Kenai River bait opener

[JWhit]

Well July 1st finally came and went. Reports from the Kenai have been varied and sporatic this season depending on who you talked to. I had a great June but was one of the few who did. ADF&G put restrictions on the fishery last week limiting the river from Slikok creek upstream to no bait, single hook and catch and release only until July 15. It was a good move in my opinion by the dept. but maybe a little late and without restricting the lower river as well it is certainly up for debate just how much it will help the escapement on these early run fish. Were they just late or was it really a poor run? If they are late then we just whacked the heck out of them yesterday with the bait opener. Many boats saw drastic improvements in their success rate. A lot of Kenai King Salmon died yesterday, we will have to wait and see if the trend continues, and I pray that some of my brothers out here remember that they don't have to kill every one of them...

On a happier note, the low, clear water has been providing some excellent opportunity for big Kenai Kings on the Spey and the trout fishing is even pretty good for this early in the year...if you know where to look.

Tight lines everyone and good luck out there!

[Robbo]

That's just brutal Johnny! Do you think it's the sockeye fishery in Cook Inlet that's causing the big decline the last 5 years? I hear that from so many people...just wondering what your take is on the whole dealio up there.

[JWhit]

Robbo, it's a little more complicated than just the Sockeye fishery I'm afraid. You see July 1 is officially the end of the first run and the beginning of the second run according to ADF&G. They don't only consider them two completely different runs seperated by an arbitrary date, but they are also managed completely different as well. The Dept has long admitted that we have a problem with the early run on the Kenai and half heartedly sought to protect them through measures such as the slot limit, no bait, single hook, etc. The problem is it has done little good so far. MAYBE the slot limit would have helped a bit when we first passed that proposal at the board of fish and set the slot from 40"-55" but a handful of guides and locals alike complained that they were having to release too many fish. Wasn't that the point? Since then the slot has been narrowed to 42" then 44" and now is set from 46"-55" effectively making the slot useless since in my 30+ yrs of fishing the Kenai the majority of the mature early run spawners that we are trying to protect fall right in that 42-45" range. They are all "cookie cutters" as they say. Built much the same and with bad attitudes. Now maybe once a week or so you hear of someone complaining they had to release a slot fish. That's not saving enough of them in my opinion.

As for answering your question directly, there is no commercial set net fishery directly affecting the Kenai during the early run. The commercial Sockeye fishery that really impacts us is the set net fishery that will not start for 10 more days. So no I don't really believe that the Cook Inlet Sockeye fishery has much to do with the decline of the early run Kings on the Kenai. The second run in July YES! It has a major impact on us and may be the demise of the worlds largest King Salmon sooner than we all would like.

There are way to many variables and scenarios to discuss here at the moment but there are just a few things that I believe would help for everyone to remember...

Finger pointing does no good. If you have ever killed one you are part of the problem and also partly to blame if you don't feel there are enough fish returning to your fishery. I listen patiently to old timers telling stories frequently about the good ol' days when they caught so many fish they were hauling wheel barrow loads of them back to camp for the smoker and when they finally ask where have they all gone...I simply ask them to go back to the beginning of their story.

Life isn't always fair. If you proclaim that you would gladly accept restrictions in the sport fishery if we could get rid of the commercial fishery, that won't get us anywhere. It's not FAIR that the weight of conservation be so heavy on the sport fishery but we are the last user group in line, like it or not. We can not undo what is done in the marine enviroment by the commercial fishery. The fact remains that if there aren't enough fish returning to meet what I consider a very low escapement goal to begin with, then the burden is ours to make sure they all survive, and the importance of doing so is that much greater. Unfair indeed, but the burden is ours and we must find some urgency in protecting our resources until changes can be made elsewhere.

Sooner or later someone has to step up and be on the side of the fish. If not us then who will? I'm not talking about being on the side of sport fishing and fighting for more fish in river for us to harvest, but the side of the fish. The health of our fisheries will turn around when we put more fish on the spawning beds and not until then. Considering yourself just one guy or gal taking just this one fish and believing it won't make a difference is how we got here. I know the biggest ones are for some the hardest to release, but remember this, they are also the rarest. Would you rather have that dead fish picture in your office or a release photo and the chance to catch another one like it down the road?

Today was the second day of bait on the Kenai. There was a drastic reduction in the amount of fish caught, which was to be expected. The test net fishery on the Kenai had a very good day yesterday so it is possible that there was a big push of fresh fish that came in yesterday to coincide with the bait opener that produced the inflated success rate. Today it seemed that the fishery has gone back in the tank however with a lot of long faces in the rain waiting for that elusive King bite...the last report I got was only 14 fish checked in by the kreel sample team in 9 hrs today.

We all know how rumors go but the rumor is that the Dept may be looking at restricting the second run fishery this year as well. Unfortunately I believe the current management plan requires them to wait until at least the 20th to do anything. Long after the commercial fishery has had a chance to take it's toll and with only 8 days of fishing left in the season. Time will tell how this season will unfold for now I have my fingers crossed...

Tight lines!

[JWhit]

Here's a link to the ADF&G Kenai River Sonar project. You can see the correlation of large king salmon counts to the years with large sockeye returns. The Dept. is using kreel data to adjust that number now for sockeye contamination.

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/sf/FishCounts/index.cfm?ADFG=main.kenaiChinook

[Salmonhawk]

I've never fished the Kenai but I am well aware of the quality salmon that it has produced over the years. It's sad to see the decline and I know how it affects so many in that area. This continued decline has to do with more than recreational harvest, and in my opinion the State of Alaska needs to recognize the impact that recreational anglers have. Management in that state has been and continues to be one sided and just about every fishery in the world that has had commercial pressure has crashed. With the abundance of Alaska it might have taken longer but it is happening. I say this admitting that once again, I know nothing about the Kenai except that JWhit catches monster slamon and releases them, but I do see it coming in many other areas of Ak.

[Robbo]

Great explanation John and yes...sometimes we have to take the lead to help out the fish. If what you're saying is correct then the guides and rec anglers on the Kenai bit the hand that fed them by arguing for a reduced slot limit, resulting in the bulk of the early spawning population being harvested. Now that you the fishery is rattling around in the bottom of the barrel perhaps a new direction will be charted for this fishery. Keep up the fight and please keep us posted on how the summer progresses on the Kenai. Lots of folks in Western Washington interested in following that fishery

[JWhit]

This thread didn't have to be all negative, thought I would post some sweet C&R pics for you guys...

EggWeb.jpg (129.86 KiB) Viewed 6347 times

R1web.jpg (130.2 KiB) Viewed 6347 times

CarrieWeb.jpg (127.9 KiB) Viewed 6347 times

And of course you guys have seen this one from two years ago, I'm posting it again anyways. I released another magnum almost as big as this seven years and two days earlier, which coincidentally was the age of this fish. I believe in conservation and kharma. Now if it will only happen in again in five more years....

[Salmonhawk]

Those are some sweet fish, very nice.

[JWhit]

The bite on the Kenai this week has been far from WFO, but I'm more than happy to report that it is pretty good. Its been way better than we have seen for the last two years and as my friend put it last night...its good enough. That about sums it up. Not hot but just steady. Bigger fish have been showing in good numbers too and the test net and kreel data are encouraging as well. Lets hope it continues.