Pam landed this nice king in early May. What a great fight these fish are in the salt water. Still feeding, they hit hard and run far!
MAY
The salt water is where the action is!! Combo fishing for halibut and king salmon heats up the beginning of May. Thousands of king salmon are entering the waters of Cook Inlet in search of the river of their birth. We launch the boat at Deep Creek Park in Ninilchik and head south a few miles to target these fish in shallow water close to shore with trolling gear. The average salmon is 20 to 30 pounds with a few caught each year over 50 pounds! When the tide begins to turn we stow away the trolling gear and head out to deeper water for the halibut. Calm waters at this time of the season make perfect conditions to anchor and bottom fish for the "giants". These combo trips offer long days of fishing with plenty of action. Towards the end of May these first run kings are heading into the Kasilof and Kenai rivers. With little pressure on either river the fishing can be fantastic. The Kasilof is a drift boat river but many anglers prefer to fish the shoreline where the kings school up on their journey to Crooked Creek to spawn. The Kenai sees some nice fish in its first run as well. The world record was landed in late May at over 97 pounds. There is a slot limit on the Kenai with retention of fish under 46" or over 55" is allowed.
This big king was a winner for sure when "Big Steve" won a free trip to Alaska for the biggest king in May with Captain Nick!
14 Seasons Lou & Norm have combo fished with Captain Nick. Retired firefighters from New York, fishing Alaska each season sees them "living the dream"! Fishing for fiesty kings and serious action on the halibut is why they keep coming back. We've shared a lot of great memories over the years.
Rich landed him a trophy salt water king. This early run fishery can be hot hot hot. Not always...but when it's good it's really good.
Captian Nick shows off a fine halibut catch. June sees a continuation of more fish entering the inlet and days like this are a short boat ride away. June sees calm waters usually throughout the month.
June
As the first run king fishing slows offshore at the beginning of the month, the Kasilof & Kenai rivers are heated up with some great opportunity for action. The Kasilof allows the rentention of 2 fish on certain days (check your regualtions) and in spite of the continued slot limit, the Kenai has some big fish and recent runs have proven to bring in the action. If the run is strong the AK Fish & Game will open the river to bait. The salt water is excellent with big fish continually moving into Cook Inlet. Other species are abundant such as cod, shark, rays and rockfish. Mid month sees the first run of sockeye return to the Kenai & Kasilof making for some great bank fishing. The west side of Cook Inlet sees large returns of sockeye and the bears are out and feeding. Wolverine Creek is the place for sockeye and brown bears. The Chuitna River has a nice run of king salmon which show strong mid month and continue through June 30 when the fishery closes. This is fantastic bank fishing on a remote river. Book early as these trips sell out fast and are limited.
Jan caught a nice hatchery king on the Kasilof. This river boasts both native run and hatchery kings. The clipped adipose fin shows it is a hatchery fish. Drifting or bank fishing are both good through June.
Al Shipritt and the boys had a nice day in June. The waters are warming up and usually calm during the month. The salt water fishing is great and the action is all you want it to be.
This couple had a memory maker in June when they both landed nice kings. The Kenai produces some great first run fish and with less pressure on the river "dreams can become memories"!
JULY
This is the month for trophy king fishing on the Kenai River. Second run fish hit the river early in the month and this run sees greater numbers of large fish. The river opens officially to bait on July 1 and the fishing is usually fantastic. The second run of sockeye hit mid month with hundreds of thousands of fish heading up the river. The salt water is still excellent and towards the end of the month when launch the boat a few miles south at Anchor Point. This is the time for Ultimate Multi Species salt water fishing trips as well. These trips are limited so book early! The rainbow fishing in the upper Kenai is also heating up and mid month the silvers are showing on the west side of Cook Inlet making for some great fishing at Big Rivers Lake and the Chuitna River. Yes, it is a busy time on the Kenai Peninsula, but this is when opportunity awaits you if a big Kenai King is your dream.
THis king was caught in early July. What a nice fish! Captain Nick did a great job when the angler had a bird nest on her reel. That's what makes a great guide..when the going gets a bit rough and the pressure is on, the Captain comes through!
Josh hoists this "hog" for the angler. Having such a great team of guides makes all the difference. This king tipped the scales at close to 70 pounds.
This 220 pound halibut had the Captain and angler Mike from Connecticut working mighty hard to get on board. Mike was fishing with Bob Reyhnolds who has been a guest for many years with us. This was their biggest halibut and what a trophy it was.
Another trophy halibut boated in July. This one was boated on Captains Mikes "Hurricane Jane" who is another great addition to our team. "Making dreams into memories" is what it's all about.
This beautiul native Rainbow was about 17 pounds. It doesn't get much better than this! Perfect weather, great Captain & the rest is well..history!
August & September With King season over we switch gears and it's Cohoes & Rainbows! The first run silvers have already hit the lower Kenai. Water levels are dropping quickly exposing the gravel bars, making for awesome rainbow fishing in the mid and upper Kenai. Dolly varden are on the feed as well. Halibut slows down towards the end of the month and the river fishing just keeps getting hotter. In late August the second run of silvers hits the Kenai and these are big fish. This is the time for those of you who want action and trophy opportunity. In the even years pink salmon by the thousands hit the river and it's hard to keep them off your line! Fly outs to the west side are good until September at Big Rivers Lake for silvers.
Pat has a nice dolly varden on the fly. This was hooked and released in the upper Kenai River.
Native bow on the fly. This author from New Zealand will have a few fish tales to write about!
Limit on silvers in the morning so it's trophy rainbows in the afternoon. Another great day on the mid river with Captain Nick.
