Original content Š ADF&G - Disclaimer
Additional content Š AOJ

Kenai Peninsula's Kachemak Bay Enhanced Salmon Fisheries

Orientation

The western side of the Kenai Peninsula receives a great majority of the sport fishing effort conducted throughout the summer months. This area has some of the most accessible and productive fisheries in the state of Alaska. Most anglers have heard about the world famous Kenai River, the exceptional productivity of Cook Inlet's Deep Creek area and the "Halibut Capital of the World" at Homer on Kachemak Bay.

All these fisheries are wild stocks and produce an exceptional harvest when one considers the tonnage of fish which pass through the fish racks in a season. Even so, there are opportunities to provide enhanced fisheries which allow anglers even more chances to fill their freezers before winter.

The Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game has many successful programs in the Kachemak Bay area that offer fishing opportunities where no natural stocks exist. These include fisheries for king salmon, coho salmon, pink salmon and sockeye salmon.

The programs are supplied salmon smolt which were raised in a hatchery from wild stock eggs. When the fish are ready to return to the sea, the Fish and Game biologists transfer these fish to holding pens in the saltwater area where they wish them to return when mature. The fish imprint to the waters within a week and are then released to pursue growing up in the open ocean.

When the fish have reached spawning age, they again return to the same location which they imprinted to. With no natural spawning stream to migrate up, the fish congregate in the area until they eventually die.

Just like natural stocks, these salmon runs have a specific time they return to their home waters. Some of the fisheries are boat accessible only while others on the Homer Spit provide shore-based anglers an opportunity to fish for salmon just a few steps from their motorhome.

Our information will provide the reader with the location of these fisheries, the general timing of the runs and the techniques most often used for success. Follow the links below to read about each area's fishing opportunities.

Home | Fishing | Articles