News

A sockeye salmon rests atop a cooler at the mouth of the Kasilof River on Monday, June 26, 2023, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Sockeye wrapping up, coho still on the way

Northern Kenai Fishing Report for Aug. 25, 2023

A sockeye salmon rests atop a cooler at the mouth of the Kasilof River on Monday, June 26, 2023, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Senior Advisor for Conservation Boyd Bilhovde, Bureau of Land Management Alaska Director Steve Cohn, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang and Alaska State Parks Director Ricky Gease participate in a panel discussion at the Kenai River Sportfishing Association’s Kenai Classic Roundtable at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Officials talk fish in Soldotna

Kenai Classic Roundtable topics include chinook, wind turbines, collaboration

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Senior Advisor for Conservation Boyd Bilhovde, Bureau of Land Management Alaska Director Steve Cohn, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang and Alaska State Parks Director Ricky Gease participate in a panel discussion at the Kenai River Sportfishing Association’s Kenai Classic Roundtable at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
A sockeye salmon rests atop a cooler at the mouth of the Kasilof River on Monday, June 26, 2023, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Sockeye slow, coho improving

Northern Kenai Fishing Report for Aug. 16

A sockeye salmon rests atop a cooler at the mouth of the Kasilof River on Monday, June 26, 2023, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
A man fishes in the Kenai River on July 16, 2018, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Peninsula Clarion/file)

Single-hook restriction on Kenai River extended

The extension is intended to continue protection of late-run king salmon

A man fishes in the Kenai River on July 16, 2018, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Peninsula Clarion/file)
Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks at the Kenai Classic Roundtable at Kenai Peninsula College on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, near Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)

Annual roundtable to discuss king salmon, energy development, federal funding

The roundtable will open with a keynote address by Rep. Mary Peltola and close with Gov. Mike Dunleavy

Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks at the Kenai Classic Roundtable at Kenai Peninsula College on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, near Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
A sockeye salmon rests atop a cooler at the mouth of the Kasilof River on Monday, June 26, 2023, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Sockeye salmon fishing slowing

Northern Kenai Fishing Report for Aug. 10

A sockeye salmon rests atop a cooler at the mouth of the Kasilof River on Monday, June 26, 2023, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Examples of the tags that will be affixed to coho salmon caught by researchers on the Kenai River this year. (Photo courtesy Department of Fish and Game)

Joint study to tag Kenai River coho

Up to 490 transmitters will be implanted into healthy salmon this year

Examples of the tags that will be affixed to coho salmon caught by researchers on the Kenai River this year. (Photo courtesy Department of Fish and Game)
John “Gus” Knox, right, holds a salmon he caught during the Kenai River Junior Classic in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Smiles and salmon

Junior classic takes kids on the river

John “Gus” Knox, right, holds a salmon he caught during the Kenai River Junior Classic in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
A sockeye salmon rests atop a cooler at the mouth of the Kasilof River on Monday, June 26, 2023, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Northern Kenai dipnetting now closed

Anglers are required to complete online reporting by Aug. 15

A sockeye salmon rests atop a cooler at the mouth of the Kasilof River on Monday, June 26, 2023, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai City Hall on Feb. 20, 2020, in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai to replace culvert obstructing baby salmon

The ordinance designates $30,000 for the project

Kenai City Hall on Feb. 20, 2020, in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
Anglers gather along the banks of the Kenai River near Sportsman’s Landing in Cooper Landing in September 2018. (Peninsula Clarion file)

Russian River sockeye limits double Wednesday

As of Sunday, around 53,000 sockeye salmon have passed the Russian River weir

Anglers gather along the banks of the Kenai River near Sportsman’s Landing in Cooper Landing in September 2018. (Peninsula Clarion file)
A sockeye salmon rests atop a cooler at the mouth of the Kasilof River on Monday, June 26, 2023, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Fishing good on Kenai River, improving on Russian River

Northern Kenai Fishing Report for Aug. 3, 2023

A sockeye salmon rests atop a cooler at the mouth of the Kasilof River on Monday, June 26, 2023, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Sockeye salmon carcasses line the shore at North Kenai Beach, Tuesday, July 25, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. The daily number of sockeye salmon counted by sonar in the Kenai River surpassed 100,000 for the first time this year on Tuesday. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai River dipnetting ends Monday, reporting due by Aug. 15

As of Thursday, around 906,000 sockeye have been counted in the Kenai River’s late run

Sockeye salmon carcasses line the shore at North Kenai Beach, Tuesday, July 25, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. The daily number of sockeye salmon counted by sonar in the Kenai River surpassed 100,000 for the first time this year on Tuesday. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
A man fishes in the Kenai River on July 16, 2018, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Peninsula Clarion/file)

Fishing gear restricted on Kenai River starting Tuesday

The use of gear on the Kenai River will be restricted to one unbaited, single-hook artificial lure starting next week, the State Department of Fish… Continue reading

A man fishes in the Kenai River on July 16, 2018, in Soldotna, Alaska. (Peninsula Clarion/file)
A sockeye salmon rests atop a cooler at the mouth of the Kasilof River on Monday, June 26, 2023, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai River sockeye salmon fishing ‘has picked up’

Northern Kenai fishing report

A sockeye salmon rests atop a cooler at the mouth of the Kasilof River on Monday, June 26, 2023, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Sockeye salmon carcasses line the shore at North Kenai Beach, Tuesday, July 25, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. The daily number of sockeye salmon counted by sonar in the Kenai River surpassed 100,000 for the first time this year on Tuesday. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai River sees 1st day with more than 100,000 sockeye counted

Daily counts jump from 18,000 to 120,000 in three days

Sockeye salmon carcasses line the shore at North Kenai Beach, Tuesday, July 25, 2023, in Kenai, Alaska. The daily number of sockeye salmon counted by sonar in the Kenai River surpassed 100,000 for the first time this year on Tuesday. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
Gary Hollier pulls a sockeye salmon from a set gillnet at a test site for selective harvest setnet gear in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Setnetters see opportunity in shallower nets

State targets sockeye in Kenai test of selective harvest gear

Gary Hollier pulls a sockeye salmon from a set gillnet at a test site for selective harvest setnet gear in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
A sockeye salmon rests atop a cooler at the mouth of the Kasilof River on Monday, June 26, 2023, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

After last week’s spike, sockeye counts lag recent years

Since the start of the late run on July 1, around 393,000 sockeye have been counted by sonar

A sockeye salmon rests atop a cooler at the mouth of the Kasilof River on Monday, June 26, 2023, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
James Wardlow shows off a salmon filet ready to be hung and dried during a smoked salmon demonstration, part of Fish Week 2023, on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

To fillet a fish

Youth workshop showcases ways of preparing salmon

James Wardlow shows off a salmon filet ready to be hung and dried during a smoked salmon demonstration, part of Fish Week 2023, on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center in Soldotna, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
A sockeye salmon rests atop a cooler at the mouth of the Kasilof River on Monday, June 26, 2023, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai river sockeye ‘good’, should continue to improve

Northern Kenai Fishing Report for July 28

A sockeye salmon rests atop a cooler at the mouth of the Kasilof River on Monday, June 26, 2023, in Kasilof, Alaska. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)