WFO........ - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

The Kid · 07-23-2011, 01:57 PM

… in Alaska!!!

HAHAHA Gotcha! Yep that’s right The Kid actually fishes freshwater from time to time, and uses a FLY ROD every now and then. Anyways it’s about time someone posts something far different on this board so I am going to throw a wild pitch at you guys and write about my latest trip to the Kenai Peninsula fishing for Reds or as we would know them as Sockeye salmon.

To start I will say that there is no place like Alaska for us fish folk and outdoorsman. Alaska is a place where one can go anywhere and get the latest fishing and hunting reports. Everyone fishes in Alaska! Go to any restaurant and ask, “How’s the fishing been” and you will get a report as detailed as a Kurtfish report. There is a section in daily T.V. news stations giving reports on the bite status in the region. I mean c’mon! The place is full of people like me, obsessed with fishing.

The regulation methods utilized in Alaska are phenomenal and nobody knows s*** about how to maintain a fishing system better than an Alaskan. If anyone here can say they have an answer to how to properly maintain our fishing grounds you are full of yourself and need to step back and watch these guys at work. Alaskans care so much about their fishery, reporting poachers is like reporting theft in California. I would rather have any citizen of Alaska run our Department of Fish and Game then any person in the world. So to conclude my rant and move along, let me tell you all take notes from these guys because we don’t know anything.

Starting from day 2 of my trip I had a line in the river praying for a salmon to smash my fly fishing set up and own me. Well it wasn’t the day to withdraw from the Kenai Salmon bank quite yet. On day 3 and after an extensive lessen from a new friend of mine and commercial fisherman; I finally connected with a silver bullet. These salmon when hooked have the head shakes of a sea bass and the line stripping quality of a bluefin. They RUN HARD!!! Then you also have to worry about the current of the river, which is ripping, and get an 8-10 lb salmon netted. Talk about line screamers!!!

After a couple of days with a slow pick on the Reds here and there listening to how wide open salmon fishing usually is, I was kind of getting sick of hearing it. Then on Sunday the 17th IT happened. Man after calling the sonar fish count for salmon entering the river I crapped myself a little bit. The amount of fish that came on Sunday was 239,000. http://www.alaskaoutdoorjournal.com/...kenaisock.html That’s right in one day 239,000 came in the river. It was a near record run for the reds and they were huge too the size ranged anywhere from 6-12 lbers. From Monday until Thursday as a family we caught our limits no problem among 14 members and 3 fish each. You do the math!

We timed the bite really well and all we had to do was fish for 5 minutes and we were limited out. I took some video and I landed in 4 fish 6 minutes. Talk about wide f****** open. As a regulation method, the ADFG sent out an emergency increasing the limit up to 6 fish and allowed dip netters 24 hour access to catch reds. The ADFG has got this salmon run down to a science by closely regulating the amount of fish that are allowed upstream so as to have a great spawn but also not to overcrowd the salmon redds. If the river becomes overcrowded the mortality of salmon smolts increases and the amount returning in future years possibly may decline. Something I never would have considered. I thought that the more salmon the better, but as I said before Alaskans have got it down. Nearly 1 million sockeye salmon entered the Kenai River so far and leaving feels really uneasy for me. Alaska has become a home away from home and I will be returning next year.

The kill count for a week period of fishing the Kenai River for reds aka sockeye salmon is ¾ of a ton of salmon meat with nearly that amount released for a family of 14. 1500 lbs of fish all distributed throughout the members. An expensive trip well paid for in produce. Don’t bother asking for any though I’m going to be greedy with this stuff. Worth it’s weight in gold IMAO. So now that I’m back and getting into some real fishing we’ll see how WFO it can get.

toby · 07-23-2011, 02:34 PM

Great job Kevin! Glad your'e having a good time.

Adios

sdfisher · 07-23-2011, 03:27 PM

Looks like fun!

I have had the pleasure of visiting Alaska and fishing out there. Hard to focus on the fishing with all the natural beauty out there. Just an amazing place.

did the bears visit while you were out there? I know the bears would come out and scare fisherman away from their stringers and enjoy lunch on the Russian river, sure beats getting in the cold water and catching them with their paws.

roadx · 07-23-2011, 04:17 PM

cant wait for the video. looks awesome up there. beautiful fish! definitely on the bucket list.

jorluivil · 07-23-2011, 04:42 PM

This looks awesome.

Iceman · 07-23-2011, 05:40 PM

Very cool, Alaska is like a different planet! Everyone should go there at least once!

JoeBeck · 07-23-2011, 05:43 PM

Love fishing in Alaska, love Alaska period. My wife and I are hoping to get back next year. Great report!!!!! Thanks for sharing an awesome trip.

GBF · 07-23-2011, 06:06 PM

WOW.......very nicely done!!

GBF

taggermike · 07-23-2011, 06:12 PM

Silver-bright sockeye salmon. You have one of the best eating fish in the whole world there. Congrats. Mike

mbaha · 07-23-2011, 08:01 PM

It looks you got the "twitch" down. They sure run hard when they are "mouth hooked" toward the rear...

PescadorPete · 07-23-2011, 08:37 PM

Nice post Kevin!
I got to hang out in my buddy's fish cabins on Icy Strait in June. He has sit insides which are not very optimum but they do work. I'm thinking of shipping up some sit on tops next year. It's ideal kayak fishing, slow trolling in the salt water for kings on 12# test.

StinkyMatt · 07-23-2011, 09:24 PM

Sure, just let everyone know about it!

I'm going out in the morning to get me some of these salmon things, throwing the surface iron!

The whole family vacationing together, nice.

TCS · 07-24-2011, 01:44 AM

Wow. Good times with the famliy. Treasure them. Is that your dad in the pick with you holding the net?

yakrider · 07-24-2011, 07:52 AM

another one added to the bucket list for sure!

bellcon · 07-24-2011, 08:46 AM

Awesome
some day for sure!

lamb · 07-24-2011, 10:05 AM

Thanks for a cool report!

Alaska is definitevly on my fishing destinations list.

The Kid · 07-24-2011, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TCS

Wow. Good times with the famliy. Treasure them. Is that your dad in the pick with you holding the net?

My Uncle Jack as you might have guessed everyone on my dad's side of my family fishes. It's in my blood!

Chuck D · 07-24-2011, 04:13 PM

Nice Kevin! Sockeye like most salmon don't eat the bait, you have to piss them off enough to bite your lure. Alaska is amazing, glad to hear you are out there. Any Kings on the trip?

-R&B- · 07-24-2011, 08:01 PM

Nice pics, you should try using your ulua, haha. Glad your having fun.

Tman · 07-24-2011, 08:13 PM

Nice post, can't wait to fish Alaska one day, great pics.

07-23-2011, 01:57 PM	#1
The Kid Loves Surface Irons Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: San Diego Posts: 455	WFO........ … in Alaska!!! HAHAHA Gotcha! Yep that’s right The Kid actually fishes freshwater from time to time, and uses a FLY ROD every now and then. Anyways it’s about time someone posts something far different on this board so I am going to throw a wild pitch at you guys and write about my latest trip to the Kenai Peninsula fishing for Reds or as we would know them as Sockeye salmon. To start I will say that there is no place like Alaska for us fish folk and outdoorsman. Alaska is a place where one can go anywhere and get the latest fishing and hunting reports. Everyone fishes in Alaska! Go to any restaurant and ask, “How’s the fishing been” and you will get a report as detailed as a Kurtfish report. There is a section in daily T.V. news stations giving reports on the bite status in the region. I mean c’mon! The place is full of people like me, obsessed with fishing. The regulation methods utilized in Alaska are phenomenal and nobody knows s* about how to maintain a fishing system better than an Alaskan. If anyone here can say they have an answer to how to properly maintain our fishing grounds you are full of yourself and need to step back and watch these guys at work. Alaskans care so much about their fishery, reporting poachers is like reporting theft in California. I would rather have any citizen of Alaska run our Department of Fish and Game then any person in the world. So to conclude my rant and move along, let me tell you all take notes from these guys because we don’t know anything. Starting from day 2 of my trip I had a line in the river praying for a salmon to smash my fly fishing set up and own me. Well it wasn’t the day to withdraw from the Kenai Salmon bank quite yet. On day 3 and after an extensive lessen from a new friend of mine and commercial fisherman; I finally connected with a silver bullet. These salmon when hooked have the head shakes of a sea bass and the line stripping quality of a bluefin. They RUN HARD!!! Then you also have to worry about the current of the river, which is ripping, and get an 8-10 lb salmon netted. Talk about line screamers!!! After a couple of days with a slow pick on the Reds here and there listening to how wide open salmon fishing usually is, I was kind of getting sick of hearing it. Then on Sunday the 17th IT happened. Man after calling the sonar fish count for salmon entering the river I crapped myself a little bit. The amount of fish that came on Sunday was 239,000. http://www.alaskaoutdoorjournal.com/...kenaisock.html That’s right in one day 239,000 came in the river. It was a near record run for the reds and they were huge too the size ranged anywhere from 6-12 lbers. From Monday until Thursday as a family we caught our limits no problem among 14 members and 3 fish each. You do the math! We timed the bite really well and all we had to do was fish for 5 minutes and we were limited out. I took some video and I landed in 4 fish 6 minutes. Talk about wide f**** open. As a regulation method, the ADFG sent out an emergency increasing the limit up to 6 fish and allowed dip netters 24 hour access to catch reds. The ADFG has got this salmon run down to a science by closely regulating the amount of fish that are allowed upstream so as to have a great spawn but also not to overcrowd the salmon redds. If the river becomes overcrowded the mortality of salmon smolts increases and the amount returning in future years possibly may decline. Something I never would have considered. I thought that the more salmon the better, but as I said before Alaskans have got it down. Nearly 1 million sockeye salmon entered the Kenai River so far and leaving feels really uneasy for me. Alaska has become a home away from home and I will be returning next year. The kill count for a week period of fishing the Kenai River for reds aka sockeye salmon is ¾ of a ton of salmon meat with nearly that amount released for a family of 14. 1500 lbs of fish all distributed throughout the members. An expensive trip well paid for in produce. Don’t bother asking for any though I’m going to be greedy with this stuff. Worth it’s weight in gold IMAO. So now that I’m back and getting into some real fishing we’ll see how WFO it can get.

07-23-2011, 04:17 PM	#4
roadx . Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 1,155	cant wait for the video. looks awesome up there. beautiful fish! definitely on the bucket list. __________________

07-23-2011, 04:42 PM	#5
jorluivil Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Posts: 6,855	This looks awesome. __________________ www.facebook.com/Teamsewer

07-23-2011, 05:40 PM	#6
Iceman Administrator Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: 1-2 miles off the point Posts: 6,943	Very cool, Alaska is like a different planet! Everyone should go there at least once! __________________

07-23-2011, 06:06 PM	#8
GBF Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Huntington Beach CA Posts: 323	WOW.......very nicely done!! GBF __________________ "Just keep going out....it's better than staying Home"

07-23-2011, 02:34 PM	#2
toby Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Escondido Posts: 154	Great job Kevin! Glad your'e having a good time. Adios

07-23-2011, 03:27 PM	#3
sdfisher Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: San Diego Posts: 179	Looks like fun! I have had the pleasure of visiting Alaska and fishing out there. Hard to focus on the fishing with all the natural beauty out there. Just an amazing place. did the bears visit while you were out there? I know the bears would come out and scare fisherman away from their stringers and enjoy lunch on the Russian river, sure beats getting in the cold water and catching them with their paws.

07-23-2011, 05:43 PM	#7
JoeBeck Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: San Diego Posts: 370	Love fishing in Alaska, love Alaska period. My wife and I are hoping to get back next year. Great report!!!!! Thanks for sharing an awesome trip.

07-23-2011, 06:12 PM	#9
taggermike Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chula Vista Posts: 1,589	Silver-bright sockeye salmon. You have one of the best eating fish in the whole world there. Congrats. Mike

07-23-2011, 08:01 PM	#10
mbaha Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 49	It looks you got the "twitch" down. They sure run hard when they are "mouth hooked" toward the rear...

07-23-2011, 08:37 PM	#11
PescadorPete Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Leucadia, CA Posts: 261	Red meat Nice post Kevin! I got to hang out in my buddy's fish cabins on Icy Strait in June. He has sit insides which are not very optimum but they do work. I'm thinking of shipping up some sit on tops next year. It's ideal kayak fishing, slow trolling in the salt water for kings on 12# test. Last edited by PescadorPete; 07-24-2011 at 05:43 AM.

07-23-2011, 09:24 PM	#12
StinkyMatt Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Under a bridge Posts: 2,168	Sure, just let everyone know about it! I'm going out in the morning to get me some of these salmon things, throwing the surface iron! The whole family vacationing together, nice.

07-24-2011, 01:44 AM	#13
TCS Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 478	Wow. Good times with the famliy. Treasure them. Is that your dad in the pick with you holding the net?

07-24-2011, 07:52 AM	#14
yakrider Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 611	another one added to the bucket list for sure!

07-24-2011, 08:46 AM	#15
bellcon Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: San Pedro Posts: 999	Awesome some day for sure! __________________

07-24-2011, 10:05 AM	#16
lamb Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 2,563	Thanks for a cool report! Alaska is definitevly on my fishing destinations list. __________________ [------------------------ <)))< ....b-a-a-a-a

07-24-2011, 04:13 PM	#18
Chuck D Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Bay Park Posts: 559	Nice Kevin! Sockeye like most salmon don't eat the bait, you have to piss them off enough to bite your lure. Alaska is amazing, glad to hear you are out there. Any Kings on the trip?

07-24-2011, 08:01 PM	#19
-R&B- Junior Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 8	Nice pics, you should try using your ulua, haha. Glad your having fun.

07-24-2011, 08:13 PM	#20
Tman BRTF...bought & paid... Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,247	Nice post, can't wait to fish Alaska one day, great pics. __________________ Adios Tman Gaffer for Clay the Fishcatcher