Alaska Salmon Trip – Late July 2016 Report - General Discussion Forum - General Discussion Forum

It’s been a while since I was in Alaska so it was nice to get back up there. We rented an RV and fished the Kenai Peninsula (south of Anchorage) area mostly. There is a lot of water up there, so finding a place to fish wasn’t too bad. Even the so called “combat fishing areas” weren’t bad at all this time. I think it helped that the word around town was the fishing was slower and maybe it was. But we had a blast and there were plenty of fish. We brought home 450 pounds of fresh vac-sealed salmon fillets. That should get us through the winter

We fished for Sockeye (Reds) on the Kenai River for the majority of the trip. Typically there are a lot of people in certain areas, but for the most part there weren’t too many people and it was very enjoyable. We also fished some remote areas that tested our crew physically, but it was an absolute blast fishing the famous Kenai River for Sockeye salmon without another person for miles. There are 100’s and 100’s of miles of trails you can hike on leading to bodies of water with no one fishing them.

We also fished out of Seward for Coho (Silvers) for a day. The report was the silver salmon fishing was tough… very tough this year. Well as I can testify a good guide makes all the difference. We fished with Captain Terry Mangold (907-491-1960). All he does is fish salmon and he’s the best. We limited out quickly on silvers… I mean we hammered em! When we got back to the dock it was clear how fortunate we were, other boats had 2-3 salmon. Thanks again Terry!

We also fished a couple days for Chinook (Kings) salmon on the Kasilof River. Thanks to IDO member (rjmoore_33) recommendation we booked with Bob @ Piscatorial Pursuits (866-347-4232). This was a float trip in a non-motorized boat. This was something I have never done and it was very fun and interesting. I’d say something I’m very glad I did. I compare it to fishing for Muskie that can actually fight. You are fishing for one big bite and they are big! Bob knew his stuff too. I could tell he was the “man” on the river. We caught 3 awesome kings that were 25-35# the first day. I will caution you that Bob has a rather rough personality. He said very few words the entire trip but the guy can catch fish!

The second float trip on the Kasilof River we had a different guide. He was a very nice friendly guide that didn’t know how to fish nearly as well but the conversation was a nice change from the day before. We did catch one big king that went 35#, so it wasn’t a bust by any means.

The rest of the trip we went back to fishing the Kenai River on our own. “Combat fishing”-which wasn’t combat fishing at all. The people we did see were super friendly and even in the busier areas we were always able to find a place to fish. We caught and released and cleaned A LOT of Sockeye salmon. The glacial river, the mountains, the crisp air and loads of fish that wanted to rip your arms off, it really couldn’t have been any better. It was more fun than any person should be allowed to have and it was great to share it all with my dad and some great friends. I will defiantly be back!