Sorry for the mess, but this is the initial scribblings I have down as part of my effort
to write all of this info down. I'll keep working on it and hopefully we'll have a
decent draft before the beginning of the King season!!!!!
Introduction to Alaska Fishing
Getting Information
How to Catch a Kings
Tackle for Kings from shore.
King Fishing techniques from shore
Flipping
Plunking
Kenai River Kings
Kasilof River Kings
South Kenai Pensinsula: Ninilchik River, Deep Creek, Anchor River
Homer Lagoon
Seward Saltwater
Ship Creek
Susitna River Tributaries (North of Anchorage)
It is further complicated by the fact that Alaska’s fishery is seasonal. Take for example Alaska’s salmon fishery. While
many of the salmon runs last several months, the peak of the fishery may last one week or less. Fortunately Alaska has
hundreds of fantastic fisheries that can be fished year round…if you know where to go.
The simple solution for someone unfamiliar with Alaska is to hire a guide. If you have the money, I highly recommend the
use of a guide. A quick look at guided versus unguided success rates on the Kenai River gives you a good idea. During
the 1999 early king salmon season, guided anglers kept a fish every 15.5 hours. Unguided anglers kept a king salmon
every 41.9 hours. Of course unguided anglers often times are local fisherman who tend to release more fish since they can
always come back another day. Still the guided numbers are impressive.
But what about those of us who can’t afford to always use a guide? Can we catch fish still in Alaska? You bet! The key
is to fish the peak times at the best place. While it sounds obvious, its not as easy to do since the run timing can vary year
to year and there are literally hundreds of place to catch any given species.
This guide is designed for the vast majority of us who come to Alaska, stay on the road system, and for whatever reason
want to fish without the use of a guide. I am lucky that I have several boats available to me. However, I rarely use my
boats. Part of the reason is that I much prefer to fish from shore. The same 40 pound king salmon caught from shore
versus a boat is infinitely a greater challenge and thrill. From shore, it’s you against the fish. Not the captain of the boat
versus the fish.
Another bonus about fishing from shore is it allows you to try different river and lake systems in a single day. You pick up
your fishing rod and move. Not as easy when you have a boat in tow. Also there just isn’t that many places you can cover
in Alaska with a single kind of boat in my opinion. The Kenai River is restricted to 35 horse power, the Big Su requires a
jet engine instead of a prop, the Kasilof is a driftboat fishery. To truly fish these rivers, you need three different boats. I
fish all three from shore with relatively good success.
We are going to use Anchorage, Alaska as the “base of operations.” Most visitors to Alaska come through Anchorage.
And of course nearly half of the population of Alaska lives in or near Anchorage. So instead of trying to cover all of
Alaska, this guides is intended for those who want to fish Southcentral Alaska without having to apply for another credit
card! Alright! Let’s go fishing!
things. How much time do I have? What kind of fish do I want to catch? Am I looking to catch a single trophy fish or
would you rather catch greater numbers of average fish? Are you willing to battle hoards of people or are you looking for
a more peaceful (but almost always less productive) fishery? Do you want fish for the smoker or are you a catch and
release kind of angler? All of these plus many other factors will come in to play as you decide where you want to fish.
This guide will give you a great head start in catching fish. Still the downside is that anything in print is usually at LEAST
one season old. So once you have studied this guide, you still should take a few minutes to collect more recent information.
Okay lets collect some recent information. Once again books and fishing guides like this one are a great source of
information. Knowing the history of each fishery is a must. It's true that history often repeats itself. Still we are now
searching for more updated information.
Well you need a fishing license to fish so go get one! But instead of going to a neighbor hood gas station or even the mega
mart, go get it at an established sporting good store. Check the appendix for the stores that provide me the best
information. While I purchase a lot of my tackle at WalMart and Kmart’s since their prices are so competitive, I often
make my purchases at locally owned sporting good stores. Often these stores not only have the exact lures in the right
colors and sizes, but the people working at these stores always seem to be willing to help you find a fish or two. It’s
definitely worth the few extra cents.
One of the best places to get up to date information is the State of Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game. Many of the
biologists that work for Fish and Game are also avid fisherman. They spend a lot of time in the field so they are always a
good source of information. They have a number of guides for each fishery as well as up dated weekly fishing reports that
can point you in the right direction. They also have a maps of every lake they stock in the Southcentral area with
instructions on how to get there, what they stock, and even data on their sampling efforts on the particular lake. A must
have for the people who like to trout fish in lakes. You can write to them, call them on the phone, or even better visit their
office. However, the best way to get the info is via the internet.
The internet is just loaded with good information. The problem is that there is so much information on the net. If you use a
search engine like Yahoo, Alta Vista, or Google and try looking up “fishing and Alaska” you will find every fishing guide in
Alaska’s home page. That doesn’t help you catch fish… unless you have money! But lots of good information exists.
I know not everyone is net savvy or even has a computer, but the information is just too useful not to mention. So here, I’ll
mention how I use the information I collect to gain an advantage. I have attached a list of websites where the information
exists. If you think the information is useful enough you can call the information sources for the most part. The advantage
of the internet is that it is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The added bonus is that some of the information is
constantly updated on the net.
The weather in Alaska can be play a crucial role in whether you catch fish or not. In many of Alaska’s fisheries its not so
much you need to know the barometric pressure or see when a cold front is moving through. The weather is important for
two reasons. The first is that rainfall affects the river levels. In Alaska its not only the rains that can trigger an increase in
water levels. Since many of Alaska’s top streams are fed by glaciers, warm sunny weather can also cause a dramatic
increase in water levels (and water clarity) as well. Each stream is just a little bit different and I’ll try to explain that later in
more detail. Perhaps the most important thing is how comfortable you are fishing. Fishing while you are cold is no fun.
First it usually means less time on the water. Second, even if you do hook a fish, you fumble around because you can’t feel
your hands or your fingers. We’ll talk more about clothing in a separate section.
ounces and it was caught in the Kenai River in 1985.
These fish are ultra rare. But they do exist! To catch one of these monster kings, there really is one place to go: The Kenai
River. But fishing the Kenai River is not so easy. While a few dedicated fishermen hit the Kings from shore, 99% of the
fishing is from a boat. Even if you have a boat, if you have never fished the Kenai River, this is one river where a guide is
virtually mandatory your first time out. The river is crowded and shallow. Even the guides require 20 man-hours per fish
retained. The unguided angler often requires double that time. Conventional wisdom says to fish the last half of July for
the big fish. But the world record was caught in May, and my biggest fish of 71 pounds came on July 4th (technically the
second run but certainly not the peak). If you want to try for a fish of lifetime, book a guide or go with someone who
knows the river. That really is the best advice I can give.
Fortunately for the average angler on a budget, there are other King Salmon runs that offer superb action from the
shoreline. Let’s concentrate on these fisheries. While the fish are smaller, they are MUCH more plentiful. Now
remember, “small” is a relative term here. It’s still pretty darn exciting to land a 25 pounder fresh from the ocean fishing
from shore. In fact, I would have to say any King approaching 30 pounds caught from the shore, requires much more
angling skills than any big fish caught from a boat.
The best time to catch King Salmon in Southcentral Alaska from shore is the month of June. The general rule of thumb is
to start down south on the Kenai Peninsula in the beginning of June and work your way up north at the end of June.
but catch-able numbers don’t begin to enter the rivers till Memorial Day.
Rudy's Tackle Recommendation
Many of the e-mail I receive deals with the different tackle I use here in southcentral Alaska. So here is my humble attempt
to list the basic gear I use here in Alaska. Keep in mind that the gear I list is what I use, I have friends who are really good
fishermen that disagree with me completely. If any of you know of a better way or suggestions, please e-mail them to me. I
am always looking for a better way to enjoy fishing!
other rivers with fish averaging more in the 20 to 40 pound range.. the second is the gear I use on the Kenai River for
trophy Kings in the 50 pounds and up range (the current world record is over 97 pounds from the Kenai River!). The
major difference between the two gear is that on the Kenai, I mainly fish from a boat and the rest I fish from the bank.
The gear we use for fishing Kings from the bank differs from the Kenai River gear mainly because the fish tend to be
smaller and you are casting or flipping your gear all day long instead of merely holding the rod as in a boat. The gear needs
to be lighter so that you don't get too tired to fish all day. The salmon in streams such as the Kasilof River, Ninilchik River
and the streams north of Anchorage tend to run from 20 to 50 pounds. Heavy gear is often unnecessary to land these fish
and you'll enjoy your day a lot more if you use lighter gear.I should note that an exception to the flipping rule is Ship Creek
at Low tide and when fishing in the main part of the Big-Su at the confluence of
tributatries. You'll need heavy tackle to Hold onto 20 to 50 pound kings in a very swift current. Combine that with 1,000
people fishing next to you and you can see the need for heavy tackle.
Flipping is an active technique that works for almost any salmon as long as there is a decent current. I’ll explain the details
of the technique in another section.
I use at least three distinctly different combinations when fishing from the shore. My main flipping rod that I use on many
occasions is a 10 feet 8 weight flyrod. Fly fishing purist may hate me but often I use only mono with no fly line on this outfit.
The thicker fly line has too much water resistance to fish the fast flowing Alaska streams. I also tend to use splitshots or
lead and surgical tubing for weight on the fly rod. I have yet to find a suitable fly line that can sink fast enough to fish the
Alaska streams effectively. So why do I use a flyrod? It easily is the best balanced and lightest outfit that I can find. I can
easily fish with a flyrod all day long. I have been experimenting with attaching an ultralight reel to my fly rod and it has
worked amazingly well. With the reel seated farther back, the line has less of a tendency to wrap around the handle or reel
as you flip thousands of times per day. Yet the spinning reel allows me to pick up line much faster than a single action
flyreel. If you keep the reel small enough, the balance of the rod remains good.
One of my favorite outfit may be a bit lighter than most. I use a 10'6" fenwick legacy ultralight action rod (rated for 2-10
pound test) matched by a small spinning reel I got in Japan. The reel would be considered light even for the smaller species
of salmon, but I have not had any problems using it for Kings. The reel is loaded with only about 100 to 125 yards of 17 to
20 pound test mono line. I have only been"spooled" on one occasion and that King was almost surely snagged in the back
or tail. I rarely cast when shore fishing. I prefer to "flip" line out as we fish within 15 to 20 feet of the shore line in about
90% of the time. The longer rod allows me to flip out that amount of line effortlessly all day long. The longer lighter rod also
allows me to use the new spectra line with much more confidence since the rod acts as a shock absorber.
My final rig that I use on occasion is a 8'6" baitcasting rod with an Ambassador 6000 reel. I use this rig mainly for streams
in which I expect to have a chance at a 50 pounder or in a slightly larger stream with heavier current.
rod with an ambassador 6000 reel loaded with 20 to 40 pound test. Although many of my friends using a spinning rod and
reel for this kind of fishing, in almost all cases the baitcasting reels have a larger and therefore smoother drag .
Line:
My mainstay for shore fishing is 17 or 20 pound extra limp mono. I like trilene xl but any of the good lines seem to work
just as well. Do not buy the super cheap stuff. The only thing between you and the fish is the line. Why spend hundreds of
dollars on your gear and trip and have a great trip ruined because you thought you'd save a few pennies by buying cheap
mono. I've used them on rare occasions when I have no choice and they just aren't any good.
For shore fishing I use much lighter line than on the Kenai. The fish are smaller but much more numerous than on the Kenai
River. If I break one off, no big deal. Yet, I rarely have broken line on a King even when I use line as light as 14 pound
test. In fact, when I am fishing for pure fun, I have often landed kings over 30 pounds on line as light as 8 pound test.
people don't realize how hard it is to break monofilament in the 8 to 14 pound category. As a test, try tying line from your
rod to a hand held scale. Start pulling on the rod until you get a major bend in the rod. have a friend read off how many
pounds you are pulling. you'll be amazed at how little pressure you place on the scale. Give it a try!
Another possibility is the new spectra lines. The sensitivity of the line helps me to feel every pebble that the weight bounces
over. With the new lines you can feel the "life" of the fish when they hit lightly instead of just wondering if it is another snag.
The major drawback of spectra line is the unnerving tendency for the line to get wrapped around your rod tip as soon as
any slack line occurs. Over the past 2 years I have broken 3 different rods due to this tendency. Twice it was mainly due to
the fact that I was fishing in low light conditions and didn't see the tip get tangled when the fish did an 180 turn and came
back directly toward me.
There are times though when you need to go with some heavy weight line. In a crowd like Ship Creek or in fast raging
water like the Big-Su tributaries, I often scale my gear up appropriately. In places like this, I use line as heavy as 40lbs
test. Don’t worry, it’s not too much line. The heavy line helps to protect your line from all of the rocks, limbs, and other
people’s lines. When a 50 pound king goes broadside in fast moving current, you’ll wish you had 100lbs test instead!
techniques can be easily transferred to other streams in Alaska. While there are variations, the two techniques are what I
call flipping and plunking.
FLIPPING
In most situations, flipping is the more productive of the two methods as long as there is sufficient current to allow a good
drift…more on that later. Flipping is a great technique to learn because it works on any stream that holds any salmon. It’s
the only way to go when fishing for the Kenai red salmon. In almost all of the cases, one of the most effective set ups I
use is a red glass bead on top of a 1/0 to 3/0 gamakatsu with a piece of chartreuse yarn on the egg loop of the hook.
This simple rig has accounted for more salmon of all species than probably any other set up I use. Who said salmon
fishing had to be expensive?
Another variation I use for King salmon is rig using two single hooks. Once again in size 1/0 to 3/0 I egg snell the two
gamakatsu octopus style hooks about 2 to 3 inches apart. In between the two hooks I place two of the smallest size little
corkies with flo chartreuse and flo. Orange or red being the favorite colors. Once again , I always use a piece of flo.
Chartreuse yarn. The rig is attached using about 3 to 6 feet of leader running up to a sinker. I prefer the surgical rubber
tube lead on a three-way swivel. The longer leader you can handle seems to result in more hook ups. But you need to be
able to control the flip. The techniques is a little more complicated then just throwing the hook upstream and letting it
bounce downstream. You don’t use the reel at all in this technique. The following instructions are for right handed
people. Hold the rod in your right hand. Strip off enough line so the lure doesn’t hit the ground when you hold the rod
pointing straight up with your right hand. Now with the left hand strip off more line so when you extend your left arm
while holding onto the line, you can still hold the lure off the ground. Now just flip the lure out and let go of the line. The
lure should flick about 10 to 20 feet in front of you depending on how good you are. You don’t need to cast very far at
all.
Usually a 45 degree cast upstream works the best. Salmon run up river along the edges for the most part. 10 to 20 feet
from shore is plenty far. FISH NEAR THE SHORE LINE. Casting upstream a little bit, varying it as you go, you need
enough weight that you can feel the weight bouncing along the bottom. Not too much that it will hang up though. THIS IS
THE IMPORTANT PART!! As the line swing in front of you, you want to slowly sweep the rod toward the bank
(usually on the downstream side) so you will have constant tension on the line. The idea is to keep the line all the way to
the lure as perpendicular as possible to the bank. This insures that if a fish hits, instead of momentary slack as the lead
bounces past the fish and then you feel the bite, you feel the fish immediately.
Imagine if you cast your lure and weight upstream and let it dead drift down without any "pull." The lure would be pulled
downstream below the sinker as the sinker kept on grabbing the bottom. If a fish hit the lure, you wouldn’t know it until
the sinker bounced 4 feet down to the fish, then four feet past the fish until the line tightened up. By then the fish will be
long gone! KEEP LIGHT BUT CONSTANT TENSION ON THE LINE BY DRAGGING THE LURE SLOWLY
TOWARDS THE SHORE. Keeping a constant "pull" on the line is the key element in the flipping technique. As soon as
you feel something different from the bottom you have bounced by for hours, set the hook! Better to look foolish, then to
lose the fish you have been waiting all day for. Most of the time though, the fish will tear your arm off because you only
have 15 feet of line out…if you keep some tension on the line.You can use coho flies for this technique but by far the
best is to use premium ultra sharp hooks like the Gamakatsu, VMC, or Owner type hooks. I know for a fact, that my
hook up ratio is at least doubled by the use of ultra sharp premium hooks. They also punch a very small slit through the
fish’s mouth that helps keep the hook from backing out. I use this technique not only on the Kasilof, but for Kings I use it
on the Ninilchik, Ship, Montana, and many other places where the water is flowing at a fairly decent pace. Flipping for
kings is the exact same technique used to slam the reds when they start running up the river. It also has proven effective
for silvers, chums, and pinks as well.
Any type of rod can be used for flipping. My favorite by far is a fly rod. The light well balanced fly rod allows me to fish
much longer than my traditional king outfit with a spinning or baitcasting reel. The longer the rod, the more water you can
cover effortlessly. Of course in crowded conditions a shorter rod is the way to go. I tend to stick to long rods and make
room. I use 9 to 12 foot rod whenever possible.
Plunking is simply a term I use for still fishing on the bottom. The main bait of choice is cured salmon roe. 90 percent of
time the rig is simply a sliding sinker of about 2 - 4oz, tied to a leader of about 3 feet long attached to one or two single
hooks with some type of floater ahead of the hooks like a spin-n-glo. I use the smallest possible floating device that will
allow the bait to move in the current.
Once again, the fish tend to concentrate near the shore. A cast of 30 feet is a long cast. I’d say more like 10 to 20 feet is
the best distance. Plunking works best in pools of slower moving water. I use the technique effectively in the Kasilof River.
It even works relatively well in the rivers up north of Anchorage despite the ban on bait. The Kings will come up and mouth
a plain spin-n-glo. It’s an extremely easy way to fish, and of course you can fish all day since you don’t need to be flipping
or casting the rod at all.
A few hints. When tying your hooks, use an egg loop snell. The advantage is that you can put roe into the loop leaving the
hook completely exposed. This insures better hook ups once the fish hits. When the fish are hitting but not taking the bait
completely, I have a small trick I like to use. I tear the wings off of an old large spin-n-glo. I reverse the body so the t hin
end is pointed toward my rod. Then I place the spin-n-glo body up from my hook about 6 inches and pin it there using a
tooth pick. Then I place roe on the hooks. This allows for the roe to be held off the bottom, but when the fish hits, it only
feels the roe and no hard plastic body. I think it helps in the hook up ratio, especially when the water is clear enough that an
attractor is not needed.
For plunking, I find that the places are the slower moving water directly upstream from faster flowing waters. I have found
that fish seem to be the most aggressive after just entering a pool. This is after years of watching fish in many clear water
streams. I always fish the tail end of a pool if given a choice.
The easiest way to learn is to watch others around you. It’s not rocket science. It is a game of perseverance. These fish
migrate upstream, a hole that was ultra hot this morning may hold nothing in the evening. On the other hand, it works the
opposite way as well. Ask the locals if the tides make a difference. In the Kasilof River, up by the main campground,
people say 4 to 6 hours after high tide is how long it takes for the new fish to make it up to the campground area. A benefit
of using short line is that you can get repetitive casts into prime area. If your hook isn’t in the water in front of the fish, you
aren’t fishing. If you watch people that are "ALWAYS" catching fish right next to you, take a look. They are making more
casts, concentrating harder, using sharper hooks, etc. Watch and learn. Nobody has the monopoly on good ideas in this
game!
Final pieces of advice…use the best gear you can afford. Make sure the drags on the reels are good because these fish will
test your gear to the limit. When setting the drag, don’t just pull on the line above the spool. Have someone hold the line
near the lure and pull with the rod. You’ll be surprised how much harder it is to pull line out with the rod bent. Also always
re-spool with fresh line every year. Its amazing how strong fresh line is. You could easily land a 20 pound king on 8 pound
test…well maybe not easily but it can be done. If you doubt me, take your rod and tie the line to a hand scale. Pull on the
rod so you have a good bend. You’ll be surprised how hard 5 to 10 pounds of pull will bend your rod if it doesn’t break it
first.
The main reason for fresh line is that line gets weaker when it is stored, exposed to sunlight and coiled tightly on the spool.
It is the only thing connecting you and the fish. Also abrasions on a 20pound line will quickly turn the line into a 2lb rating! I
respool every 4th or 5th time out. I also cut off 4 to 5 feet of leader material every hour or two. There is nothing that will
turn you off from fishing faster than waiting for hours and after finally getting a hit, your line breaks with a simply pull.
Relatively speaking, it’s CHEAP! GET NEW LINE and CHECK YOUR LINE OFTEN
when fishing for Kenai Kings. You just don't want to take any chances with the potential 100 pounder! I have still not
decided on a single reel, but the smallest reel I use is an ambassador 500, and the largest I use is a Penn320 gti. I mainly
fish with an ambassador 6000 or 7000 size reel. You really don't need too much line for fishing the Kenai since you will be
chasing the fish around in a boat. If you have more than 75 yards of line out in the water, its almost guaranteed that you will
lose the fish with all of the boat traffic. I am comfortable with a reel that can hold 150 yards or 20 pound mono. I prefer the
larger reels mainly because of the large disc drag and not because of the line capacity.I prefer an 8'6" medium heavy action
rod. After trying all different types of rods over the years, cheap and expensive, I have settled on the Ugly stick brand and
Lamiglass as my mainstay. The really expensive rods like Loomis don't have too much advantage because you are not
really casting. Although plenty strong, the thinner walls of the more expensive rods are more prone to breakage from stupid
things like stepping on them. Since I am often running the boat, I have my rod in a rod holder more often than not so the
extra weight of the rod is not a detriment.
recommend the use of monofilament line. As I mentioned before, you don't have too much line out when fighting the fish
and stretch qualities of mono I believe help to absorb some of the shock of a big fish. When I hooked my 70 pounder on
the no stretch spectra line, every time the fish turned toward me, I had slack line. You just can't reel fast enough. Not a
good feeling with a fish of a lifetime. If I am drift fishing I use 30 pound Hi-vis yellow or green mono. The Kenai river is
very silty due to its glacial origins and the line diameter does not spook the fish as readily. I have yet to see a difference in
catch rate when drift fishing with heavier lines. I feel that 30 pound mono is bit of an overkill, but I am trying to land the first
sport caught King over100 pounds so better safe than sorry. The hi-vis mono helps to track where the lines are in the
water when fishing with multiple people from the same boat. If I am back trolling or pulling plugs, I like to use thinner line in
the 20 pound test range so the plugs I am using can dive deeper.
Although I use hi-vis line, I still like to use low-vis line for the leader which is usually anywhere from 2 to 4 feet long. I
prefer the Maxima ultragreen leaders in the same pound test as the rest of the line.
hooks you can buy. Although I use Gamakatsu hooks exclusively, I have been impressed with the "Owner" and
"VMC"hooks. I use 4/0, 5/0, and 6/0 gamakatus red Octopus hooks. I also try to replace the hooks on all of my plugs
with the Gamakatsu trebles but the largest I can usually find are size 2 which are a bit small. Make sure if you use hooks
from store bought plugs to bring along a file to sharpen the hooks.When I am drift fishing, I use a combination of large and
small spin-n-glos and lil corkies, oakie drifters and some yarn. The lures we use look more like Christmas ornaments, but
often times a large gaudy lure is just what is required in the murky waters. The size of the lure depends mainly on water
clarity. The spin-n-glos and lil corkies are basically stacked on top of two snelled single hooks. Click here for a picture of
the different spin-n-glo combinations we use.When we are back trolling we will often use the same rigs as drift fishing but
run them behind a diving planer. If the water is shallow enough (under 15 feet or so) I often use a large plug with no diving
planer. I like to attach my planer so it slides on my leader instead of being fixed because I think it helps it dive better and
less leverage for the fish when it is hooked. My favorite plugs are magnum wiggle warts, magnum hot shots, larger flatfish
and Kwikfishes. Fluorescent colors in red and chartreuse work well as do the metallic finishes.
guides generally out fish non-guided boats by at least a two to one margin. Also when bait is legal, the use of salmon roe
increases your chances by at least a factor of two according to Fish & Game sources. Other effective baits include the use
of a sardine or herring fillet on your plugs, especially in the lower river and when the fish are still bright and fresh from the
ocean. Make sure you check the regulation, they usually ban bait (including all scents) until they are sure the escapement is
high enough. The Kenai River can be overly crowded and I have seen some pretty good fights (between fishermen) occur.
Remember to be a bit more careful and courteous on the Kenai and you shouldn't have any problems. Stay away from
boats that have a landing net held up high as that is the signal that a fish is on! Conversely, if you hook a king, even though it
is nowhere ready to net, make sure you hold your net up high so other boats know to avoid you!
I hate to say this about my favorite state, but fishing in Alaska has gotten so crowded that it is almost out of control. There
are plenty of fish to go around, my opinion is that although not perfect, the state fish & game department here in Alaska
does a good job in maintaining healthy fish stocks. The problem is that road access to many of the streams here in Alaska
are severely restricted. Wherever there are roads to fishing holes, there are hundreds if not thousands of people fishing a
single stretch, especially on the weekends. If you are fishing from the bank try fishing very early or very late. I fish from
midnight to about 8:00am almost exclusively.
Many of the king salmon fisheries are weekend only fisheries, have bait restrictions, or fall under the “keep one fish, and
you are done fishing” rule (Still make sure to check the current regulations! I don’t think the judge will buy your argument
about some guy on the web said it was okay!). None of those apply to the Kasilof River during the peak of the season. Be
careful early in the season as they do have bait restrictions to protect a very small steelhead population. It’s a great place
to go to catch early fish, catch & release (even after keeping one), or spending the day relaxing and fishing with bait. For
whatever reason, the early kings here caught from mid May to June are chrome bright fighting machines!
Most of the kings caught in the Kasilof are hatchery stocked fish that originate in the Crooked Creek fish hatchery. The
best fishing is from the Confluence of Crooked Creek and the Kasilof River downstream to the first major bend located
maybe a half mile downstream. In faster current you will find people flipping. In the slower slack water, people will be
plunking. The best advice I can give it go down to the river & watch…especially in the afternoon when it is crowded.
Notice how different sections of the river are being fished by different techniques. You’ll likely notice that there are several
locations that consistently yields fish. Those places tend to be crowded during the day but you can find lots of space from
2 am to about 8 am.
Besides the fishing is infinitely better in the early hours. There are a couple of reasons for this. The no brainer reason is
because during those early hours, you will run into maybe 10 anglers where several hundred at stood during the day. With
fewer people on the water the fish are much less nervous and when you add the cover of darkness, the fish will travel
extremely close to the shore. As the fish cruise up the shallows, you can actually see the wakes on the surface. For
whatever reason, at night much more so than during the day, the wakes are easily discernible from the rest of the moving
water. “Sight casting” during the night for Kings can be as exciting as it gets. If you mission in Alaska is to catch as may
kings as possible, sleep during the day and fish at night from midnight to noon.
River. This is mainly due to the fact that the Ninilchik River seems to be the least affected by heavy rains of the three rivers
. The major drawback to these three streams is that they are all “3 day weekend” fisheries meaning they are open only on
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
Still, if I had to guarantee a king anywhere in Southcentral Alaska on the road system, I would likely go to Ninilchik River
the second weekend it is open. I’d go stand in a good hole well before midnight on Saturday and as soon as the clock hits
midnight, I’d be flipping a corky rig. It is as close to a guranteed king in a combat fishing zone as you can get.
Deep Creek is affected much more by the early spring runoffs and rains. But if the water is clear, you can catch kings. I
can’t say I have ever caught a king in Deep Creek. I would recommend fishing 2 hours before and after high tide closer to
Cook Inlet. There are a few holes to be found above the tidal influence to the bridge. If you can find any hole deeper than
three feet deep, you probably have a good chance of finding holding fish. I’ve caught some nice steelhead and silvers in
Deep Creek but I just don’t know enough about this fishery.
The Anchor River is a great fishery. Lots of good sized kings in this river. Once again, in the tide infuenced areas I would
concentrate my efforts at high tide and during the time the the tide starts to drop again. Further upstream, you just need to
find the deep holes (and all the people!). This river is more influenced by rain so check before going by calling any of the
tackle stores in the area or by checking the web for the river level.
Finally for this area, there is a fishery I have never tried but would like to some day. It basically is surfcasting for kings on
the beaches south of the Ninilchik River. You need to check the regulations carefully but there is no reason why you
couldn’t catch a king by surfcasting from shore. Many of the boats trolling the area are within easy casting range so why
not? I have heard of limited succes by fisherman tossing large spoons and herring under a bobber.
More later!!!!!!
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