Welcome to our fishing report. Since we spend over 200 days on the water each year we have a pretty good handle on what's happening in the fisheries we target. For those of you who will be going out with us this season, you can visit this page to follow how those fisheries are stacking up. And for those who may be considering a trip, you'll be able to follow the action and see what you're missing.

June 29 - Almost the end of the month and we've been doing the usual late June scramble - fishing everywhere there are fish! As you can see from the photos above we've been halibut fishing, sockeye slaying, king fishing on both rivers and having a great time. The 6 fish limit for sockeye in the upper Kenai was very productive for many people. The Duncan/Wakefield party (missing one) show off their morning's work. The Tschohl party did everything possible - sometimes multiples in one day - and went home with so much fish they had to leave their clothes here for shipping later! It was a great week of weather and fishing. July is just around the corner and we are entering a new management plan for the Kenai that allows bait on the 1st. The counts on the Kenai are coming up a bit each day and there have been some big fish caught this week signaling the beginning of the 2nd run of fish. With the slot limit also being lifted on the 1st of July we're looking at some good fishing on the Kenai this week. Sockeye fishing on the Russian should continue through the week but will slow a bit. Sockeye are also entering the Kasilof River and there are opportunities there as well. Look for some big fish pictures next week!

June 22 - Another beautiful week for weather and we enjoyed all of it! We've had some success with the fish this week although there doesn't seem to be a lot of consistency with the catching end of things! The Kasilof definitely fished better than the Kenai for the majority of the week. I've included some of the other siteseeing opportunities above so everyone can see we do more than just fish! Thanks to Debbie Maples for providing the moose and eagle shots. Debbie and Mike show off their Kasilof catch in the middle of the bottom row above. The crew from Willie Boats is here in Alaska taking care of business but took a little time to catch some beauties as well. Chuck, Jennifer and Garry all show their kings (middle top). The Dematti family is such a fun crew to have come fishing - they are always happy and Landon (now 7) is a deckhand/captain in training. They had a great day on the river and show off some of their days catch (top right). Val releases a king on the "no fin clip day" for Mike and Phyllis Grimes shows off her great Kenai King to round things off. Halibut fishing has been very good and while they aren't monsters they are great eaters and the inlet waters have been pretty cooperative. We have massive clam tides right now which will make halibut fishing a bit more challenging but should provide a push of fish. ADF&G is not anticipating any change of bait regulations for the Kenai until July 1st when the 2nd run management plan goes into effect. That's good news for all those looking for the opening on the 1st anyway. Reds (sockeye) are still running in a steady stream to the Russian River where the santuary and combat zones are wide open! The limit is now 6 and the only problem is finding a rock. Sockeye have also been showing in the Kasilof as well. We are getting geared up for July which is just around the corner so if you still need a fishing fix, look toward July or August or a quick trip this final week of June.

June 15 - What a beautiful week we've had for weather and fishing. While there are always a few exceptions, even in great fishing, this week was productive with some fun fish, fun fishermen and great conditions. The Freddie Crew from Washington made their annual pilgrimage to Alaska and worked for some kings on the Kasilof as well as a few great fighters on the Kenai. They also had some spectaclar weather for halibut fishing and picked up their limit 2 days during this week. Above, Larry & Fred show off a Kasilof catch; Marc Kropack with guide Tyson have a beauty, and Bob Iverson shows some chrome about to be released. On the bottom, Steve from Baker Hughes fished on Sunday and was able to keep this fin-clipped fish, Brian Pollak (middle bottom) found a tide water fighter on the Kasilof and Mark Salsar holds another Kasilof King! These are just a sampling of the pictures. Fishing is always fun and sometimes the fish and weather cooperate to make it a great time. We are looking for continued good fishing throughout the week with the Kenai having shown signs of improvement toward the end of the week that should continue through this week. ADF&G have decent counts for the Kenai but don't anticipate opening bait quite yet - that could change at any time though so stay tuned!

June 8 - Fishing has picked up and we enjoyed beautiful weather for the past week. Doug MacGinnis brought his son, Matt, who recently graduated from dental school and is headed for orthodontics school soon, for a great Alaska adventure. They caught their limits of halibut and caught some beautiful Kasilof Kings (above) as well as released a few kings on the Kasilof too (some were even released intentionally!). The Kenai has also been putting out some fish and while a few of the days last week were a little slow Gary broke in his new boat (above - 6 1/2 wide Willie Classic) with the Wounded Warrior event on Saturday and Sunday. The medics in his boat were some of the troops treated to 2 days of guided fishing from several guides who volunteered their time. Gary's crew landed the first king of the 2 day event and, as you can see, enjoyed relaxing in the sun. Gary said it was a privilege to meet and fish these young men and thank them for their service to our country. We are looking for a good week of fishing in all arenas with great tides and great weather in the forecast! Let us know if you can get some Alaska fishing into your summer plans as we still have some great openings and will be happy to help you enjoy the 50th anniversary of this great state!

June 1 - Happy June to everyone! Fishing has improved dramatically - evidenced by the pictures above. The Hofseth Family from Minnesota did a marathon Alaska adventure that included a couple days of king fishing - and they caught 4 out of 6 fish hooked in 2 days and all were under the 46" slot limit - some real beauties. The favorite above was watching Luke try to hand back his fish to David after posing (quickly) for a hefty picture. The boys all caught a fish and Jessie (mom) did too! The Kasilof also improved with some beautiful fish showing over the weekend - Angie and Nick landed a 20 and 25 pounder to pack some meat in their freezer. If all goes well the run will just continue to build at this point. Halibut fishing has been very consistent with nice catches of fish when the water and weather cooperate. King fishing in the salt has been very spotty with a couple days of decent fishing being reported by the fleet. Let us know if you have time to get away for a quick Alaska vacation a we still have a bit of space throughout the season.

May 25 - Happy Birthday David! Thank you to all those who have fought for our freedoms - this is an important day for remembering.

The king above was caught on the Kasilof on Sunday - and released after taking this picture. The fish, as you can see, was a beauty but had all its fins and had to be released. The action has been improving on the Kasilof and Kenai Rivers. Gary also caught a nice, early season, king that we barbecued and thoroughly enjoyed. These early season kings are the very best eating! Halibut fishing has been good as well with some calm waters helping the cause and some big tides hit this weekend so a Peninsula Grand slam with salmon, halibut and clams was on the agenda. Clamming tides were some of the best of the summer and clammers were certainly in force over this holiday weekend. We should see more action continuing to pick up this week and will post some more pictures as soon as possible!

May 18 - Spring is definitely here and the water in ther rivers continues to rise as all the trees bud out. Salmon are starting to show as well although still at the trickle pace. Halibut fishing has enjoyed some great, flat, conditions and some guys came out with their limit of fillets around 130 pounds! The Kasilof bait opener on Saturday was a little lack-luster with only a few boats and a few fish. Not too many were caught even though it was a "keep anything" day. The Kenai is similar in conditions with beautiful, green water but few fish playing with the gear. Fish have been seen rolling in some of the holes but seem to be a bit spooked by the clear conditions, cold water or shadows (really it's anyone's guess!) As we approach Memorial Day weekend the numbers will continue increasing and we should see more angler effort which usually produces more numbers. Have a wonderful holiday and keep all those who have fought for our country in your hearts and thoughts - we will be giving thanks too.

2008 Early Fishing Lines - PDF Format

May 11 - The last of our crew is headed north this week so we'll have a few more dual reports and then switch over to let you know what's happening in Alaska. For now the river is rising steadily and there have been a couple fish caught in the salt water with some rumors of fish showing in the Kenai. Both the Kenai and Kasilof are on no bait restrictions and both rivers should improve as the water and weather warm up. There is still time for the Alaska vacation you have been dreaming about so let us know what you're thinking and we'll help put something together.

OREGON - The Rogue rose up quite a bit last week and had a lot of color - some due to rain and the rest due to the coffer dam having a breech. After the river started dropping and clearing though the Springers showed up and some great days of fishing were had from Friday through the weekend. Not all the fish were fin-clipped "keepers" but the bite was good and the weather was beautiful. Most of the action was from the Mill to Lobster with the lower stretch of the Rogue being very slow. Still not any great reports coming out of Grants Pass but that could change at any time.

April 28 - Since I started my fishing/guiding career here, I thought everyone would enjoy a picture from the WeAskU Inn in 1928 of all the salmon fishermen - and people complain about the Kenai being crowded. Imagine having to miss all the "Salmon Boards" along the edges. The Weasku Inn is just below Savage Rapids Dam in Grants Pass and was considered the meca of salmon fishing around the Grants Pass area for decades. People came from near and far to catch the prized Springers. Work continues at Savage Rapids Dam with the coffer dam and refilling of the fish ladder. Estimates are for the removal of the dam by October with the river restored to historic flow along the north bank. It is really interesting to see the progress with this incredible project removing a landmark that has stood since 1921. Lower in the Rogue, Springer fishing is slow right now (2009)around Gold Beach, with few fish showing in the Grants Pass area as yet. It is still early for there to be many fish in GP with the main running hitting GP the first part of May historically. The Agness area is still producing some half-pounder action and the GP/Medford area still has a bit of action for winter steelhead. The Smith River, California, closes to all steelhead fishing on Thursday and the action is slow although a beautiful drift right now with lots of birds, dogwood trees in bloom and Rhodys and Azaleas popping out each day.

We are offering some great "Fishing Stimulus" Packages for a variety of times in Alaska. For example, Early season includes one night lodging at no charge with one day of fishing. Mid-season we have some availability at 20% off regular prices. So if you've dreamed of going to Alaska, making a return trip, or just continuing your exploration, let us know and we'll put something together that will work.