News

Fish and Game closes setnets in Northern District

Commercial set gillnet fishermen in the Northern District of Upper Cook Inlet won’t get to fish this coming Monday. King salmon returns continue to be… Continue reading

Anglers board the Russian River Ferry on the Kenai River just downstream of the confluence with the Russian River on Monday near Cooper Landing. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Russian River Ferry — a piece of history, still afloat

The only thing that remains of a lodge that used to attract people from all over the world to stay near the Russian River is… Continue reading

Anglers board the Russian River Ferry on the Kenai River just downstream of the confluence with the Russian River on Monday near Cooper Landing. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
In this Sunday, June 11, 2017 photo, a sockeye salmon hooked by a lucky angler rests on the bank of the Kenai River downstream of the confluence with the Russian River near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai River closed for kings, anglers look to other species, rivers

Poor king salmon returns have prompted a complete fishing closure for them on the Kenai River. As of Wednesday, the Kenai River downstream of Skilak… Continue reading

In this Sunday, June 11, 2017 photo, a sockeye salmon hooked by a lucky angler rests on the bank of the Kenai River downstream of the confluence with the Russian River near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Commercial fishing vessels wait at anchor in the mouth of the Kenai River before a Saturday fishing period Friday, July 28, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Cook Inlet commercial fishermen to get openers this week

Despite poor sockeye returns so far in the Gulf of Alaska and commercial fishing restrictions in other areas, Upper Cook Inlet’s commercial fishermen are still… Continue reading

Commercial fishing vessels wait at anchor in the mouth of the Kenai River before a Saturday fishing period Friday, July 28, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Thomas and his son Emil, visiting from Austria, try casting a line into Arc Lake on Wednesday, June 13, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. King salmon fishing is restricted on all the streams on the western Kenai Peninsula due to weak returns, but lake fishing and early-run sockeye fishing at the confluence of the Russian and Kenai Rivers is still available to anglers hungry to fish. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

With limited king fishing, try the Russian, lake angling

Fishing is somewhat limited on the western Kenai Peninsula streams right now, but there are opportunities on lakes and upstream. The popular sportfishery at the… Continue reading

Thomas and his son Emil, visiting from Austria, try casting a line into Arc Lake on Wednesday, June 13, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. King salmon fishing is restricted on all the streams on the western Kenai Peninsula due to weak returns, but lake fishing and early-run sockeye fishing at the confluence of the Russian and Kenai Rivers is still available to anglers hungry to fish. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
KRSA opens new office in Soldotna

KRSA opens new office in Soldotna

Board members and staff members of the Kenai River Sportfishing Association and Alaska Legislature delegates from the Kenai Peninsula gather to cut the ceremonial ribbon… Continue reading

KRSA opens new office in Soldotna
Sockeye salmon caught in a set gillnet wait to be set to the a processor on July 11, 2016 near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Cook Inlet salmon task force off to bumpy start

The fisheries group established to try to defuse some of Cook Inlet’s salmon wars is off to an uncertain start. Gov. Bill Walker issued Administrative… Continue reading

Sockeye salmon caught in a set gillnet wait to be set to the a processor on July 11, 2016 near Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
In this July 2016 photo, a fishing guide pilots a boat up the Kenai River near Soldotna. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Fish and Game restricts king salmon fishing on Kenai, Kasilof

Editor's note: This article has been updated to correct the changes to the Kasilof River king salmon fishery. As of Wednesday, the bag and possession… Continue reading

In this July 2016 photo, a fishing guide pilots a boat up the Kenai River near Soldotna. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Dipnetters hold their nets offshore from the north Kenai Beach on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Beach bacteria testing to resume

Scientists will be sampling water on Kenai’s beaches to see if efforts to reduce fecal coliform and enterococci bacteria have been working. Fecal coliform and… Continue reading

Dipnetters hold their nets offshore from the north Kenai Beach on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Mark Hieronymus poses with a steelhead caught in 2014 on a Southeast Alaska river. (Photo by Tyson Fick)

Hunting for fish in Alaska’s steelhead-bearing rivers and streams

For most people, steelhead — sea-run rainbow trout — are “the fish of 10,000 casts.” To catch them, you stand waist-deep in a spring-melt river,… Continue reading

Mark Hieronymus poses with a steelhead caught in 2014 on a Southeast Alaska river. (Photo by Tyson Fick)
Jesse Rogde holds the 34-inch Kenai River king salmon he caught on Memorial Day on the lower Kenai River. (Photo courtesy Scott Miller)

Salmon fishing opportunities limited on peninsula, Russian River to open

Anglers on the Kenai Peninsula are a little limited on options right now, particularly for salmon. With king salmon failing to show up in lower… Continue reading

Jesse Rogde holds the 34-inch Kenai River king salmon he caught on Memorial Day on the lower Kenai River. (Photo courtesy Scott Miller)
An Anchor River king salmon landed by Anchorage resident Terry Umatum lies on the bank Saturday, May 19, 2018 in Anchor Point, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Salmon runs lackluster so far across Gulf of Alaska

It’s not a great summer to be a salmon fisherman in Southcentral Alaska so far. Several major river systems are seeing paltry salmon returns. The… Continue reading

An Anchor River king salmon landed by Anchorage resident Terry Umatum lies on the bank Saturday, May 19, 2018 in Anchor Point, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
This Friday photo shows the F/V Bering Sea docked at Snug Harbor Seafoods in Kenai. A former crab fishing vessel, the Bering Sea now serves as a tender for the processing company. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Snug Harbor’s fishing tender has a long history in crabbing

Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that Coastal Villages Region Fund is a federal Community Development Quota organization. Commercial fishermen delivering to… Continue reading

This Friday photo shows the F/V Bering Sea docked at Snug Harbor Seafoods in Kenai. A former crab fishing vessel, the Bering Sea now serves as a tender for the processing company. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
A car passes over the Deep Creek bridge as an angler tosses a line in the water on Sunday, May 28, 2018 in Ninilchik, Alaska. Despite the perfect weather and holiday weekend, few anglers dotted the banks of the Ninlichik River and Deep Creek on Sunday, in part because the number of salmon in the rivers so far is still fairly paltry. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game classified the fishing over Memorial Day weekend as poor, in part because the water temperatures are still chilly for this time of year. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Few kings to be seen in peninsula rivers, sockeye start surfacing

The weather on the lower Kenai Peninsula streams couldn’t have been more perfect this weekend, but many visitors hung closer to the grills and RVs… Continue reading

A car passes over the Deep Creek bridge as an angler tosses a line in the water on Sunday, May 28, 2018 in Ninilchik, Alaska. Despite the perfect weather and holiday weekend, few anglers dotted the banks of the Ninlichik River and Deep Creek on Sunday, in part because the number of salmon in the rivers so far is still fairly paltry. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game classified the fishing over Memorial Day weekend as poor, in part because the water temperatures are still chilly for this time of year. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Terry Umatum of Anchorage banks his Anchor River king salmon on Saturday, May 19, 2018 in Anchor Point, Alaska. The Anchor River opening May 19 was the first chance for freshwater anglers on the Kenai Peninsula to catch king salmon. Saturday proved a slow morning for fishing — Umatum said he waited about 5 hours to catch his king — though it’s still early in the season. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s weir on the Anchor River has counted precisely zero kings so far this year, as of May 17, though the weir is positioned several miles upriver from the mouth. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

King fishing starts off slow on Anchor River

Usually, an opportunity to harvest king salmon brings anglers thronging to the riverbanks in the spring. Not so with the Anchor River opener this year.… Continue reading

Terry Umatum of Anchorage banks his Anchor River king salmon on Saturday, May 19, 2018 in Anchor Point, Alaska. The Anchor River opening May 19 was the first chance for freshwater anglers on the Kenai Peninsula to catch king salmon. Saturday proved a slow morning for fishing — Umatum said he waited about 5 hours to catch his king — though it’s still early in the season. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s weir on the Anchor River has counted precisely zero kings so far this year, as of May 17, though the weir is positioned several miles upriver from the mouth. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Terry Umatum of Anchorage takes a deep breath after landing his Anchor River king salmon on Saturday, May 19, 2018 in Anchor Point, Alaska. The Anchor River opening May 19 was the first chance for freshwater anglers on the Kenai Peninsula to catch king salmon. Saturday proved a slow morning for fishing — Umatum said he waited about 5 hours to catch his king — though it’s still early in the season. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s weir on the Anchor River has counted precisely zero kings so far this year, as of Saturday, though the weir is positioned several miles upriver from the mouth. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

The joy of the fight

Terry Umatum of Anchorage takes a deep breath after landing his Anchor River king salmon on Saturday, May 19, 2018 in Anchor Point, Alaska. The… Continue reading

Terry Umatum of Anchorage takes a deep breath after landing his Anchor River king salmon on Saturday, May 19, 2018 in Anchor Point, Alaska. The Anchor River opening May 19 was the first chance for freshwater anglers on the Kenai Peninsula to catch king salmon. Saturday proved a slow morning for fishing — Umatum said he waited about 5 hours to catch his king — though it’s still early in the season. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s weir on the Anchor River has counted precisely zero kings so far this year, as of Saturday, though the weir is positioned several miles upriver from the mouth. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Seagulls flock to where participants in the personal use dipnet fishery fish on the north beach of the Kenai River on July 10, 2016 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Kenai to start using dipnet earnings

Kenai’s city government has made managing the summer dipnet fishery pay for itself. Soon, fishery revenues may pay for other things, too. “What we expect… Continue reading

Seagulls flock to where participants in the personal use dipnet fishery fish on the north beach of the Kenai River on July 10, 2016 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Salmon fellows program includes 4 with peninsula connections

As beloved as salmon are across Alaska, they’re also the focus of tense disagreements. The Alaska Humanities Forum is convening a group of people to… Continue reading

Northern District king salmon setnetters stay closed

Subsistence fishermen in part of the Susitna River drainage will be able to harvest a few kings, but commercial fishermen in Northern Cook Inlet will… Continue reading

A hooligan pulled from a gillnet lies on the bank of the Kenai River near the Warren Ames Bridge on Monday, May 14, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Look out for hooligan

Spring brings migratory birds, beluga whales, harbor seals and people to the banks of the Kenai seeking the same thing: hooligan. Hooligan, also called eulachon,… Continue reading

A hooligan pulled from a gillnet lies on the bank of the Kenai River near the Warren Ames Bridge on Monday, May 14, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)