South Central Alaska

[PaGuy]

the salmon are everywhere

commercial nets are pulled in the norther cook inlet, to alow the low run of sockey to all make in in rivers so there is large runs of silvers, pinks, and chums pluging the rivers from the Vally south to Anchorage. the kings are droping eggs and dying now so the rainbows are feasting themselfs

southern cook inlet specificly the kenai has had a real late sockey run and the all fishing was shut down for a week. then the run exploded putting close to 1million reds in the river.the kenai reopened to fishing again and the fishing is great the reds are everywhere. the pinks are starting to trickle in now and anyday now there will be 2 million of them in the river.
the kasiloft river is having a good red run this year but with all the restrictions on the kenai river, comercial is hitting it hard.

get up here and fish while the fishing is still good!!!!

[Mike Thomas]

Sounds fantastic, please post some pics if you can.
All the best.
Mike.

[FutsalPete]

I just spent 6 of my 7 days vacationing on the Kenai. It was fantastic. Weather was warm, fishing was fun and the scenery was spectacular! Visited by RV: Quartz Creek, Copper Landing, Russian, Jim's Landing, Hidden Lake and Soldotna. I got my limit on Sockeye Salmon, Dolly Vardens, and Rainbow trout. Even got one Coho. Most were caught with Coho fly, wollybugger or the egg sucking leach.

Even tried catch and release dry fly fishing in the upper portion of the Russian River catching bows with caddis or stimulator trying to imitate the green drake hatch. A little further up stream I visited the Russian Falls and observed the Sockeye jumping the steps (rocks) on thier way up to the spawning grounds at the Russian Lake.

I was not too impressed with the combat fishing taking place at the confluence of the Russian into the Kenai but a little further down stream past Jim's Landing and just beyond the Kenai canyon caught two beautiful reds and one silver using a salmon fly that imitated a rainbow-in the mouth. This was not the snag and sack methods observed elsewhere. Just plain old dead drifting with sinking tip off a floating line. It made my heart race whenever I saw the reel let out 100 to 150 feet of line in just a few seconds.

Had to watch out for bears... there were lots of them and even had a moose swim across the Kenai near Jim's Landing almost bumping right next to me while wade fishing for the reds.

You could easily fish from 6AM till 10PM with plenty of day light to spare. It was an exciting time that I highly recommend.

[Dry Fly Guy]

PaGuy- You wouldn't be Joe A. would you. A transplanted coal cracker by any chance'

[PaGuy]

no dry fly guy im not Joe A

[PaGuy]

FustalPete

Sounds like you had a great vacation. The Kenai is a gem and a great area to fish my favorite river is the russian it has combat fishing but if you walk away from the crowd you can fish in peace and solituide just watch out for the bears.

Im am sorry you had to witness the unsportsmans like conduct at the confluence, stay away from there at all cost that place is bad news.