Kenai, Soldatna Help!!!

Camper_A1 · Jun 21, 2011

Hey I'm headed to Soldatna to fish on the Kenai river for the first time. Just wondering if anyone could give me an idea of what to expect. We are going July 12th - 19th. We are staying with a friends sister who lives on the river. We are hoping to fish from their back yard, but neither of us has fished the river before, I have fished the ocean for halibut and salmon and had a great time. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.
I posted this in the Alaska site but I think their is more traffic here, thanks again.

AndymanSavage · Jun 21, 2011

There are plenty of public access areas in soldotna, last time we went up we rented a condo in town and fished the parks. It was awesome and we limited out easily each day, but a lot depends on the timing of the runs and what fish are in town..... One of my absolute favorite places.

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http://andymansavage.blogspot.com/

HunterHarry · Jun 21, 2011

Take a good trout/steelhead rod.
Some of the world's best catch & release rainbows lurk in the Kenai.
The areas near the fish cleaning stations hold some whoppers as they are attracted to the abundant salmon roe and flesh drifting downdstream.

I've wanted to fish Kenai Rainbows for a very long time.

HorseCreek · Jun 21, 2011

I'll be there the week after you...wish I could help ya but this is my first trip as well. Let us know how it goes!

Traditional >>>------->

littlejoe · Jun 21, 2011

One of my favorite places as well but I hate it when the kings are running. It is crazy wild. People side by side going nuts and ready to fight. Wild stuff but still awesome none the less.

koyote · Jun 21, 2011

Great time for 2nd run kings but fishing is kinda tough these days and you'll probally need a guide to be successful on the kings. But the real fun is the Sockeyes from the bank and they should be there good when your there below Skilak lake, have fun, I miss it alot!!!

HunterHarry · Jun 21, 2011

I fished below Skilak back in 1988 late in the year.
great fun on Dollies & bows.
I've caught hundreds of Kings in my life, but it is still those monster monster rainbows that turn my crank...

B_BOP_A_LU_LU · Jun 21, 2011

I was up there a couple years ago!

The KING fishin SUCKED on the Kenai that year!

Alot of unhappy People not catchin one damn King!

Was a few Rainbows being caught but Alaska is Proud of their Rainbows & you gotta turn them loose!

Was a good Run of smaller Red Salmon where the Russian River intersects the Kenai,GAWD what a circus of people there,King fishin was slow so the GangBanged the Smaller Fish!

They have Clinics up there that do not much more than remove hooks out of the ole Human Body,Watch out for the Elbow to Elbow action,sometimes it's funner to watch than Fish!

The Fishing on them Rivers change from year to year & from day to day,when I was up there, there were alot of Guides really mad at Alaska's Poor Management of the Salmon,Guess them Commercial Fisherman are raising Hell with them!

Good Luck & let us know what you end up catching!

For GAWDS Sakes Guys,We Got Kids on this Site,Some of them are 65 years Old!

I don't care if they're big or small!
If they throw lead I like em all!

goatroper · Jun 21, 2011

aghhhhhhhhhh! COMBAT fishing at its finest!(or Backyard fishing at its..)
Hope the Kings show!
heres a fishing report site (kinda slow now but its busy when things heat up and runs are on!

http://www.kenaicache.com/fishing_report.html

smack

ICMDEER · Jun 22, 2011

My wife and I hired a guide and fished the Kenai for kings a few years ago. I can honestly say it was one of the worst outdoor experiences in my life. It sucked in every way possible. We never got a strike or caught a fish and there was more traffic on that river than anywhere in Wyoming.

We are rural people and not used to being in crowds. Both of us were overwhelmed at the corwd of people. I'd fish Alaska again, but I'd never go back there.

gleninaz · Jun 22, 2011

I used to go to the Kenai but the runs have been depleted now and it is a zoo when the river is open. I have done 26 trips to Alaska but gave up on the kenai 20 years ago. I would say a guide is necessary and maybe a middle or upper Kenai trip for trout one day. Halibut in Homer can be very good so I would do that for my meat run. We took a float plane and helicopter across to the Chugak one year and did well for kings. If the tides are good you can dig razor clams at clam gulch near Soldotna. That area is just too convenient for Anchorage and tourists so it does get a ton of pressure. Commercial management has messed up the great king rivers of Alaska IMO. You can still have a great trip. Enjoy.

TAGATTRACTER · Jun 22, 2011

I fished the Kenai last year and had a great time. We went with a guida as well and all three of us caught our King's with the largest going just over 50lbs. A big part of the enjoyment for me came from being in the middle of all those boats and watching everybody scramble out of the way when someone got hooked up.

Have fun.

Camper_A1 · Jun 22, 2011

Thanks guys I'm sure we will make the best of it no matter the situation. I will post some pictures when we get back.

eelgrass · Jun 22, 2011

July 12-19? This is what you can expect. The late run Kings will be in full swing. That means lots of boat traffic and some huge salmon. The Kenai is home to the largest King Salmon in the world. You owe it to yourself to at least give it a whirl if you can afford to hire a guide. Last year I went with Gary and Val Early. Nobody knows the river and how to catch them more than them. They own a place on the river. Book as soon as you can (it might already be too late). Also be aware that the AVERAGE fishing time to hook a King on the Kenai is 20 hours
, so don't expect non stop action. The guides average is a lot lower than 20 hours however. There is really no way to bank fish Kings on the Kenai, so forget that.

http://www.earlyfishing.com/index.html

Also at that time the late run Sockeye's (Reds) Salmon should be in. You don't need a guide. If you have a private place on the river you're in 'em! You just wade out a few feet and "flip" your line out about 15'. Just a single 3/0 hook with a little yarn tied on. Run just enough weight (about 3 feet above your hook) to tick the bottom as your line travels down river. The fish get hooked as the line runs through their mouth. Yes, there could be that many salmon. The Reds migrate up the river by hugging the shore, out of the main current. They won't generally strike at anything so this is how to catch them. I was up there a few years ago the third week of July and one day 93,000 Reds entered the river! A typical year's run is about 1,000,000 fish. The limit on Reds is 3 per day, but if they show up in good numbers they will raise that to 6 per day.

The middle of July, there should be a couple hours of darkness at night, so that only leaves 22/day to fish. Make the most of it!

Eel

regularjoe · Jun 22, 2011

PM sent

blacktailBC · Jun 22, 2011

Going up to Soldatna myself on July 17th. Anyone have the latest and cheapest way to ship fish home? Is 50 lbs in a cooler as checked baggage still the cheapest way?

zekers · Jun 22, 2011

Red fishing is awesome in the Kenai. For Kings though, I fished the Kasilof all the time. Nothing big, but an 18-22lber is a hoot. Have fun!

eelgrass · Jun 22, 2011

blacktailBC, Either a cooler or Airline approved fish boxes (readily available up there) if you don't want to take a cooler.

Eel

eelgrass · Jun 22, 2011

zekers, I heard of a 50lb. king on the Kasilof this week. I personally like the drift boat experience myself too.

Eel

Stoked24_7 · Jun 22, 2011

If you are looking for a good guide to go king fishing with try Hooky charters. and if your going for halibut talk to my brother Thad Stokes he runs TNT adventures. Here are some videos with both of them. And that time of year you should hit some reds also. they are fun if you can figure out how to catch them. Good luck.

http://www.youtube.com/user/gettinstokedoutdoors/#p/u/8/jtsVXf31GLs

http://www.youtube.com/user/gettinstokedoutdoors/#p/u/9/JnBrkNutZ7E

Stoked24_7 · Jun 22, 2011

Wow!!! Nice Fish

B_BOP_A_LU_LU · Jun 22, 2011

Not being Smart!

But I thought Harley Riders were tougher than that!

The Boat We were on,if You'd of used a Pole Holder you'd of been called a Wussy!

For GAWDS Sakes Guys,We Got Kids on this Site,Some of them are 65 years Old!

I don't care if they're big or small!
If they throw lead I like em all!

zekers · Jun 22, 2011

50lbs? I couldn't imagine the fight from shore with a king that big. Dang sure not a hatchery fish!

FullCryHounds · Jun 22, 2011

Here's a 350 lb Halibut my buddy caught on Sunday out of Homer.

http://www.homernews.com/stories/062111/news_satodl.shtml

Colorado Lion Hunt:

Mineshaft Lion Hunt:
http://trophyroom.com/video/lls8ViwJcT

HunterHarry · Jun 22, 2011

A friend of mine from Eagle River Ak, would go with Fenton Brothers guide service several times a year on the Kenai.
Top of the line outfit for sure.

http://www.fentonbrosfishing.com/

That said, he caught bigger kings than me, but I caught WAY more than he did here in California on my own back in the glory days.

Camper_A1 · Jun 23, 2011

We have a guide lined up for 1 day for Kings and some private shore line to fish for the reds. We are still deciding on the Halibut. Thanks for all the help.

koyote · Jun 23, 2011

+1 on Fenton brothers, They are friends and are great on the Kenai and equally as good is Tall Tale charters in Soldotna!

utahbuck · Jun 26, 2011

PM Sent

Camper_A1 · Jun 26, 2011

Pm Sent

eelgrass · Jul 19, 2011

Camper_A1 should be having a good time.....230,000 Reds entered the Kenai last Sunday. Man! that's gotta be a record?

That makes almost 500,000 total so far this year.

http://www.alaskaoutdoorjournal.com/Sonar/kenaisock.html

Wish I was there!

Eel