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The
“E-Dog” with a beautiful ocean bright Kodiak Island
King salmon taken from the Karluk Lagoon June 12, 2006 |
Remote fisheries
Red salmon and bear viewing at Wolverine Creek / Big River Lake has been improving daily with good numbers of sockeye now present in Redoubt Bay. A fair number of bears are also present making this a very exiting and enjoyable day trip. King Salmon fishing on the Chuit River has been off to a somewhat slow start due to high, murky water and a late return of fish. Kodiak Island and Karluk Lagoon has been fair to good with most taking this trip retaining their two fish limit. This is an excellent alternative for remote king fishing until the Chuit water levels recede. Once the conditions improve, the Chuit should be very good fishing. The Nushagak is also beginning to see good numbers of fish and recent reports make this another excellent option for remote fly out fishing through early July.
STRENGTH OF EARLY-RUN KENAI RIVER KING SALMON ALLOWS BAIT DOWNSTREAM OF THE MOOSE RIVER STARTING JUNE 10
Thanks to a good in river return of early-run king salmon, combined with below-average angler effort and harvests, sport fish anglers may now use bait in the Kenai River from its mouth upstream to a point 100 yards downstream of the confluence of the confluence of the Moose River and Kenai River, beginning at 12:01 a.m., Saturday June 10.
All other Kenai River special provisions, methods and means and bag and possession limits remain in affect. Anglers may only use one single-pointed hook. Anglers may keep only those king salmon that are less than 44 inches in length or 55 inches or greater in length. All other king salmon must be released immediately.
The “Kenai River and Kasilof River Early-Run King Salmon Conservation Management Plan" directs the Department to achieve a spawning escapement goal of 5,300-9,000 king salmon in the Kenai River. To date, the total in-river run is estimated to be 5,450 king salmon. Total sport harvest is estimated to be approximately 350 king salmon below Soldotna Bridge. Harvest rates have been fair, and angler effort has been very low compared to past years. The Department is currently projecting a total in-river run of early king salmon of approximately 13,000-16,000 fish and a spawning escapement in excess of the escapement goal.
Under these circumstances, the management plan directs the Department to establish, by Emergency Order, a fishing period during which bait may be used in the mainstem of the Kenai River. The Emergency Order issued on June 9, will allow the use of bait in the Kenai River from a point 100 yards downstream of the confluence of the Kenai River and the Moose River downstream to the mouth of the Kenai River.
SPORT FISHING Emergency Orders ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH & GAME
RUSSIAN RIVER SANCTUARY AREA TO OPEN WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21
The Department of Fish and Game announced today that the Russian River Sanctuary Area will be open to sockeye salmon sport fishing at 6:00 a.m., Wednesday, June 21.
The Russian River Sanctuary Area includes waters upstream from ADF&G markers located just downstream of the ferry crossing on the Kenai River to markers about 300 yards upstream of the public boat launch at Sportsman's Landing. The Sanctuary Area also includes the waters around the upstream end of the island near the Russian River mouth, and the Russian River itself from its mouth upstream 100 yards to ADF&G markers. A map to the area can be found on page 31 of the 2006 Southcentral Alaska sport fishing regulation booklet.
The sockeye salmon bag and possession limit will remain at 3 fish.
Department
staff have determined that the low end of the early-run sockeye salmon
spawning escapement goal of 14,000 fish through the weir will be achieved.
More than 10,000 sockeye salmon have moved above the waters that are
currently open, with approximately 5,000-6,000 additional fish in the
Sanctuary Area.
Please respect the new riverbank habitat restoration project and stay
on established pathways in the Sanctuary Area.
For additional information contact Larry Marsh, Assistant Area Management Biologist, (907) 262-9368.
Under Authority of AS 16.05.060
Emergency Order No. 2-KS-1-10-06
Issued at Soldotna: Friday, June 9, 2006
Effective Date: 12:01 a.m., Saturday, June 10, 2006
Expiration Date: 11:59 p.m., Friday, June 30, 2006, unless superseded
by subsequent emergency order.
EXPLANATION: This emergency order allows the use of bait in the following waters of the Kenai River drainage open to fishing for king salmon, beginning 12:01 a.m., Saturday June 10, 2006 through 11:59 p.m., Friday, June 30, 2006. The waters in which bait may be used extends from the mouth of the Kenai River upstream to a point one hundred yards downstream of the confluence of Moose River and the Kenai River. The slot limit prohibiting the retention of king salmon between 44 and 55 inches in length remains in effect.
REGULATION: The provisions of 5 AAC 56.023 SEASONS; BAG, POSSESSION, AND SIZE LIMITS; AND SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR THE KENAI RIVER DRAINAGE. (c)(1)(A) are superceded by this emergency order. Under this emergency order, the following provisions are effective beginning at 12:01 a.m., Saturday, June 10 through 11:59 p.m., Friday, June 30, 2006:
5 AAC 56.023 SEASONS; BAG, POSSESSION, AND SIZE LIMITS; AND SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR THE KENAI RIVER DRAINAGE. (c)(1)(A) from January 1 – June 30, in the Kenai River, only one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure may be used except that, from June 10 – June 30, in the Kenai River from its mouth upstream to a point 100 yards below the confluence of the Moose River and Kenai River, only one single hook may be used.
McKie Campbell, Commissioner By delegation to: George E. Pappas, Area Management Biologist
Alaska
Department of Fish and Game
Southcentral Region
Weekly Fishing Report
North Kenai Peninsula Management Area
Week
of June 25 to July 1
Issued June 28, 2006
Emergency Orders and regulation reminders
Salmon - Kenai & Kasilof rivers
Resident Fish - Kenai River
Resident Fish - Kasilof River
Lake Fishing
Northern Pike
Personal Use
Helpful Internet Links
Area webpage: www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Region2/areas/kenai/kenhome.cfm
Fishing regulations: www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/reghome.cfm
Enforcement of fishing regulations: www.dps.state.ak.us/fwp/index.asp
Fish identification: www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/regulations/salmonid.pdf
Rockfish identification: www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/regulations/rockfishID.pdf
Weir counts and sonar estimates: www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Region2/Escapement/HTML/query.cfm
River levels: http://aprfc.arh.noaa.gov/
Lake stocking: www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/Hatchery/Stocking_search/HTML/stock_search.cfm
Maps to stocked lakes: www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Region2/LAKEMAPS/HTML/LAKEMAP1.stm
Informational brochures: www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2/pubs.cfm
Safety in bear country: www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/statewide/regulations/bears.cfm
OEO/ADA statement: www.adfg.state.ak.us/oeostate.php
Copyright and reproduction information: www.adfg.state.ak.us/copyright.php
Previous Alaska Fishing Reports
Mark's
Fishing Report, May 28, 2006:
Both the Kenai and the Kasilof Rivers are off to a relatively slow start for the 06 fishing season. Unseasonably cold temperatures this spring have left both rivers much lower than normal although a recent ridge of high pressure and seventy degree days have reversed this trend and both streams are now coming up accordingly. The Kenai is currently seeing very poor conditions due to excessive runoff from tributaries such as the Killey and Funny rivers making the main-stem quite dirty and almost brown in color. Anglers should expect these conditions to prevail through at least early June as the river will take several days to recover from this sudden and excessive snowmelt precipitated by unseasonable warm temperatures. Daytime temperatures are expected to drop down to more normal levels (55-65 degrees) by late in the week and this will help improve the water clarity considerable. Understandably, fishing success on the Kenai has been very low given the relatively low numbers of fish entering the river and the poor river conditions.
The
Kasilof has also been quite slow in terms of fishing success although
river conditions are more favorable than on the Kenai River. The Kasilof
is lower and the water is considerably colder than normal and this may
explain the slow start to the early run of king salmon. Persistent anglers
are seeing sporadic action for both wild and hatchery origin Kasilof
kings with the majority of the fish being caught reportedly being wild
fish. Anglers are reminded that only on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
can wild Kasilof King salmon be retained and on all other days of the
week only adipose clipped/hatchery origin kings may be kept. Both the
Kenai and the Kasilof are expected to improve dramatically in the next
week to ten days as river temperatures and water levels continue to
climb. Fishing for king salmon in the salt water off Anchor Point and
Ninilchik in Cook Inlet has been very good and hopefully this indicates
good numbers of salmon are on their way to the rivers.
Good luck on the water and great fishing!
Mark Glassmaker
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33361 Keystone Drive, Soldotna, Alaska 99669
1-800-622-1177
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