fishing Reports

Mark's Fishing Report, August 17, 2010

Kenai River:

Silver fishing has steadily improved since the first week of August with limit catches for those being in the right place at the right time. The major pushes of Pink Salmon have definitely arrived in force and avoiding the masses of humpbacks in search of coho remains integral to retaining a silver limit. We have been doing quite well in the lower portion of the Kenai as the bulk of the silver run has yet to make it up to the upper river where we normally silver fish and trout fish in the same trip. For those more interested in trout, we have been doing very well in the waters between Bing’s Landing and Skilak Lake. We are also finding a fair number of silvers and sockeye in this section of river but again getting a limit in this part of the Kenai has been more of a challenge. This should change soon as more silvers make their way from the lower Kenai upriver.

Remote Fisheries:

Our fly out silver action has been very steady with limit catches being the rule in most West Side Cook Inlet locations. Big River Lake and the Kustatan have been the most consistent fisheries thus far as rivers such as the Chuit and Buchatna Creek have been flowing far too high due to excessive rain. These fisheries should continue to provide excellent silver action for the next week to ten days and the smaller river will hopefully come into shape if our wet weather ever subsides.

Mark's Fishing Report, August 4, 2010

Kenai River:

King Salmon season on the Kenai ended much like it began, with a whimper. Though we did see some decent fishing in the second and third week of the month, overall the run was below average. The king run also arrived at the same time as an exceptionally large return of late run sockeye and with this run easily meeting its escapement goals, commercial netting became a huge factor. Since all the late run fisheries in the Kenai are managed under a sockeye salmon priority, their numbers dictate the ebb and flow of fish passage into the river. When we have a huge run of sockeye, managers employ back to back commercial netting periods to prevent what they term “overescapement” or fear of allowing too many fish into the river. Meanwhile, the sockeye targeting drift and set gill nets also snare a disproportionate number of our late run kings. After July 15, commercial gill netting was allowed as follows:

OPEN COMMERCIAL GILL NETTING:

http://csfish.adfg.state.ak.us/newsrelease/select.php?year=2010&dist=SOL&species=400&submit=Go

This aggressive netting cycle continues now until the end of their season: roughly Aug.10. This not only made for slow king salmon fishing in late July but it has limited the number of early arriving silver salmon as well.

This season, ADF&G introduced new sonar technology for counting sockeye salmon but Kenai king salmon continue to be counted using an outdated and largely inaccurate split beam sonar system. This resulted in highly inflated king salmon numbers being recorded daily when in-river angler success clearly indicated the contrary. Even ADF&G posted daily counts are footnoted by : “biased high by unknown amount.”

Please see:

http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Fishcounts/index.cfm/FA/main.displayResults

Most reputable Kenai River guides estimate these numbers are inflated by at least 50%, meaning the late run escapement goal for Kemai river kings was not achieved and therefore excessive commercial netting to prevent “overescapement” of sockeye should not have been allowed. This injustice will be pursued through a number of avenues this fall and winter we will keep concernned sport anglers informed as we travel down the path of more bilogically sound and fair allocation of Kenai river salmon between commercial and sport user groups.

Despite this unfortunate mismanagement of our July king salmon run, the season was not without its special moments and our hard working guides did manage to provide many exciting moments for our visiting anglers. We did have a number of very sucessful days on the water and many trophy king salmon were brought to the net. The best fishing occured between July 10 and July 20 this year and even though we did see some good action in the final week, it was clear that the run had definitley peaked earlier in the month.

Now into the first week of August, silver salmon action has been slow so far but we are seeing a limited number of silvers arrive with each tide along with increasing numbers of fresh pink salmon. We still have a good number of sockeye also in the syatem, so the options are varied and with persistence, anglers are finding good action throughout the river for a variety of species.

Kasilof River:

The Kasilof also peaked around the same time as the Kenai, with good to excellent fishing for kings in mid July. With this river also managed for a sockeye salmon priority, excessive commercial gill netting also hampered returning numbers late in the month, and by late July, fishing was definitely more of a challenge.

Remote Fisheries:

On our fly out trips to the west side of Cook Inlet, we have been seeing very good action for silver salmon since the third week of July. Both the Kustatan and Big River Lake have been very consistent so far with each fishery providing limit catches on a daily basis. This should continue to be the case well into late August.

Mark's Fishing Report, July 18, 2010

Kenai River:

July is upon us here on the Kenai River and many of our late run fisheries are beginning to hit full stride. Kenai King fishing is definitely on the upswing as we begin to see more favorable tides and also improving river conditions. The river has risen considerable in the last week to ten days as the result of both rain and warmer temps melting both snow and glaciers. During this influx, the water clarity became poor for several days as glacially turbid tributaries unloaded huge deposits of silt into the main stem. This lack of clarity and rising water curbed fishing success, though we still did see a handful of opportunities daily. Now the river seems to be stabilizing in both water levels and clarity and the last few days of this week were very good for king salmon angling. This coming week holds much promise as we enter the seasonal peak of the late run along with favorable tides and hopefully more consistent and stable river conditions.

The sockeye salmon run has been steady and fishing so far has been favorable. In recent days fish counts have gone from 5-10K a day to over 20K a day and fishing success has followed suit. Those putting in their time and employing proper techniques have been seeing limit catches. This run is far from over and should remain a viable option as reports from Cook Inlet indicate many fish are still in the salt water heading our way.

Kasilof River:

The Kasilof river has been very productive for late run King Salmon with only moderate pressure. Our groups fishing the Kasilof have seen many excellent days and a number of limit catches. This should continue through the remainder of the month.

Remote Fisheries:

Big River Lakes continues to produce limit catches of ocean fresh sockeye salmon. Bear viewing has also been very consistent as both brown and black bears have been making regular appearances at Wolverine Creek. We are also beginning to see silver salmon arrive and this is an added bonus to fishing this location at this time of the summer.

The Kustatan River is also seeing silver salmon arriving in good numbers already and several groups have taken limit catches form this fishery already. This river should only improve over the next 3-4 weeks.

The Chuit River is also seeing good silver action for those who like wade fishing a smaller river. This an excellent choice for fly anglers willing to hike and fish small pocket water.

Cook Inlet:

Halibut fishing has remained very consistent with limit catches being the rule. We have had a number of “blow-off” days where high wind has prevented our boats from getting onto the water. This is very typical for this time of the season.

Seward:

Seward halibut fishing has also been very consistent and good numbers of silver salmon are also starting to show up in Resurrection Bay. This fishery should hot full stride in the next 2-3 weeks as a number of our guests enjoy multi-species outings for both flatfish and salmon.

Mark's Fishing Report, July 5, 2010

Kenai River:

The end of June on the Kenai was its typical fickle self with good days and bad but overall it did provide a number of memorable experiences. Late June is always a transition time between the early and late run but this is also a time where we see some very high quality kings entering the river. We averaged 1-4 fish a day for the remainder of the month and continue to see similar catch rates as we enter early July.

Trout fishing on the Kenai has been superb and a number of fish in the 28-32 inch range and been released in the last week. We have also seen a huge increase in the number of sea run dolly varden in the system and they only supplement the great rainbow fishing. Early July is always a special time for Kenai river trout.

Kasilof River:

The Kasilof has also seen a season dip between late June and early July but there was a number of quality fish taken in this period . Many of the fish are brand new, early arriving, late run fish of larger stature and no doubt not the cooker cutter hatchery clones we see so much of in late May and mid June. The Kasilof continues to provide good action for those willing to put the time into fishing this “in between runs” time period.

Mark's Fishing Report, June 20, 2010

First, I want to say thanks to all our regular viewers and anglers who have been patiently waiting for our posted fishing reports. This has been a roller coaster season so far for us and we have been very busy on the water giving 150% effort to ensure all of our visiting anglers meet or exceed their expectations. We have had a very successful season overall despite some challenging fishing at times and much of our success is due to a great team of guides, my patient and dedicated family and most importantly, great customers willing to trust our advice and understanding of the varied fisheries we pursue. Together we have been able to bring many great fish to the net and in turn bring a number of smiles to our anglers faces.

Kenai River:

Perhaps no other fishery we participate in has seen the ups and downs this season quite like the infamous Kenai River. A great number of factors have contributed to the topsy turvy May and June we have experienced and I will do my best to summarize these factors in the following report.

May began as it normally does on the Kenai with low water conditions and a limited number of king salmon entering the river on each daily tide. Fishing success was limited but also consistent with reasonable opportunities for those willing to put the time in. Boats in late May were seeing one to three fish per day at best and some boats failed to see the rod move in a full eight hours on the water. We had a very cold spring, with temperatures dipping into the freezing category overnight and very little runoff from the snow filled Kenai Range. As we entered early June, this all changed dramatically. For a period of a week, temperatures soared into the seventies with a hot, almost muggy climate enveloping the Kenai Peninsula. This “heat-wave” essentially melted the majority of our winter snow in just a few days and this caused the river to rise rapidly. The Kenai went from low and clear to high and muddy virtually over night and water temperatures dropped several degrees with the onslaught of cool, snow water. Fish counts that were already sputtering along, fell to historically low levels at the same time and on June 5, managers closed the Kenai to all Sportfishing for king salmon.

At the time of the closure, Kenai King escapement numbers were the lowest on record in some thirty years. Fortunately, the number of fish entering the river began a steady increase just after the closure and soon went from daily counts in the 100’s and 200’s to a number of 500+ days. This dramatic recovery allowed managers to reopen the fishery to catch and release on June 12. Fishing success was just ok with our boats averaging 1-5 fish per trip and only a limited number of opportunities each day. Despite the mediocre fishing, fish counts remained steadily in the 400-600 fish range and this prompted the river to open for the use of bait on June 19. The addition of cured eggs to the spin n’ glows and sardines to the Kwik Fish made a dramatic difference in angling success and all of our boats saw catch rates more than triple. As is often the case after the addition of bait to the fishery, many of the fish get caught and those remaining become more wise to the scent in the water but with the river closed on both Sunday and Monday, Tuesday fishing should be good. Only time will tell how the remainder of the early run plays out but despite the roller coaster ride the Kenai has seen this May and June, we feel very lucky to have had the success we have seen so far…

Trout fishing on the Kenai opened on June 12 and this fishery began as usual with good catch rates and a mix of post spawn rainbows, many bright fish and also a handful of dolly varden. This fishery will only continue to improve as the summer progresses and will reach it annual peak in the fall.

Kasilof River:

The Kasilof shouldered the burden of the Kenai closure with amazing grace and for well over a week was the only show in town. Despite the burden, the river remained relatively un-crowded and produced very predictable and exciting action for both hatchery and naturally produced king salmon. We began fishing the Kasilof in mid May and while the fishing was not red hot at the start, we did manage to put multiple fish in the net on nearly every trip. The run saw it’s season peak in the first and second week of June and even now continues to provide ample opportunities and bright kings. The run is definitely well past its peak and should soon start to see some larger, late run king salmon entering the system in the coming days.

 

Cook Inlet:

Halibut fishing has been very steady and extremely productive all season. Most of the fish have been the perfect eating size and a handful have been considerably larger. This is perhaps our most predictable and consistent fishery and a special thanks to both Levi and Hunter Keogh for their professional and dedicated work on the salt.

Remote Fisheries:

We begin our fly out season with some very productive pike trips, awesome trips for grayling, dolly varden and lake trout and now we are seeing good numbers of sockeye salmon arrive to Big River Lake and Wolverine Creek. This run should continue to build and remain strong well into July. At the end of this week we will start to pursue king salmon on the Nushagak River and we look forward to these always exciting adventures to western Alaska.