This fall, the Kenai Peninsula and Southcentral Chapters of Trout Unlimited partnered with the State Department of Fish and Game to fund extended operation of the Anchor River weir to complete the first full count of the Anchor River’s steelhead trout run. The chapters will host a presentation by Lower Cook Inlet Area Manager Mike Booz at The Goods next week to report back on the findings.

Set for 6 p.m. at the Goods on Tuesday, Jan. 7, Booz’s presentation will be part of the local chapter of Trout Unlimited’s winter speaker series, according to information provided by Special Projects Assistant Dave Atcheson. Booz will share findings from the weir, which counted 1,389 steelhead, and discuss the stock more broadly.

In October, the Homer News attended a tour of the weir, which in other years would be closed in September. Per their reporting, a discussion at the Fish Habitat Partnership annual meeting in 2023 led to a discussion about collecting more information about steelhead.

Before the weir was operated this fall, there wasn’t a complete count of any run of the stock. Steelhead are restricted to harvest and even from being removed from the water, only allowed to be caught and released with a single hook lure and no bait before the fishery closes entirely on Nov. 1.

Information provided by Atcheson says that steelhead are alluring to fishers because of their strength and because of the relatively little that is known about them. He writes that fleshing out understanding of the stock through projects like operation of the weir is “imperative.”

For more information, find “Trout Unlimited Kenai Peninsula Chapter” on Facebook.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.