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Alaska Fishing and Lodging on the banks of the Kenai River. Vacation rental cabins and guided fishing from our lodge in Soldotna.

Alaska Fishing with Mark Glassmaker • 1-800-622-1177

2005 Fishing Reports

Mark's Fishing Report, June 12, 2005:

Kenai King salmonJeanne Beezhold proudly displays and 35lb. Kenai King she caught on Tuesday
June 7.

As of Sunday 6/12, many, if not all of South-Central June fisheries are in full swing. Beginning on the Kenai River, Early Run King Salmon numbers have seen a significant spike in the past week with between 400 and 700 ER king salmon passing the lower river sonar counter daily. The last available count as of this fishing report was Saturday June 11 when 555 kings were recorded bringing the cumulative total of ER Kenai King Salmon to 5,638 fish. It seems this run is on tract to meet or exceed escapement goals. Fishing on the Kenai River has been hit and miss as increasing water levels and have affected angler success. While many boats were seeing between 4-6 fish per day over a week ago, more recent catch rates have dropped to 1-3 fish per boat. There have been a number of very large fish moving through the Kenai system and several trophy class fish weighing well over 70lbs. have been recorded. On Wed. June 8, my boat hooked a Kenai Monster just below Eagle Rock on the lower Kenai River ad fought the fish for nearly 45 minutes without even seeing it. After well over an hour, we finally were able to bring the giant to the net and after carefully taping it at nearly 53 inches long, we successfully released the fish to continue its epic journey. We estimated the fish to weigh between 70 and 75 lbs. The non-retention slot of 44-55 inches has been very effective in preserving these genetically unique trophy class Kenai Kings and letting this fish go was rewarding beyond what words can describe. Currently, the Kenai River continues to rise as snow melt and rain in the Kenai mountains puts more and more water into the system. Water clarity is less than ideal at the time of this report although conditions should improve by early next week with little rain in the forecast.

Kasilof King salmonGood numbers of Russian River Red salmon are being reported throughout the Kenai River as this fishery opens today near Cooper Landing. Anglers should expect plenty of fish and crowds as this tiny mountain tributary of the Kenai sees the first substantial pushes of sockeye for the season. We will have more information regarding fishing success and run numbers once this fishery has been under way for a few days. Look for a more detailed report very soon.

Troy Johnson with a nice Kasilof King also taken on June 11.

     

     

Kasilof kingKali Johnson with one of many Kasilof Kings she landed on Saturday June 11.

On the Kasilof River, the ER of King Salmon has seen a new push of fish after a very high tide cycle over the past week slowed the numbers of fish entering the river. The last 2-3 days has seen a significant spike for both naturally produced and hatchery origin Crooked Creek Kings and fishing has definitely followed suit. Many anglers are retaining their one fish limit and guided trips are yielding double digit hook-ups in recent days. The ration of hatchery fish to wild fish has improved to as high as 3 to 1 and this run should continue to produce very good fishing over the next week to ten days. Anglers are reminded that wild kings may only be retained on Tuesdays and Saturdays with retention of hatchery fish only during the remaining days of the week. Given the improved ratio of hatchery versus wild fish currently in the system, the Kasilof offers a very good chance for retaining the daily one fish limit of king salmon. Water conditions are very good although the river is getting higher by the day.

Trout fishing opened on the Kenai river-wide today and action was expected to be very good. More detailed information regarding Kenai Trout fishing will be included in the next fishing report.

King salmon fishing on lower Kenai Peninsula Rivers will come to a close after this weekend, although good numbers of kings are still present and entering the Anchor, Ninilchik and Deep Creek. All of these smaller snow-fed streams have seen very solid king runs this season and angler success during weekend only, open days has been very high.

West Side Cook Inlet fly-out fisheries have also gotten off to a very good beginning with lots of sockeye and bears massing around the outlet of Wolverine Creek where it enters Big River Lake. Massive schools of sockeye salmon, fresh from Cook Inlet, can be seen circling the clear waters of Redoubt Bay and fishing pressure has been moderate. We have taken several trips to this popular West Side destination and have gotten limits of reds and have seen multiple brown and black bears on every trip. There has already been a significant push of sockeye up Wolverine Creek over this weekend although newly arriving fish continue to mass around the mouth of Wolverine Creek and large schools of newly arriving sockeye can been seen breaking the surface throughout Big River Lake. This run will continue to build through mid-July.

King salmon fishing on the Chuitna has not yet begun due to excessive snow melt and high and murky water conditions. This river is expected to come into fishing shape may mid week and angler success should be very high. With several trips planned for us in the near future, a detailed report will be available soon. The neighboring Theodore River has been high as well but it has been fishable and reports indicate very good catch and release king salmon fishing on this tiny, yet very exciting river. We also plan to visit the Theodore over the next week and will continue to update this report as we explore both of these very productive remote fisheries.

If you have any questions regarding any of the above Kenai Peninsula and West Side fisheries please fell free to email me anytime at mgfish@mgfalaska.com.

Good luck on the water and great fishing!

    Mark Glassmaker

Mark's Fishing Report, May 31, 2005:

kasilof king salmonMemorial Day weekend signifies the official start to many of the most popular Kenai Peninsula fisheries and in a number of primary locations, fishing was very consistent. Beginning on the Kenai, sonar counts remain quite low despite relatively steady fishing success. As of May 31, only 1031 Early-Run Kenai king salmon had passed the ADF&G sonar site on the lower Kenai River. Despite the low counts, fishing has been fair with most boats averaging 1-2 kings in an 8 hour charter. Typically this run peaks in the first two weeks of June, so the next week to ten days should see significant numbers of fish entering the river and catch rates should follow suit. River conditions are ideal with excellent color and moderate water levels. Rain in the Kenai Mountains is bringing the river up daily.

    Will Sigsbee releases a 2005 naturally-produced early-run Kasilof King Salmon.

On the neighboring Kasilof, fishing has continued to build daily since Mid May. In the recent 3-4 days, the fishery has seen a significant burst of fresh kings and multiple hook-ups per boat are now the norm. This run offers mix of both hatchery and naturally produced early-run king salmon and anglers are reminded that only hatchery king salmon (marked by a clipped adipose fin) are allowed to be retaining with the exception of Tuesdays and Saturdays when both wild (natural) and hatchery king salmon may be kept. New rules which allow anglers to keep fishing once they retain a king salmon on the Kasilof have been very well received and have made this fishery a very attractive option for Kenai Peninsula anglers. This run should peak in the next week to ten days. Water levels are moderate and rising.

Kasilof KingThe Cook Inlet Marine fishery off Ninilchik/Deep Creek has been extremely productive for halibut and to a lesser degree, salt water king salmon. The halibut fishing has been very good even in the less than optimal tides. Near shore trolling for king salmon has been off and on as sporadic pushes of both feeder and river bound kings make their way through the area. In the last two days, high concentrations of mature kings have provided red hot action after a week of very hit and miss fishing. This recent push of fish may very well be the bulk of early run Kenai kings making their way north. This early run marine king salmon fishery normally peaks between the last week of May and the first week of June.

Patty Powers and nice hatchery king salmon from the Kasilof River

Lower Kenai Peninsula streams such as Deep Creek, the Ninilchik River and the Anchor River are all seeing fair to strong return of king salmon and fishing pressure over the Memorial Day weekend was heavy. Perhaps the most productive of these rivers was the Anchor where low water and lots of fish made for good fishing around the high tide. Anglers are reminded these rivers are weekend only fisheries and fishing for salmon is limited to the lower, tidally influenced sections of these streams. Downstream steelhead (kelts) are also present in the Ninilchik, Deep Creek and the Anchor and are making their way back to Cook Inlet after being in the rivers since the fall/winter. Kenai Peninsula steelhead are not allowed to be removed from the water and should be handled with extreme caution to ensure their safe release.

Good luck on the water and great fishing!

Here are a few more photos of recent king salmon caught fishing on the Kasilof River.  Click on any image for a larger view in a new window.

    Kasilof king salmon
    Kaslof king salmon
    Kasilof king salmon
    Kasilof king salmon
    Kasilof king salmon
    Kasilof king salmon
    Kasilof King salmon
    Kasilof king salmon
    Kasilof king salmon

Coho, halibut, more on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula

Mark's Fishing Report, November 23, 2004:

As of 11/23/04, the Kenai Peninsula is experiencing a temperate beginning to winter. We have seen several reasonable snow storms with some accumulation although persistent warm temperatures and rain have melted most of it. Daytime temperatures have been in the mid to high thirties. On the southern Kenai Peninsula, both the Anchor and Deep Creek are both flowing at moderate to high levels with good clarity.

There is a great deal of shore ice and debris from cold weather a few weeks prior and flooding caused by ice dams. Both steelhead and dolly varden remain active and fishing is rated as fair on both the middle and lower sections of the Anchor River and Deep Creek. The Ninilchik River remains largely frozen and unfishable.

The Kenai is low but still navigable above Bings Landing. Trout fishing both below and above Skilak Lake is still a viable option, weather depending. Trout are not highly concentrated but larger fish are found just below spawning silver salmon. Good numbers of both dark and bright silver salmon are present although their season closed November 1.

Mark's Fishing Report, October 20, 2004:

As of October 20, Kenai Peninsula fisheries continue to provide excellent angling opportunities for those willing to put in their time on the water. The Kenai River is still seeing a fair number of silver salmon after one of the strongest returns of coho since ADF&G began estimating escapement. Silver salmon season on the Kenai normally closes the last day of September but was extended this year through the end of October due to the large return. Rainbow trout and Dolly Varden fishing on the Kenai, both above and below Skilak Lake, remains very good with a number of larger fish being caught. Fish are being taken on both flesh patterns and painted beads.

Kenai Rainbow

 

 

Dan Mendenhall with a beautiful Kenai Rainbow caught in late September.

 

 

 

 

 

Steelhead trout fishing on the lower Kenai Peninsula Rivers has been very steady with large number of fish present in the Anchor River, Deep Creek, and the Ninilchik River. These fisheries have been most productive just after rain storms although currently all rivers are low and clear and fishing has slowed. Look for more fish to enter these rivers just after the next big rain or before the river freezes for winter.

Steelhead

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jim Rinker readies a nice fall steelhead for release.

 

Alaska fishing and lodging on the Kenai RIver.
Alaska Fishing with Mark Glassmaker
33361 Keystone Drive, Soldotna, Alaska 99669

1-800-622-1177

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Alaska fishing and lodging on the Kenai River.