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Kenai Peninsula's Kachemak Bay Enhanced Salmon Fisheries

King Salmon - Halibut Cove Lagoon

A very successful program for king salmon enhancement is found at Halibut Cove Lagoon. The lagoon is located on the south side of Kachemak Bay about 12 miles southeast of the Homer Spit. This fishery is accessible by seaworthy boats only.

Each year adult king salmon return to the Lagoon and each year the Fisheries Rehabilitation, Enhancement and Development (FRED) Division of ADF&G releases smolt (young salmon ready to begin feeding in the marine environment) to perpetuate this species' life cycle. The project has been quite successful as annual sport catches here range from 400-3,000 king salmon. These fish may weigh up to 40 pounds.

King salmon return to the Lagoon in early May with the run continuing through early July. The run peaks about mid June. Early in the season anglers achieve good results by trolling or casting herring or artificial lures when the returning salmon school in the Lagoon and the intertidal channel. Later in the season, when the fish are at the head of the Lagoon, they may be taken with clusters of salmon eggs attached directly to the hook and cast to passing fish.

Check fishing regulations closely before fishing here. Current regulations allow snagging as a harvest method in most areas of Kachemak Bay after June 23 to harvest surplus fish which can no longer be harvested by non-snagging techniques. A spawning escapement is not required here as no spawning area exists for these fish. Remember, however, that snagging is not a legal harvest method at any time in the fresh waters of Alaska.

Caution is advised when traveling into the Lagoon as it is accessible only through a narrow, rocky channel during high tide. The unwary boater who stays through the high tide may have to wait through the next low tide before returning to Homer.

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