Web posted Friday, September 2, 2005

Sunshine, bright fish beckon
Area streams full of autumn action

By MATT TUNSETH
Peninsula Clarion

A silver salmon leaps out of the water as fisherman line the banks of the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon on the Homer Spitt in Homer, Alaska, Monday, Aug. 29, 2005. The silver salmon run is part of the Alaska Fish and Game's terminal recreational fishery program that stocks the man-made lagoon with king and coho salmon smolt each year. AP Photo/Homer Tribune, Sean Pea

With mild fall weather and plenty of sunshine forecast through the weekend, now might be the perfect opportunity for anglers to get in on what’s shaping up to be some great fall fishing in the area.

Silver sal-mon fishing on the Kenai River continues to improve, with anglers reporting good catches fishing using either salmon eggs and Spin-n-Glos or Kwikfish wrapped with sardines.

In addition to silvers, hungry rainbows and Dolly Varden can be found throughout the system as they continue to feed on salmon eggs and fish carcasses.

Anglers should note that an emergency order that raised the bag and possession limit on the Kenai River for sockeye salmon is no longer in effect.

On the southern peninsula, silvers are strong as well, and some reports of steelhead moving into the area are also coming in.

“There’s good silver fishing still,” said Stan Harrington, who owns the Anchor Angler on the Anchor River.

Harrington said steelhead fishing should also start picking up soon.

“They’re being picked up incidental to the silvers,” he said.

Harrington noted that the Anchor River is now under single hook and no bait restrictions.

In addition to fishing in freshwater, Harrington said anglers who are lucky enough to make it onto the ocean are also having good luck fishing for salmon.

“They’ve been getting a lot of blow-off days, but when they can get out they’re picking up feeder kings and silvers off of Bluff Point,” he said.

On the Homer Spit, fishing for silvers has been reported as being good to excellent. Anglers fishing spinners or eggs below a bobber have been having the best success.

Another area anglers might want to check out is the Swanson River. According to Alaska Department of Fish and Game area management biologist George Pappas, the silver run is building on the river, which is located near the end of the Kenai Spur Highway in Captain Cook State Park.

“Anglers reported that silver salmon have been entering the Swanson River in good numbers, and angler success is improving,” Pappas wrote in his weekly peninsulawide fishing report.

For lake fishing, Pappas suggested Johnson Lake, Upper Summit Lake, Vagt Lake, Jerome Lake, or Sport Lake for rainbows. For Arctic char, Island Lake is a good choice, while Elephant Lake or Longmere Lake are good bets for landlocked salmon.

As always, it’s a good idea to check fishing regulations before heading out on the water.