Area Sport Fishing Reports
Southern Kenai/LCI

Archived Sport Fishing Report

June 02, 2016

 Homer Area

Week of May 30 to June 05
Issued June 1, 2016

Regulation Reminders and Emergency Orders

Regulation Reminders

• It’s a good idea to consult the sport fishing regulation booklet before starting your fishing trip. Make sure to consult pages 18-20 before heading out to fish for king salmon in Cook Inlet saltwaters areas. Before heading out to fish on freshwater streams, consult page 54-56 for the Anchor River; page 56 for Deep Creek and page 59 for the Ninilchik River.
• At this time of year, steelhead trout will be leaving the rivers and entering saltwater to recover their strength after spending their winter in the river and spawning in the spring. Please familiarize yourself with the differences between king salmon and steelhead trout before you fish and practice good fish handling if you catch one. Remember hooked steelhead trout must not be removed from the water and must be released immediately.
• Anglers are reminded a king salmon 20 inches or longer that is removed from salt or fresh water must be retained and becomes part of the bag limit of the person who hooked the fish.
• Anglers are also reminded that in freshwater, the bag and possession limit for king salmon less than 20 inches is 10 fish.
• Regulation changes are in effect for guided anglers fishing for halibut. A more extensive description of these Federal regulations can be found at: http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/frules/79fr13906.pdf .
• Rockfish caught in deep water suffer injuries from decompression. Recent research by Department staff indicates that survival of released rockfish can be substantially improved by releasing fish at the depth of capture. For more information on the use of deep water release mechanisms, see the department’s Web page at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fishingSportFishingInfo.rockfishconservation .
• Lingcod may not be harvested until July 1. All lingcod caught accidentally must be carefully released and may not be punctured with a gaff.

Youth Fishery on June 4

• The first Youth Fishery at the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon is Saturday, June 4. A portion of the lagoon will be open to youth 15 years of age or younger from 12:01 a.m. until midnight. Department staff will be present from noon to 3:00 p.m. to help young anglers fish and tie egg loops and fishing knots, and learn the best way for releasing fish.

Razor Clam Emergency Order

• All Eastside Cook Inlet beaches from the Kenai River to the tip of the Homer Spit are closed to all clams through December 31, 2016.

Saltwaters Fishing Report

Halibut

• Early-season halibut fishing is fair. Some larger fish are being harvested in the sport fishery.
• Herring is the most popular bait, but octopus, squid, salmon heads, and jigs also work well.
• Unguided anglers can retain 2 halibut a day, 4 in possession.
• The department has been receiving reports of “mushy” halibut again this season. The flesh of these fish is very soft or flabby, sometimes with pockets of jelly-like tissue, and fish are mushy after being cooked. Experience during years of high prevalence of this condition (1998, 2005, 2011-12) shows that the incidence of these fish can be high for anglers fishing certain locales, so if you catch a fish that feels flabby or does not look as robust and rounded as a healthy halibut should, release it immediately unharmed and consider moving to a different area to avoid these fish. Department research on this condition is ongoing.

Salmon

• Early-run king salmon are available this time of year in the nearshore salt waters of Anchor Point, Whiskey Gulch and Deep Creek.
• Trolling success for feeder king salmon is reported as fair to good from Bluff Point north and near the head of Kachemak Bay. Feeder king salmon are often mixed with maturing Cook Inlet king salmon making their way to Cook Inlet streams.
• Anglers are beginning to catch chum salmon.
• Downriggers are essential for trolling in deeper water. Small herring trolled behind a flasher or dodger is the most effective presentation.
• Other effective gear includes spoons, hootchies and tube flies.
• As a part of the Chinook Salmon Research Initiative, the Department is looking at the genetic stock composition of the marine king salmon fishery. There are port samplers stationed at the Homer Harbor, and Deep Creek and Anchor Point tractor launches conducting quick interviews and collecting biological information, scales, and genetic clips from sport caught king salmon. If you fished for king salmon in Cook Inlet, regardless of success, we’d like to talk to you! More information on the Chinook Salmon Research Initiative can be found at: http://dfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=chinookinitiative.main .
• King salmon are continuing to enter the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon on the Homer Spit, and fishing success is good.
• Fishing is continuing to improve in Seldovia.
• There have been no reported king salmon sightings at Halibut Cove Lagoon.

Other Saltwater Fishing

• Fishing off the end of the Homer Spit can be a fun way to pass the time. Species available include Walleye pollock, Pacific cod, a variety of flatfish species and an occasional king salmon.
• Anglers are reporting catches of dark and dusky rockfish on the south side of Kachemak Bay and near Point Pogibshi.

Fresh waters Fishing Report

• The Anchor and Ninilchik Rivers and Deep Creek will open from the mouth upstream approximately 2 miles to the ADF&G regulatory marks to fishing Saturday June 4 through June 6, Monday. In addition the Anchor River will open to fishing on Wednesday June 8.
• The Anchor River weir is operational and fish counts are available online at http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/FishCounts/
• River conditions on the Anchor and Ninilchik rivers and Deep Creek are expected to be good.
• On the Ninilchik River, a large return of hatchery-reared king salmon less than 20” is expected. Remember that king salmon less than 20 inches are not included in the Cook Inlet annual limit of 5 and the daily bag limit for king salmon of this size is 10 in freshwater. Try fishing in the early mornings and near the mouths of these streams during high tide to target newly arriving fish.
• Spinners, flies and yarn are effective for king salmon in these streams as well as bait such as eggs and herring.

Lake Fishing

• The ice is gone from Kenai Peninsula stocked lakes and fishing conditions are good. Most of these lakes are stocked with rainbow trout which, this time of year, are taken on dry or wet flies, small spoons, spinners, or bait. A brochure listing the locations of the stocked lakes is available on the Sport Fish web site and at ADF&G offices.

Shellfish

• The next clamming tides run from June 3-9, included in this tide series are some minus 5 ft. tides.
• Occasionally there are PSP advisories issued by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. Contact them at (907) 269-7501, or check out their PSP pages on the Internet (http://dec.alaska.gov/eh/fss/seafood/Shellfish_Home.html ) for more information.
• Razor clams can be found on beaches along the west side of Cook Inlet and are accessed by boat or plane. Popular razor clam beaches include Crescent River, Chinitna Bay and Polly Creek. Boaters should use caution before traveling across the inlet because of strong currents and should check weather forecast before traveling.
• Littleneck (steamer) and butter clams can be found in gravel beaches on the south side of Kachemak Bay from Seldovia to Chugachik Island.
• Good numbers of butter clams are found on the islands in China Poot Bay. Butter clams can be found up to two feet deep. Littleneck clams can be found in a variety of habitats from Jakolof Bay to Bear Cove. Try exploring new beaches for success. Typically, littleneck clams are found shallower in the substrate, up to eight inches deep.
• All shrimp and crab fisheries in Kachemak Bay remain closed for 2016.