Kenai River

McKay Mills wrangles a sockeye salmon on the end of his fishing line on the banks of the Kenai River in Soldotna Creek Park on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Kenai River to reopen to sockeye salmon fishing

Sockeye anglers can again hit the Kenai River this week. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game issued an emergency order Tuesday reopening the Kenai… Continue reading

 

A guide motors a boat full of anglers up the Kenai River near Soldotna Creek Park on Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai River sockeye fishing to close Saturday

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is closing the Kenai River entirely to sockeye salmon fishing for the rest of the season. Effective Saturday… Continue reading

 

Personal-use dipnet fishermen pull up to the bank of the Kenai River beneath the Warren Ames Bridge on Saturday, July 21, 2018 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

78-pound king caught on Kenai; sockeye fishing up and down

Despite its nickname as the Land of the Midnight Sun, there are in fact hours of darkness on the Kenai Peninsula in July. But the… Continue reading

 

An angler casts her line into the Kenai River near Soldotna Creek Park on Wednesday, July 18, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. The water in the Kenai River is a little higher than usual — about 9.71 feet, according to U.S. Geological Survey’s gauge at Soldotna — but has fallen since last week and is significantly below the flood stage of 12 feet. Anglers were hitting the banks on Wednesday morning for sockeye salmon, which normally peak in returning numbers to the Kenai River in mid-July. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Sockeye fishing remains slow on Kenai, counts pick up on Kasilof

Anglers are hitting the banks of the Kenai River in more serious numbers now, though the sockeye have yet to show up in real force.… Continue reading

An angler casts her line into the Kenai River near Soldotna Creek Park on Wednesday, July 18, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. The water in the Kenai River is a little higher than usual — about 9.71 feet, according to U.S. Geological Survey’s gauge at Soldotna — but has fallen since last week and is significantly below the flood stage of 12 feet. Anglers were hitting the banks on Wednesday morning for sockeye salmon, which normally peak in returning numbers to the Kenai River in mid-July. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Angler Mark Higgins fishes the Kenai River from the stairs at Centennial Park on Monday, July 16, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. It’s the peak of the fishing season, but runs have been far below those of past years — as of Sunday, <a href="https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/FishCounts/index.cfm?ADFG=main.displayResults&COUNTLOCATIONID=40&SpeciesID=420" target="_blank">the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s sonar had counted a cummulative 105,819 sockeye</a> in the Kenai River this year, versus138,568 sockeye by that date in 2017. Like many anglers on the river, Higgins had an unsucessful Monday afternoon. “Chances are low, but you might as well be fishing rather than sitting in the camper,” he said. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

By Ben Boettger Peninsula Clarion… Continue reading

Angler Mark Higgins fishes the Kenai River from the stairs at Centennial Park on Monday, July 16, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. It’s the peak of the fishing season, but runs have been far below those of past years — as of Sunday, <a href="https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/FishCounts/index.cfm?ADFG=main.displayResults&COUNTLOCATIONID=40&SpeciesID=420" target="_blank">the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s sonar had counted a cummulative 105,819 sockeye</a> in the Kenai River this year, versus138,568 sockeye by that date in 2017. Like many anglers on the river, Higgins had an unsucessful Monday afternoon. “Chances are low, but you might as well be fishing rather than sitting in the camper,” he said. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)
This photo shows an approximately 70-pound king caught on the Kenai River by Troy Grote of Aberdeen, South Dakota, on Saturday, July 14, 2018. The fish measured 51 1/2 inches in length and 31 1/2 inches in girth. (Photo coutesy Joe Johnson)

Angler lands 70-pound king on Kenai

A South Dakota angler hit the jackpot on the Kenai River on Saturday with a nearly 70-pound king salmon on the end of his line.… Continue reading

This photo shows an approximately 70-pound king caught on the Kenai River by Troy Grote of Aberdeen, South Dakota, on Saturday, July 14, 2018. The fish measured 51 1/2 inches in length and 31 1/2 inches in girth. (Photo coutesy Joe Johnson)
An Anchor River king salmon Saturday, May 19, 2018 in Anchor Point, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

King fishing to open in lower peninsula streams with gear restrictions

The Ninilchik and Deep Creek will finally be open to king salmon fishing, but with limited gear and no bait.

An Anchor River king salmon Saturday, May 19, 2018 in Anchor Point, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
In this July 2016 photo, a drift gillnet fishing vessel floats in Cook Inlet just off the coast of the Kenai Peninsula near Kenai, Alaska. A thin season for sockeye and kings has led to restrictions in all fisheries, though drifters are seeing more chum salmon than usual in Upper Cook Inlet. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Commercial fishing slow for sockeye, good for chum

Commercial fishermen around the Gulf of Alaska are seeing weaker sockeye salmon runs, but Cook Inlet salmon fishermen at least are seeing more chum salmon… Continue reading

In this July 2016 photo, a drift gillnet fishing vessel floats in Cook Inlet just off the coast of the Kenai Peninsula near Kenai, Alaska. A thin season for sockeye and kings has led to restrictions in all fisheries, though drifters are seeing more chum salmon than usual in Upper Cook Inlet. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Jury convicts man of illegally guiding in 2017

A man accused of guiding fishing clients illegally on the Kenai River in 2017 was convicted in June. A jury in Kenai found William Hollandsworth… Continue reading

Jury convicts man of illegally guiding in 2017

A man accused of guiding fishing clients illegally on the Kenai River in 2017 was convicted in June. A jury in Kenai found William Hollandsworth… Continue reading

Bag limits double on Russian River, upper Kenai sockeye

Editor's note: This article has been corrected to show that the Kenai River is only closed to king salmon fishing upstream of Slikok Creek and… Continue reading

CIRI partners with KRSA for land access on Kenai River

Anglers on the middle and lower Kenai River who want to fish from Cook Inlet Region, Inc.’s private banks can pick up permits from a… Continue reading

CIRI partners with KRSA for land access on Kenai River

Anglers on the middle and lower Kenai River who want to fish from Cook Inlet Region, Inc.’s private banks can pick up permits from a… Continue reading

A group of anglers dipnet for sockeye salmon near the mouth of the Kasilof River on Wednesday, June 28, 2018 in Kasilof, Alaska. The personal-use dipnet fishery on the Kasilof River opened Monday, with fish counts significantly behind last year and behind the 10-year average for the same date. Some fishermen were successful Wednesday, though, both from shore and from boats. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Kasilof dipnet opens, fish counts still low

The Kasilof River personal-use dipnet is open, and fishermen are trying out their nets for sockeye with some mixed luck. A few dipnetters dotted the… Continue reading

A group of anglers dipnet for sockeye salmon near the mouth of the Kasilof River on Wednesday, June 28, 2018 in Kasilof, Alaska. The personal-use dipnet fishery on the Kasilof River opened Monday, with fish counts significantly behind last year and behind the 10-year average for the same date. Some fishermen were successful Wednesday, though, both from shore and from boats. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
A group of anglers dipnet for sockeye salmon near the mouth of the Kasilof River on Wednesday, June 28, 2018 in Kasilof, Alaska. The personal-use dipnet fishery on the Kasilof River opened Monday, with fish counts significantly behind last year and behind the 10-year average for the same date. Some fishermen were successful Wednesday, though, both from shore and from boats. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Kasilof dipnet opens, fish counts still low

The Kasilof River personal-use dipnet is open, and fishermen are trying out their nets for sockeye with some mixed luck. A few dipnetters dotted the… Continue reading

A group of anglers dipnet for sockeye salmon near the mouth of the Kasilof River on Wednesday, June 28, 2018 in Kasilof, Alaska. The personal-use dipnet fishery on the Kasilof River opened Monday, with fish counts significantly behind last year and behind the 10-year average for the same date. Some fishermen were successful Wednesday, though, both from shore and from boats. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
In this Sunday, June 11, 2017 photo, a sockeye salmon hooked by a lucky angler rests on the bank of the Kenai River downstream of the confluence with the Russian River near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai River closed for kings, anglers look to other species, rivers

Poor king salmon returns have prompted a complete fishing closure for them on the Kenai River. As of Wednesday, the Kenai River downstream of Skilak… Continue reading

In this Sunday, June 11, 2017 photo, a sockeye salmon hooked by a lucky angler rests on the bank of the Kenai River downstream of the confluence with the Russian River near Cooper Landing, Alaska. (Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Refuge repairing boat launch, trails, and cabins

Refuge repairing boat launch, trails, and cabins

The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is replacing a boardwalk and boat ramp into the Kenai River at the end of Soldotna’s East Redoubt Avenue. Crews… Continue reading

Refuge repairing boat launch, trails, and cabins
Dipnetters hold their nets offshore from the north Kenai Beach on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)

Beach bacteria testing to resume

Scientists will be sampling water on Kenai’s beaches to see if efforts to reduce fecal coliform and enterococci bacteria have been working. Fecal coliform and… Continue reading

Dipnetters hold their nets offshore from the north Kenai Beach on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion, file)
Beluga researcher Kim Ovitz (center, with sunglasses) and a group of volunteer whale-watchers look for belugas in the Kenai River on April 14, 2018 at Cunningham Park in Kenai, Alaska. 11 signed-up volunteers and several more casual ones helped Ovitz with her observations, which began March 15 and will continue until May 31. Her preliminary results suggest that a large portion of Cook Inlet’s estimated 328 belugas travel the Kenai River with the tides in early spring. (Photo courtesy of Rickard Sjoeberg).

Researcher finds many Cook Inlet belugas visit Kenai in spring

Editor's note: This story has been changed to clarify numbers that apply to beluga sightings, rather than individual whales. New monitoring of belugas in the… Continue reading

Beluga researcher Kim Ovitz (center, with sunglasses) and a group of volunteer whale-watchers look for belugas in the Kenai River on April 14, 2018 at Cunningham Park in Kenai, Alaska. 11 signed-up volunteers and several more casual ones helped Ovitz with her observations, which began March 15 and will continue until May 31. Her preliminary results suggest that a large portion of Cook Inlet’s estimated 328 belugas travel the Kenai River with the tides in early spring. (Photo courtesy of Rickard Sjoeberg).

State to conduct additional turbidity monitoring this summer

The state will take extra measurements this summer to check whether the Kenai River really does exceed turbidity standards. Turbidity — the measure of how… Continue reading