- petecg
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- 4 out of 5
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Editor Pick
Kenai River Fishing
- August 30, 2009
- Rated 5 of 5 by
stvchin from Tustin, California
My family owns a cabin in an area of the Kenai River known as the Kenai Keys. It's situated off Highway 1, about 5-6 miles east of the town of Sterling, and about 3-4 miles south on Felding Road. Their cabin is on a riverfront lot up against the Kenai River. The Kenai River is world famous for it's salmon fishing.
The fishing season varies on the Kenai River. From mid-May to the end of June and a second run from early to late July are the King Salmon runs. Dolly Varden, trout, and the prized red salmon (sockeye) have their first run from June to early July. The red salmon hava a larger second run from mid-July to early August. The trout and Dollys have their second run from early August to mid-October. The silver salmon (coho) run all throughout August to September. The salmon can be found all throughout the Kenai River, however, the trout and Dolly Varden are more plentiful further downstream closer to the ocean.
From my family's cabin, we simply put on waders and carefully walk out to about groin depth and start fishing. The water is quite cold, as we are downstream from Skilak Lake, which has a small glacier on the far side. The current is swift, but not all that strong near the banks of the river, but always be careful. The water is not clear, and you can't see the bottom of the river due to the silt and nutrients in the water that come off the glaciers. The best way to move around is to take shallow steps, or shuffle your feet along the riverbed.
We fly fished, since that was the regulation for the red salmon runs. You must read the regulations carefully and figure out what specific types of lures or bait can be used in what season, but good thing most store clerks where they sell fishing licenses know the rules.
Most of the time, Kenai River fishing is very fun, especially since the fishing is plentiful. For me, fishing on the Kenai does three different things. 1) It's relaxing and helps to relieve stress. It's not too phyiscally demanding. Although you have to post yourself in the river and keep from falling over, unless you're fighting a fish on the hook, it's a nice, relaxing time. In fact, the water seems to help keep you bouyant, almost like a load off your feet. 2) It's visually stimulating. There are many things to look at, and pique your interest, as it's very beautiful on the Kenai River. 3) It's spiritual. It's not a religious thing, but it does serve to connect you with nature and your surroundings and help you to appreciate things more. When I was standing in the river fishing, I couldn't help but to appreciate the beauty of things around me, realize the need to keep things beautiful, and understand there are things bigger than ourselvses. There is a lot of wildlife present in the area. We saw a bald eagle land in front of our cabin, clutching a salmon it had fished out of the river. It started ripping away and eating the salmon, tearing out chunks with it's powerful beak, leaving when the seagulls came closer. We saw ducks, seagulls, and all sorts of other birds. We kept seeing bald eagles, although we suspect it was the same bald eagle, as they are territorial.
My family has a boat, but the motor hasn't been used in years and is probably rusted solid. People can rent boats from various boat rental shops on the river. You can also book riverboat fishing trips where everything is provided, from equiptment to food and guides and licenses. They even have fly-in-fishing. There are many of these services where they will fly you into the Kenai River via floatplane and you can fish off a boat or from shore. The most simple way to fish is to find a public fishing area off Alaska Highway 1, whch mostly parallels the Kenai River, and find a public parking area and hike a few yards to the river and wade in and start fishing. Just make sure it is public land and not somebody's private property. There are just so many ways and places to fish along the Kenai that it's very easy to do.
From journal Homecoming to Alaska
Editor Pick
Kenai Peninsula Fishing
- July 10, 2006
- Rated 3 of 5 by
MilwVon from Milwaukee, Wisconsin
In another entry, I've talked about our experience with Sports Den's guided fishing tour. The King Salmon fishing trip is something that many do while in Anchorage. We highly recommend it!
The other fishing that we observed on the Kenai Peninsula was fly fishing on the Russian River just above where it intersects with the Kenai. Fishermen (and women) here are looking to catch smaller varieties of salmon. When we drove by the area in the morning, there were people literally shoulder to shoulder. I don't know how anyone got any fishing done in such tight quarters.
The photos attached to this journal were taken around 7:30pm. As you can see, there are still a lot of people in the river fishing. With waters around 50 degrees, I don't know that I would be able to stand there for hours fishing.
Throughout the Kenai Peninsula keep your eyes on the lookout for bald eagles. We saw several, especially near bodies of water. You may also see moose and bears (both grizzlies and black bears).
From journal Experiencing all that is the Kenai Peninsula
Salmon Fishing
- February 3, 2005
- Rated 5 of 5 by
pruthfield from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
River fishing for salmon is a different kind of experiences. You get to spend a wonderful day on a beautiful river and bring home some “delights of the sea.”
From journal Alaska Idyll
Sports Fishing
- January 20, 2005
- Rated 4 of 5 by
petecg from Stony Point, New York
The fishing was the best I have ever encountered. A taking-off and landing in a float plane is a different than any other type of flying I've ever encountered.
From journal 10 Days in Alaska