3 days til salmon season...

[Bluefin]

Oh, sorry...for me anyway. Leaving for Alaska on Thusday the 21st for 10 days. Yeeehaaaaaaaa.

Hopefully I will have a good story or two if I can get up to the Bake at the end of August.

[Lil Salmon]

YOU BUM YOU! :) Hey Blue.... make sure you take lots of pictures! I want that gallery filled with beautiful 50 lb kings! Good luck bud... and have fun! Hook one for me! :)

-Lil'

[the happy salmon]

Good luck !!!!! i am sure you wont be needing it up there! :D cant wait to see some photos.

[CB1]

Are you going for Kings or Coho (silvers)?? Or are they kinda mixed in together at this time??

[the happy salmon]

1000 posts for Lil Salmon... congrats!!! :D

[jj7leaf]

I am going next july to the kenai penninsula. Right now we are gonna be there 12-14 days. The salmon run at slightly different times the early run kings are done as are most of the early run sockeye but the late run kings are starting to show in force now, as well as the sockeye. The chum are starting in the streams they run as well as a few pinks but they don't peak for a few weeks and the silvers won't run heavy until mid august. Our trip is to target the bulk of the runs the last 2 weeks in july and hit the silvers in the ocean with combo trips for halibut out of homer on the end of the penninsula. Have a great time up there and get some info back to the board.

[Bluefin]

Spending 2 days up at Denali Nat. Park to start then the rest of the trip is in Seward on the Kenai penisula. Have rental car, will find lots of fish. My understanding is that the early runs of kings are usually plentiful but average size is smaller. Middle to late July starts smaller runs of kings that are much larger in size and have the potential to produce fish in the 50 to 70 pound range. I have also been told that this is a good time to hit virtually all types of salmon and trout as some runs are just starting and others are dwindling down. I have never been and don't really know what to expect other than supposedly good fishing no matter what. Hopefully my 6 and 8 weights will handle the bulk of the fishing I want to do. Unfortunately, all of my float rods are 2 piece which just aren't practicle to travel with. I am going to take my Islander though incase I come across a reasonably priced muti-piece rod. Just hope I don't get eaten by a bear...LOL. Probably give him indigestion anyway.

[jj7leaf]

my 13' will fit in the plano bazooka that telescopes I can't remember the size but it will fit. The town of Seward doesn't have any access points to fish streams though. Most fo there fishing is from the beaches. and trolling/drifting from boats. If you are looking for some more info go to the alaska game and fish site go through the menus for sportfishing reports. this gives weekly and archived run dates with run timing charts for different areas. Also check out the anchorage daily news site. the outdoors section onthe net takes a membership but its free so join. Your fly rods will work fine unless you get into a kenai king. then you may be undergunned. :eek:
I have done some research for this trip and this is a research trip for a late august or mid september trout fishing trip in a couple of years. I want to hook some alaskan rainbows on my pin while the sockeyes are dropping there eggs :D

[flyaddict]

I know I've posted this before. My neighbor with a king from the Kenai river. He reminds me of grumpy old men...by looks only :-) Nice guy. I think the fish was 65 pounds/55inches or vise versa.

http://www.kingoftheriver.com/guest-photos/Archive/2000/17.jpg

[Bluefin]

Excellent pic. I know that Seward is somewhat removed from the prime rivers on the Kenai but if I have to drive for a couple of hours to get to a spot, so be it. I have been known to do "day trips" from my house to almost every Ontario trib. Day trip to Salmon River (for me) = minimum 560 miles round trip from my house, plus 8 hours of fishing adds up to a long day but you do what you gotta do. The reason for Seward is that it looks like it may have the most entertainment value for my wife if she decides to not fish on any particular day. i can put her on a whale watch or glacier boat if she doesn't want to fish. Also more choices for reasonably priced lodging, restaurants etc. The town of Kenai is about 100 miles mostly north across the penisinula. The place where I am staying is supposed to be very close (less than 1/4 mi) to a very good trout stream. I'd love to take my IMX with me but I just don't trust the airlines and like it too much to take the chance of them damaging it or breaking it on an outsized fish.

[floatfisher]

Good luck Blue, I am with teh others when they say post lots lots of pics!!!

My dream Alaska trip went on hold for a few more years:rolleyes: !!!

[jj7leaf]

For anyone who is serious about a trip to alaska on there own it was recommended to me that I get a copy of the Milepost it is a yearly book I think mine ran about $25-27. The most important thing about the book is that it breaks down the highway system in the north west and gives you mile by mile information of everything there. Gas stations, fishing access, lodging RV sites, regional events and timing for them, fish processors that rent freezer space so your RV doesn't run out of it :D . Everything you will come across is in that book. I planned a trip using that book as well as "Fishing Alaska on a Budget" from amato books, and the internet, for all the run timing and stocking information.
Hey blue there is only one lake near where you are going that has grayling in it. If you are interested it is called crescent lake. I guess the hike in is a couple miles from where the seward highway leaves the ******** highway. Should be on most maps.

[toolmaker66]

good luck buddy. hope you get into them real good up there. Let us know if it is worth the trip.