REPORT: Hi. I've been lurking here for quite a while and decided to post my report on Hooligan since I noticed some inquiries. They are starting to trickle in. We knew we were probably trying too early, so we were surprised to see 2 seals very close to us and a pod of Belugas further away feeding in one small area. It was pretty neat to see them constantly surfacing and diving back down the whole time we were there. Despite these positive signs, we dipped  for an hour and a half before high tide and only got 15 fish.

Still debating on whether to try again tomorrow or wait until next weekend. Hope this helps.

[AOJ: Thanks much for posting the first hooligan report for the 20 Mile. Its definitely a popular enough fishery to have some representation here on the reports. One of those earliest fisheries for open water season for folks to participate in. With the hooligan run at this time of the month it usually only gets better as each day passes. The whales and seals are definitely an encouraging sign.]

REPORT: No report just a question..... Has there been any word on the copper river reds? I have a trip to glen allen planned for the first week of June. Just curious if I am going to be too early for the reds?????????

[AOJ: You'll just have to decipher the info to make your own assessment. Here is the ADFG 2013 PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND AND COPPER RIVER SALMON FORECAST. You can scroll down to Page 7 for the Copper River Sockeye Forecast itself. Miles Lake Sonar station will fire up around May 15th to begin counting sockeye. Typically its usually around the 24th before the counts get above 10,000 per day. And its another two weeks before those fish reach the Chitina Dipnet Fishery area. And another 5 days or more depending on river levels to Copper Center and the Klutina River. Last year the run was so strong at the front end that folks were getting limits of reds on the Klutina on June 8th. Who knows what is in store this year with breakup so late and temperatures so cold. The first couple of commercial fishing periods' harvest volume may give an indication of what is in store timing wise and maybe size wise.]

REPORT: Anyone know if centennial and pillars boat launches are open?

[AOJ: As of today, Thursday, the only open and launchable boat ramp is the Pillars. Centennial road gate is still closed, road full of snow and ramp harbor full of shore ice. No water at Swiftwater, no water at Eagle Rock. ADFG is launching their research boats at the Pillars but running jet units due to the lowest water levels in 30 years for this time. A prop boat would get very far without doing some bottom plowing so if you go be sure to have a spare prop and set of oars or paddle. And BTW, beginning May 16th the Kenai Early King Run goes to Catch and Release besides the normal single hook artificial no bait regulations.]

REPORT: We are from North Pole and are wondering what the hooligan run is looking like for 2013 as we have had such a late spring. We are looking for info on whether hooligan will been in around Memorial Day or is it may be running late. Any info would be great as it is a long drive to not get any hooligan. Thanks.

[AOJ: At the top of this reports page is a HOOLIGAN HOT LINE phone number. The Dept. of Fish & Game is the one who offers this recorded message to keep the public informed as to how the runs are developing. You can also read what ends up reported here in the Fishing Reports. There are usually several individuals who report on how well they did and how well others were doing. I might add that the Susitna River has a monster run of hooligan each year and there are some spots along the Parks Highway that people access the river, typically just downstream of one of the tributaries and dip hooligan. If you had a boat there are a number of spots where the fish get so thick you could almost walk on them. Down around the mouth of the Yentna is one spot. The ADFG Weekly Fishing Report for the Matsu Valley usually has a note in that information on how the Big Su run is progressing so that is another information source that is updated each week.]

REPORT: Considering doing one of the double limit halibut charters out of Homer. Just trying to find out if anyone has done one, and is there any downside to it? It seems like its the same price as a single limit charter for twice the fish. Any recommendations on who to go out with? Also planning on hitting the Anchor in the morning before the charter. Is there any info available on that river as of yet?

[AOJ: Some words of precaution on the overnighters. Don't expect (in most cases) a charter to run to the Barrens or Elizabeth to put you on two limits of those fish. The overnighter requires "holing up somewhere" that has shelter for the boat and crew to take a nap/rest until the next calendar day begins for the second limit. Typically they will duck into Seldovia Bay or other sheltered cove area to sleep. Fishing in the dark for halibut is not very productive and so is a waste of time keeping everyone awake for nothing. Thus there will usually be a sleep period before daylight arrives. You may end up being taken out to a chicken patch for two fish (or maybe a longer first run), then rest, and then to the a chicken patch close by for your 2nd two and back to port. Your "haul" may end up being less meat than paying for a long range daylight trip to the fishing grounds where a greater number of larger fish exist. It could be a crap shoot. There are always a few exception days in Cook Inlet where a large fish is caught. But one last word of caution: make sure you thoroughly know exactly where the captain intends to take you to for both calendar days' limits for this "good deal." And the last variable is weather...you may end up in the chicken patch due to sea conditions anyway. DO let us know how your trip turned out as I'm sure there are many others that are interested too.

As far as the Anchor River its too early for the weir counts to start but when they do that will be the best indicator of whether there are any fish present at that time. Its going to be a VERY LONG and EXTENDED Spring runoff breakup and I expect Anchor and Deep to be marginally fishable at best during the front half of their seasons. As I was driving back from Whiskey Gulch yesterday the Caribou Hills are still solid white. Stariski, Deep Creek and Ninilchik all looked like expresso with lots of shore icebergs present. Normally I would have my AK poppies in the flower bed growing 8 inches tall by now and yet the first two or three green leaves are just now beginning to show. Waterfowl on the Peninsula are everywhere jammed up waiting on Interior snow cover to melt and rivers to break. No one has ever seen this many ducks and geese staging on the KP for several weeks now. AKJake and I jumped over 1000 birds at the mouth of Stariski Creek yesterday and the sky has cranes, swans, geese and flocks of ducks flying every which way on the Peninsula....waiting.]

REPORT: Gave it a try at 20 Mile River on Sunday for hooligan, spent about a half hour "playing" with a net, but no luck. Beautiful day though so no complaints... maybe next week.

[Tuesday evening I drove back from Whiskey Gulch to Soldotna and noticed a couple of the commercial herring fishermen were advertising on the side of the road "FRESH Herring Bait For Sale." The Cook Inlet herring are often running at the same time as the hooligan and there was some seal and beluga activity Saturday at the Kenai mouth but Sunday at high tide I saw only one seal and no whales. Herring in Cook Inlet are usually running at their peak in mid-May so we might be seeing the run over one week early. If so the hooligan may be timing the same too. Its one of those, "Any day now" situations. Hooligan Anglers should also consider dipping on the Big Su if you or a friend has a suitable boat. The hooligan run is absolutely HUGE on that river. I've seen the commercial fishermen using very large dipnets that in one swipe there was 50 to 100 pounds in the net. They couldn't lift it into the boat. The ADFG MATSU Weekly fishing report (starting soon) often suggests a few places on the Big Su where hooligan dippers can do well. Some folks even get them along the Parks Hiway down around the mouths of some of the tributaries.]

REPORT: Ok, I'm in Washington and don't pretend to understand the political and social climate as it relates to the King salmon issues. When you all discuss actions to improve the future King salmon population, does it fall down to sportfishing vs. commfishing with neither side willing to take an objective view? I'm not suggesting this is the case, I'm only asking so I can understand better.

It seems to me that a King is worth a lot more dollars when caught by a tourist then when harvested for commercial sale. Even with that bias I would be the first to agree that it is not an either/or proposition, but this is the bottom line from my perspective. And what I mean by "worth more" is that more dollars are generated for the overall Alaska economy. Again, this is just my opinion but my gut tells me I'm probably right. If I'm right, or even mostly right, allowing a relatively small harvest of Kings for the Kenai tourists seems like the best use of the resource - at least until the numbers rebound. I would go further and restrict fishing to catch-and-release, but that's just me. This would mean that commfishing would suffer greatly to protect by-catch of Kings, but it is the best use of the resource. In return I think these commfishermen should be compensated by federal and state government in the same manner as any industry devastated by a natural disaster.

How crazy is my view?

[AOJ: Well your view isn't crazy, discussions like this have been going on since I arrived in 1970 and I'm sure the debate between user groups was going on long before that. The "issue" is not a problem with one or more user groups, i.e. harvesters of the resource, taking more than they should. Today's problem is there are no kings for anyone to harvest. Statewide! Just read all the Emergency Orders issued above before any of the king fisheries have even started. And there will be more for other drainages not yet announced. Bristol Bay region king runs, Copper River kings, Yukon kings, everywhere you look the king salmon species has a problem that no one yet has put a confirmed finger on. It may be several factors all working independently on the stocks but together they are creating this extreme lack of returning kings. Like limited food supply plus high seas bycatch, plus a disease or infection. The West Coast went through a decade of extreme measures closing commercial and sport fishing in dozens of areas and streams from the Canadian border to Monterey Bay in Cal. Now it appears their chinook stocks are rebounding well and in some streams with a vengeance and huge numbers returning, the likes of which they have not seen in some young anglers lifetimes. Alaska appears to be in the preliminary stages of a similar downturn in chinook. Money is being pumped into research and investigative studies to try and pinpoint what is happening and determine if there is anything we humans may be able to do to improve the situation. I believe we are in for a long dismal forecast for some time to come. Coho abundance is showing some similar low returning numbers too and may also be impacted by the same conditions.]

REPORT: To follow up on the Hooligan report, I drove from Anchorage to the Peninsula on Saturday afternoon and saw a few Belugas working their way down the Arm just west of the mouth of 20 Mile. I didn't see anyone dipping for Hooligan but that's the only thing I could imagine they were chasing this time of year.

[AOJ: Thanks for the recon on the 20 Mile. Should be something showing up there soon. There were some humpback whales working the Inlet down in the Whiskey Gulch area last Sunday. So we are seeing all kinds of "indicators" out there on the water. Just need to see something in the nets now.]

REPORT: For what it's worth, 40 years ago I used to catch small dollies at the mouths of the streams flowing into the lake. I used #0 and #1 Mepps and Colorado spinners, casting out into the lake and retrieving the spinner back into the clear water of the stream.

[AOJ: Indeed, further research turned up some additional information confirming Dolly Varden are the most prevalent species of fish in the lake. However in 1996 ADFG did stock rainbow trout and their most recent PDF brochure mentions that rainbows and Dollies are present. The excerpt below is from the Chugach State Park information on Eklutna Lake EKLUTNA LAKE RECREATION.

REPORT: Not at report. I am planning on paddling Eklutna Lake a few times this summer. I have never fished it or heard of anyone I know fishing it. Are there fish there? I read that ADFG stocked it for awhile, but no recent stocking (since 2008 anyway) so any input would be great!

[AOJ: Calling on some folks out there that know about the lake. I'm blank on that one. But I did check the ADFG stocking records back to 2000 and there was no record of any stocking of any species in the lake. Only down in the Tailrace fishery. That could indicate the lake has a natural, wild population of fish. But I will bring up something I'm sure many TAILRACE ANGLERS will want to hear. Typically the hatchery has stocked from 131,000 to 97,000 coho smolt in the Tailrace during the month of July. Silvers only remain at sea ONE year. Typically a hatchery stocked silver has a higher survival than wild salmon. Wild silvers may only have a 2% return where the hatchery fish can return 4% to 6% of what was stocked. Unfortunately.....here is the bad news for this season....last July only 40,000 coho smolt were stocked which means at a best case scenario 1600 to 2400 silvers would return. But as you have noticed in the past two seasons our silvers are not coming back any better than our king salmon so I would expect the silver fishery in the Tailrace is going to be very disappointing this season. Just have to wait and see.]

REPORT: Was out looking around Matsu River areas for whatever was open. Like to get into Willow Creek in spring. Everything was iced over still, no visible open water and dangerous bank side. Couldn't get back to Willow Creek.

REPORT: KK-

Just a clarification....the Kenai River between Skilak Lake and the mouth of the Upper Killey River is closed to ALL fishing from May 2 to June 10. Even though it says the entire river for Dollies/Arctic char on page 48, on page 49 the red section on the map and below in the text, it states that this area is a seasonal fishing closure, and is closed to ALL fishing during this time. Thanks.

[AOJ: Aw #(@)%^&^#)(^*)($^(I#O$#=^=#@_#$*(&)(*%^*(#^)@*#$_)U^_#*I. I give up. I'm going to start a PETITION to ABOLISH ALL REGULATIONS IN SOUTHCENTRAL and submit it at the FEB. 2014 BOF Meeting riding on the coat tails of some proposal that is discussing a regs change. I've had enough. This booklet is ridiculous. And I ought to know, I read it over and over and over all year long to help keep folks on the straight and narrow. Ha, lot of good THAT did, eh? I try not to be critical of the department's business but there is no one on this planet that can argue the fact that our sport fish regulations are absolutely the worse mess of any 50 states in the Union. The "joke" about taking your LAWYER along to interpret the regulations before you wet a line is no joke. Its an absolute SHAME! Because its the truth.

The IRONY of this latest "discovery" is the fact that I have been a proponent of shutting down that Rainbow Spawning Area below Skilak Lake to all fishing in the Spring to prevent harassment of the rainbows on their redds when anglers say they are "Dolly Varden Fishing." Totally blew that out the window when I CLEARLY READ Open to Dolly fishing up to the lake.

Well folks, don't believe everything you read! HA]

REPORT: Great group out on the water this day. Looking for some variety. We found it. Seven kings on the deck, a load of fish n chips from all the black "bass" rockfish and even a ping pong paddle on the troll. No doubt there are still plenty of feeder kings if you know where to find them. And when you do they are definitely on the bite. We worked the south side of the bay today. Nearly a 4 angler limit this day. Life is good, ain't it?
Good Fishing to ya, Captain Shane

REPORT: Has anyone tried fishing Willow Creek recently? Do you know of any open water around the Eagle River and surrounding area that can be fished right now?

[AOJ: One of the best methods of determining what is going on with the Southcentral streams is to monitor the USGS gauging stations for the various drainages. If it says ICE then the stream hasn't really broke open yet with any substantial spring flow. Can save you some gas this way.]

USGS STREAM GAUGE LEVELS & FLOWS

REPORT: Four of us thought we'd go and get one last bit of ice fishing in.  I think we might be wrong.  We are going to be able to ice fish into June at this rate,

IF you go, take an extension.  We were lucky and took an ice chipper for that last few inches.  But I wouldn't suggest driving on the lake with a vehicle.  Edges seemed soft.  Also be very careful of the rocks on the road.  I hit a bowling ball size rock and got a flat.  While we were fishing, we could hear rock slides.  Then in a span of 30 minutes 4 cars smacked a large rock right near where we were fishing, disabling three of them.  We had no idea what was going on till we went back to the parking lot.  It seemed like they were running plows every few hours but there were still big rocks in the road on the drive back.  

Oh, the fishing report.  Pretty slow.  Four of us fished hard, and between 10pm and 2am, we managed three with only one a keeper size.  

Here's a short iPhone vid of the one decent one. Long Lake Burbot Fishing.

[AOJ: Wow I was the first view. Well that catch made the trip worth it except for the flat tire. I'm sure this rain and 50 degree weather will start causing some rapid candle-sticking of the lake ice next week. One lake in Soldotna already had an ATV go through at the shoreline so the shallows are heating up and thinning the ice. Snowing this morning here at AOJ HQ when I got up. Back to drizzle rain now. Looks like the Interior is getting a FOOT of new snow! Might give Whiskey a shot {no pun intended} on Sunday instead. Suppose to be sunshine and the tide is better for surf fishing for halibut with a 7am low tide for getting the bait out the farthest. At least until a shark or irish lord decides I should reel them in and recast to a shallower distance. GRRRR. Always a good reason to put a big chunk of octopus on the hook that "Would Choke a Horse!" I'll bring the Kwikfish 3 tent for shelter just in case if I go. Heck I might as well put out my herring net while I'm at it and let it soak to see if they are running yet. Its usually around mid-May though before decent numbers are moving but hooligan have been in KBay since February milling around which is a good sign of an early run for the baitfish. Can't know unless you try it. Hmmm, maybe I should go down there this even and soak the net through tonight's high tide just to see what's happening. Clouds are starting to break a bit over the Inlet. Come on Sunshine.]

REPORT: Went up north last Friday. Willow Creek parkway was not plowed past Deshka Landing turnoff. Sheep was frozen tight. There was about three feet of snow still on the ground.

[AOJ: Probably not much has changed but the 50 degree weather coming this week will make some fast changes in conditions. ]

REPORT: Lots of folks engage in personal use shrimping during the season with a vast majority hauling their boats to Whittier and running out from there. This season the personal use Pot Limit is 5 pots per person with a 5 pot per boat limit. Its still quite early so I don't have any PU reports from anglers yet. But I do have some data regarding the commercial pot openings and how that harvest is going.

The first opening was from April 15 thru April 18. Commercial boats were allowed a max. of 30 pots per boat. The total seasonal commercial harvest goal for PWS was set at 66,300 lbs. of whole shrimp. 21 vessels landed approximately 8,761 lbs. of shrimp during that opening.

The second open period was from April 22 thru April 26. The 30 pot per boat limit remained in effect for that period also. 20 vessels reported landing 3,125 lbs. of shrimp for a season total to date of 11,544 lbs.

The overall Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) is only 2.50 lbs. of whole shrimp PER POT.

Due to the low harvest rates and number of participating boats, ADFG has issued an Emergency Order allowing vessels to now fish a maximum of 40 pots per vessel for the third period of April 29 thru May 2 which just ended. The fourth open period will begin MAY 6th and run continuous from that day until the 66,000 lb. harvest level is reached or until September 15 whichever is sooner.

What this boils down to is the possibility that its going to be pretty slow shrimping for the private anglers too this spring. And if you only have a limited number of chances to go, perhaps waiting until a bit later in the season when the water is a bit warmer might be the prudent thing to do. The ADFG Weekly Fishing reports should be starting next week and the biologist reporting for the PWS area includes Whittier and gives a shrimping report based on what biologists at the harbor are gathering from anglers. I'm going to give it a try this year too but will wait until the herring start showing up so I can work on catching some fresh bait while the pots are soaking.

Good luck and good shrimping, KK

REPORT: Hello. Just thought I would share some inside info in case you didn't know. I fish every possible day I have off and I'm not tooting my own horn but I catch a lot of and big fish on these Kenai Peninsula lakes and its because of one lure.... The Rapala. They have lures for every situation and what better lure than one that imitates a baitfish. The floating Rapala in rainbow trout pattern is by far my favorite and they love them. These tend to work really well for any fish in these lakes especially rainbows and Kokanee on Spirt Lake. I fish out of my little pontoon boat so it's no problem to hike into lakes like in the Swanson River system and one thing that for some reason surprised me was on Drake and Skookum Lake even the arctic char tear them up. So give them a try its well worth it.

[AOJ: Actually char are an aggressive predator so its not unusual to catch them on baitfish imitations like spoons, spinners, rapalas and even sculpin flies. I've caught rainbows in the fall that were only 12 inches long that had sticklebacks in their bellies. So those tiny 2 inch Rapalas are the perfect imitation.]

REPORT: I hate to be the guy that doesn't report but just complains but I've seen too many people spend 5 minutes "handling" steelhead after they're caught at the crooked creek confluence. The rules state that these fish "should not be removed from the water". In my mind that means to release the fish as quickly, humanely as possible.

I think there is a serious problem with "Facebook steelheaders" that are only trying to pad their stats with another picture of a severely exhausted fish. Steelhead regulations aren't just rules, they're there to protect a small stock of fish.

Please respect these fish and handle them with extreme caution for us all to catch in the future.

[AOJ: Just a heads up FYI to all, IF you post photos on the Internet showing yourself or friends engaged in a fish & game violation, it CAN be used by the Fish & Wildlife Protection officers in a court of law to convict you of the crime and the ensuing penalty. TRUE! So if you want to take chances holding a rainbow/steelhead out of the water in waters that do not allow it and post photos of that violation, you take the responsibility for the consequences. Prima donnas are not exempt from the law.]

REPORT: Still good ice fishing out there. Got a few bows just under the 20 inch length. I am surprised I have not seen much ice fishing activity on the lakes out here lately. Still lots of ice, and some snow still on top. Maybe one more trip or 2 possible.

[AOJ: Indeed with the above average ice thickness this year plus the very cool/cold spring we are having there should be safe ice fishing on many/most Southcentral lakes into the first week of May or later. Driving on ice would not be a good idea after April but walking would be plenty safe. Long daylight is getting the algae and plants to start perking up in the lakes now so oxygen content may be turning around and giving the fish a little boost.]

REPORT: The ice is almost gone from the beach.

[AOJ: Got this posted a bit late. Probably all melted by now. We are now in some big minus tide sets now which should take care of any remaining ice. I've got my 15' Okuma surf rod at the ready for trying a little surf fishing for halibut once the hooligan and herring start running along the beaches.

GREAT CLAM TIDES THIS WEEKEND FOLKS. Looks like good weather to take the kids out to the beaches for some fun.]

REPORT: Has anyone been trying for Hooligan at the mouth of the Twenty Mile River yet? Any success?

[AOJ: No one has mentioned it yet. However, hooligan have been staging in the lower Cook Inlet around Homer going back into February. Most likely due to warmer water conditions than normal?? So with warmer water temps going into spring the hooligan may end up running a bit ahead of schedule. Here is the ANCHORAGE HOOLIGAN HOTLINE number (907) 267-2515. It may not be reporting anything yet.

Down here on the Kenai River right now is the lowest river level I have ever seen since living on the river since 1981. I could wade across the river in several locations in the Soldotna area right now. And am seeing rocks sticking out of the water that have never before seen fresh air out of water. The clarity at the moment is crystal too. Maybe if the visibility remains good I'll be able to get some UW video of the run when they start here.]

REPORT: I have a question: I know to legally use fish for bait it must be dead but can you legally use a trap to catch baitfish such as sticklebacks?

[AOJ: I'm shooting from the hip here but in 43 years in Alaska I've not seen any regulations that prohibit the use of a minnow trap to catch non-sport unregulated fish for use as dead bait. Sticklebacks, black fish, and sculpins are part of the food chain in Alaska in both lakes and streams and their use as dead bait is allowed where bait is allowed. One must "catch" these species and a trap would be the most efficient method. Of course by law you would need to release any sport fish such as salmon, trout, char, pike, burbot, grayling, etc. A call to your local Fish & Wildlife Protection office would be suggested just to make sure.]

REPORT: So I'm in Adak for work and had some downtime. Of course I packed my rods! The only problem with Adak is it's ALWAYS super windy which makes fishing especially from shore tough. But I pulled out my salmon rods and gave it a shot right off the rocks and managed probably the biggest black rockfish and biggest greenling I ever caught!

The locals tell me halibut are close by, Hmmm....maybe I should cart my Kayak out here!

Well not the most exciting report but something different!!! For you hunters, I must have seen at least 100 ptarmigan in various places in the middle of the city. I think I saw an emperor goose. I'll have to study the pics later.

A few pics of the catch. For reference the spoon is a 1 oz. Krockadile spoon!

REPORT: I have been hearing from some people that Steelhead are available in the Kasilof starting in April. Wanted to know your thoughts and any restrictions there may be. Thanks!

[AOJ: Well actually they enter the river during the Fall and overwinter in the tributaries and perhaps even the mainstem. Then in the spring they are available once the ice cover has washed out. The fish are naturally much thinner since they don't eat during the winter so gentle handling of these very stressed fish is in order. Here are the Online Regulations specific to the lower Peninsula streams south of the Kenai River. http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/regulations/fishregulations/PDFs/southcentral/2013sckenaipeninsularegulations.pdf. Single hook artificial only downstream of the highway with Catch and Release and no removal from the water. Many anglers that fish this spring fishery work the Crooked Creek area since it affords good parking and plenty of shoreline up and down stream. Also see report below this one.]

REPORT: I am heading down to The Kenai this Sunday to do some trout fishing, anyone have any luck lately? Have not seen any posts in the last week or so. Where is the best spot to hit up this time of the year?

[AOJ: Sorry this didn't get posted in time. (Sick sick sick) But to catch up, the outlet of Kenai Lake last week (4/5-6) was producing rainbows and lakers for a guy I know. And up on the ice out past the 1/4 mile mark where you can use bait some friends had very good luck on lakers two weeks back, with one going close to 4 pounds. The upper river is ice free but its still early for spring spawners to be moving out of the lake and into the river. And with these zero temps lately here the water temps are not encouraging the fish either. From Skilak down to Soldotna Creek Park the ice has gone out on the middle river. But from the Park all the way down to the edge of tide water the river is locked up solid. I had a little slot open a few days ago at HQ here but two days in a row of zero each night put enough slush on the river to jam that full and freeze it again.

Personally the Kasilof River outgoing steelhead may be the better bet. Access is at Crooked Creek and at the highway bridge and can give you some water to work. River has been ice free since March 23 or earlier. Remember fish are working downstream so some good water prospects that haven't produced can change as fish slide into that stretch. A friend uses Jerry Garcia's (yarn fly like his tie-dyed T shirt) very effectively down in the stretch around Crooked Creek.]

REPORT:
The drive down from Anchorage on Friday starts out ominously with a blizzard warning. We run into the forecasted weather at Girdwood. I've attached a pic of the kayak at a break in Cooper Landing.

But as we approach Homer, things are looking better. Red Sky at night, sailors' delight. Is that how it goes???

Morning comes and it looks pretty breezy. Load up onto six wheelers and four wheelers and headed up to Bluff Pt. It wasn't easy picking through the rock fields.

Morning starts out a bit sporty. I'd guess solid three footers with an occasionally larger swells that would roll through. But the wave period seemed long so it never felt unsafe.
But in the afternoon the sun comes out and the ocean calms a bit.

Oh yeah, the fishing report. Well that's about it. Not a single touch. My friends on the powerboat didn't get a strike either. I guess like KK says, there were 162 fish landed for 733 anglers. We then handicapped ourselves by fishing an area that intel said had fewer but larger fish. And oh yeah, we fished out of kayaks. lol.

I still had a great time! Spending all day battling it out with the power boats a few miles offshore was great! Good eats and free beer afterwards! I'll be back!

Still that's three trips totaling 15 hours without a strike. I am due!!! It will happen. It only gets better from here. In mid to late April they will be more accessible from our traditional launches further north.

As for events, our group will be out in force for the Anchor Point Calcutta King Tournament usually scheduled for mid-May!!!

[AOJ: Sorry Rudy for the delay in getting this posted. I had that form processing malfunction and didn't realize the photos you sent were part of a report or I might have tracked down the problem sooner. Well as you will read in Captain Shane's exploits since the tournament(above), new fish have moved in and fishing it starting to really heat up. He even got three white kings in one day.]

REPORT: Well me and a buddy tried our luck on a new lake not too bad of a hike in but weather wasn't the best. Had a lot of bait fish smolt and stickleback ravaging our bait and lures but only the one decent rainbow in about 4 hours of fishing. Not completely upset about the cold weather and snow the past few days just giving us more ice almost needed an extension Sunday and just getting more and more by the day. Good news for us diehards haha. If anyone knows a lil about location or some tips about fishing on Egumen it would be highly appreciated. Thanks and good luck to anyone still working the ice.

[AOJ: Egumen's typical winter pattern is its very good fishing and for some pretty nice rainbows in early winter after first ice and to New Years. After that for some reason the big fish either leave this lake or just go into "hiberation" and quit biting. It can't be an oxygen thing as the East Fork of the Moose River flows through this drainage and across the road into Watson Lake so there is plenty of O2. Fish have a lot of external parasites on them too.]

REPORT: I live down KGB and have easy access to the Big Lake area. My goal is to try to fish as many of the lakes in the valley as I can. I try a few lakes every year during the spring thru fall. I see that Homestead and Marion lakes are on the ADFG website. Anyone been out on these lakes? What about Echo and Jade lakes? Also any info about the lakes near Burma Rd would be helpful. I either fish out of a float tube or my small Jon boat. Thanks.

[AOJ: It sounds like perhaps you have already discovered the ADFG publication on the Matsu Valley Lakes information. But just in case and for other readers' benefit this PDF "brochure" provides a wealth of information about all the lakes in the Valley that have fishable stocks of fish, whether planted or wild populations. Well worth the read for those looking to expand their fishing opportunities. You may find a hot spot almost in your back yard you weren't aware of. Mat-Su Valley Lakes Fishing Forecast As for an further specific details on the lakes you mentioned, maybe some readers can provide further details from their own experience.]

REPORT: Well, I hear it was some tough weather back at Turnagain Arm. Hope that didn't deter those angling hopefuls planning on coming down. Here in Homer it has been above freezing all day long with spurts of snow flurries that melted before they hit the ground. Maybe an inch back at Anchor Point on the ground. Roads are wet, no snow on them down here. Friday weather was all over the map. Seemed to switch directions several times throughout the day. Capt. Shane fished Bear Cove in the morning in some unexpected rough weather for no fish so ran all the way past Bluff Point to finish the day in 4 footers. Very few boats found any fish today. A couple boats in the Bluff area caught one each. Shane got the skunk today. But now that its behind him hopefully tournament day will make up for it.

Suppose to be SW at 15knots with 4 foot seas which is not going to be good for Bluff fishing since its going to be blowing straight in. But changing to North winds at 10knots and dropping to 2 foot seas in afternoon. So there should be some weather windows of better water conditions during the day.

Lots of boats coming into Homer all afternoon and into the evening. Tournament HQ didn't know how many have signed up yet. But the BIG NEWS is there will be Ship's Bell Ringer Prize announcements EVERY FIVE MINUTES ALL DAY LONG due to the very large number of prize donations by local businesses. The first Bell Ringer prize will be announced immediately after the 9am LINES IN call over the radio and will be a pair of OAKLEY Sunglasses. So its going to be an exciting day Saturday. And I'm sure the day will have some genuine surprises. The $250 Cash for biggest White king entered is new this year. Also if a fish weighs in at exactly 20 pounds (representing the 20th Annual Tournament) it will be awarded a $220 Cash prize.

Will have some kind of preliminary report after the awards ceremony Saturday evening.

REPORT: Well I asked my group where they wanted to go and they wanted to load the boat with everything, any size --- so Seldovia we went. Landed eight kings, released one. Hit some P-cod and a few flatfish to keep the rods popping with good regularity during the day. These were a group of military guys - thank you for your service guys. Lee, Miguel, Brandon, and David.

BIG AURORAL DISPLAY Saturday night down in Homer. Wonder if all that solar wind and activity has any bearing on how well the fish were in the mood to bite today everywhere we dropped our lines. ??

   

REPORT: I have been reading about Shane's Adventures for about 3 years now. Wife and I went to Homer from Fairbanks on Spring Break and had a beautiful day with Ross, Todd and Shane. We stayed out until after 9. Caught some nice Cod and let a feeder go. Got 2 beautiful King salmon. Our first King in Alaska can't wait to eat it. Wife and I have caught several hundred Sockeyes thanks to the info in this journal (although we have had some Chinookie in Oregon).

Great information. Shane is a first rate guy and my wife and I were totally impressed with his Bust Butt work ethic. He had a hilarious story about my "being scared?" question.

We can't wait to "Come back Shane"! (I couldn't help the movie reference)

REPORT:
With about a month remaining of solid hard water fishing we decided to finally go for some Northern Pike action. Alcanron and Gutleap piloted their snow machines while I took a backseat for the 30 mile trek to Volkmar Lake from the trail head at Quartz Lake. We arrived at the lake and quickly set up off a point that was suggested during our research about fishing the lake and a previous scouting trip a month prior. Nice steep ledge was revealed by the camera. Putting in a few test holes and lowering the camera in for a peeky gave us a good lay of the bottom. Drilled several holes in depths between around 20 feet at the deepest and 5 feet on the shallow side. Setting up a nice spread for deploying tip-ups baited with large herring to ambush the toothies. The technique of choice for our early morning start proved to be right on target with me screaming "flag up" just after we just finished the final emplacement and started to sit down for the wait and watch. Sprinting like a mad man with his hair on fire, I ran towards the bright red flag still swaying back n forth from being tripped.

Cohorts following me, we probably looked like we were in a race? Arrived at the hole, and peered into the hole to observe the line spinning off the reel just under the surface of the water. Waited for it to slow down and pulled the device out. I began gathering line hand over hand until it was taunt, and with a short quick jerk set the hook. "Fish ON" Head shakes and resistance felt. I carefully grasp the braided line by using my finger tips only tight enough to as to act as a drag system and avoid line burn on the flesh. The fish made a couple long runs and eventually allowed me to gain and bring the 35 inch pike through the hole and to the surface. Photos and high-fives! Skunk avoided. We all took turns chasing flags for about 4 hours, a few false flags, and a couple fish getting loose, but everyone managed to bring one up. After we all got a good cardio workout chasing flags in the morning, we switched from a cardio to upper body during the afternoon by changing methods to rod/reel with jigging lures. Ended the day with about 15 pike to the surface (we lost count) Great weather, good fishing, and super friends...good times at Volkmar.

[AOJ: What a glorious day! Couldn't ask for better weather and as for the fishing, well some folks would say that't to die for! Looking forward to your Sheefish report and photos! Thanks Jedi!!]

REPORT: Planning a trip this summer to Kenai area. I understand Kenai River is closed to guides on Sundays. Are there any days that the Kasilof River is closed to guides? Thanks in advance for the info. Tom.

[AOJ: Actually Tom the Kenai River is closed to fishing from Guide Boats on Sundays and Mondays during May, June, and July (except Memorial Day). A guide boat may transport an angler during these periods and drop them off to fish from shore as some do for sockeye anglers on those days. From August 1st through November 30th there is no fishing from Guide Boats on Mondays from the Moose River confluence to the Kenai River mouth. (Silver season.)

Over on the Kasilof River downstream of the Sterling Highway bridge there is no fishing from Guide Boats on SUNDAY during JULY. Guide boat fishing on the Kasilof is allowed 7 days a week during May and June for the early king run. But there are restrictions on which days anglers may retain wild kings (with an adipose fin present). So review the regulations to choose a day when you can keep hatchery and wild kings to maximize your success.

There is the possibility of restrictions on the Kenai/Kasilof rivers king salmon runs this year so be vigilant for Emergency Orders that may occur to alter best laid plans. Speak to your guide IN ADVANCE about what they propose to do for you if the fisheries are severely restricted or closed completely. Its going to be a PLAN B year I believe.]

REPORT: Just a quickie note. Beautiful day out there today. Still a grind to root up some action but Steve Walli's boat marked a few fish and Capt. Shane came around the backside and hit a beaut. After a tough fight the fish charged the boat and broke off around a downrigger cable with a triple wrap and a half hitch. Strong fish to break 80# leader. Estimated to be in the 30+ pound range and depressing to lose such a nice fish right at the boat. A few more marks on the finders and both boats ended up with 3 in the box each. Shane's biggest of the day was just a hair short of 23# with the other two being nice fish too. Tally over the last 3 weeks: 11 trips, 44 kings in the box. Several others released. The fish are awaiting! Get those boats out of storage and tuned up!

REPORT: I was wondering If you knew anything about rainbow fishing on the Kenai? I'm heading there tomorrow morning to fish off the bank and I was wondering if you have heard anything about it.

[AOJ: There hasn't been a fishing report for the upper Kenai all winter. All I can say is with all the warm weather the river is ice free and shouldn't even be any shore ice. Access should be OK from any turnout.]

REPORT: Took a couple kids out on Sat., granddaughter and a nephew. We were looking for the cure for "cabin fever", got out late and started fishing around 12:30 PM. I really wasn't expecting anything but fresh air. So I put my best producing jigs on the kids rods while I jigged larger shiny spoons hoping to attract some bigger fish.

Since the fishing was slow the kids were intermittently fishing & playing. I missed a couple bites and thought that would be it for the day. While the kids where on the snow piles I reeled up the spoons & fished their rods with the tubejigs and connected with a third bite. After setting the hook the kids came running back so I passed the rod too my granddaughter. She fought it for a while & did well, but she was afraid of loosing it and she passed the rod too her cousin. After getting the fish in the hole I helped it onto the ice. So, the 1st one was a "group effort fish". The kids tended their lines closer for a bit then got bored and played some more. Again, I reeled  in & used their lines. This time the nephew came back & worked his own jig, and in about 5 minutes he says "got one". He set the hook & got it to the hole on his own. Did not measure either fish, just a quick pic or two along with good releases.

I also caught a stick. It was just under my legal length limit and was not unique enough to mount. It was Returned to the lake. Also hooked 8'-10' of Flo orange flagging ribbon, jigged it  and 15 minutes later the nephew caught the second one. Can't say it brought it in, but worth mentioning.

Keeping the jig moving is the key.

[AOJ: Indeed, flashy, bright objects often will get the attention of lethargic fish that need a bit of stimulus to get them interested. I have on a number of occasions dropped my pike spearing decoy down a hole and worked that for 5 minutes or so and on the AquaVu would see a whole school of landlocks or rainbows come into the area to see what the commotion was about. As you mention, keeping a jig moving is more or less the same thing. Congrats on a beautiful day of fishing. Literally shirt sleeve weather!! Great pics.]

REPORT: Method: Reliance on a Trusty Guide that I have used for a couple years. One Wedding Band made into a lure. A good friend and a new one who did not want his photo taken because he is hiding from all of you.

Why: Why would I want to spend money on owning a boat ? payment I will pass, Why? I can hook up with this guide who spends over 200 plus days on the water and knows where the fish are and how to get them. Dollars and Sense. Shane has been my "go to guy" for the last couple years, as a Alaskan that should mean a lot. I can buy a boat and go do it myself, or now I can spend some money and get all the fish I need and have the fun and enjoyment and save a lot of money in the long run and be more successful.

Weather: End of February first of March, 30 degrees, but felt like 70 degrees then and could have striped down to my tee-shirt. Water calm and all I can say is you guys and gals sitting at home need to get up and get out.

Comments: Winter king action is on and in a big way. Tourney time March 23 and the water has never been so perfect, new fish moving in with each day. Lots of bait fish showing up and Pacific Cod. Keep those Cod, I cooked some up today and as my buddy said yesterday "Fish and Chips" and all I can say is WOW he was right. The Cod was devoured at lunch, I got one piece . Save those cod, batter them up with Italian Bread Crumbs and "Ka-pow".

Nothing Like pulling up on a spot to put the rigs down, and we haven't even started trolling and rods are going off, Double - Triple. Ummmmm Enough secrets. I will say in closing, My cabin fever is cured.

Thank You - Shane "Driftwood Charters" and Thank you Mr. AOJ. I learned a lot today from you and really enjoyed the companionship and information sharing we had. It was a very good fishing trip.
Best Regards,
Shaun



[AOJ: Hey guys, it was my pleasure to meet you too. Enjoyed the company to pass the time between those many doubles and triple. Finally got my sea legs by noon and was surprised I wasn't sore the next day from all that "compensating" while filming. I'll eventually get that footage edited. Thanks for grabbing the camera while I was hooked up. heheh The hood worked out very well as a matter of fact!

REPORT:
Found some really nice water and good conditions and had enough success to put some smiles on these anglers faces. Came close to a king limit plus a few cod fillets to sweeten the pot.

REPORT: I'm behind the eightball on getting this one on the report list but its definitely worth the recognition. Roger Long and his buddy were out fishing with Capt. Shane and as it sometimes happens it was taking some work to get the hits. But overall they had seven hookups for the day. A couple felt to be bruisers with hard long runs that eventually threw the hook. Most likely they were fish pretty similar to what Roger ended up bagging. It was actually his birthday and what a nice gift. This king salmon pegged the scales at 33.7 pounds. Had this been caught during any of the past 19 years of Homer king derbies, it would have taken 1st Place in 7 years and taken 2nd Place in 8 other years. Only 4 derby years would this fish not have been in the money. And if you could have actually caught this exact size fish in each of those 15 winning years the total prize money awarded would have been $166,000. Dang, just a month too early! But there are some big ones out there moving around this month and it will be interesting to see just who lands the winner and how big it ends up. Congrats Roger on a fine winter king.

REPORT: Spring Fever setting in…

Had to take the Kayak out given the weather conditions.  With the Homer King derby just a few weeks away, drove down to Homer to put a few hours on the kayak.  I tried from the Ferry dock all the way out to the Green Can with very little results.  In fact I was very surprised to see my sonar didn’t light up with something under the birds.  The outfall was definitely kicking “seafood waste” out but nothing.  I even slowed down trolling right where the birds were and nothing.  There was even someone fishing from shore and I didn’t see him hook up to anything.

So the Spit out to the green can was a bust.  Nothing on the sonar which leads to zero confidence.  So I plan to review my strategy for the winter king derby.  I may just bite the bullet and waste several precious hours getting over and back from the China Poot/Sadie Cove area of the Bay.

Three weeks is a long time for things to change.  If I can hit the area one more time in a week or two, I will see about the bait in the area.  But I think now the strategy is to get up earlier & start the crossing as soon as I think it’s safe.  If I can start fishing at 9am, I am good with fishing till 3 pm and taking 3 hours to cover 3 to 4 miles plus the drive to the weigh in.  

I will say that March 2 is the EARLIEST I have ever fished from a vessel in Alaska.  I love these kayaks!!!! Alaska Kayak Fisher

[AOJ: Spring Fever indeed. As I recall March 11-15 are some daylight clam tides and the beaches should not have any frost in the sand this year. I'm thinking about making a trip. I've clammed the first tides in March before and always limited out. Very strange you didn't mark anything under the birds. Wonder if it was just some very small krill that doesn't show well. Seems I read everyone needs to get their Boat # beginning at 7am on derby day. If so be sure to be at the front of the line so you can get set and head out without losing any valuable crossing time. Take a flare gun!! ;-) Thanks for the pics.]

REPORT: Has anyone tried fishing the end of the Spit in winter? Thinking about taking the boy on a trip down to Homer for some flounder. Any suggestions?

[AOJ: Greenling are probably a long shot. They like rocky reefs and kelp beds. I would suspect flounder are available. And right now all the cod are getting ready to spawn this month so they may be moving into shallower waters within reach. They do broadcast spawning, dumping all their eggs and milt in the water at the same time. Kinda like coral reefs on a full moon. That sort of event can attract many other fish to the area too. Wintertime seems to have less parasites in the cod too and the ones we got the other day had excellent meat. You might look into a surf rod for some long distance casting from the beach. I bought a 15 footer, Okuma TU-150, on Amazon for $35 and free shipping last year. Its a monster. I have to climb up on my 6 wheeler platform to cast the dang thing. I might end up getting a 12 footer this year for a bit easier handling. A secret to casting these is put about 30 feet of 30-40 lb. test on the end of say 20# test main line. The heavy stuff holds up to the massive forces produced when heaving 12 ounces of lead and bait and then the lighter line allows a longer distance cast. There were plenty of birds working right there around the ship pilings at Lands End last weekend so something is going on. Good luck.]

REPORT: I have fished lower Fire Lake three times this winter without a single hit. Fished eggs and shrimp. Talked to three guys on my last trip that had been there for five hours and had not hit a single fish. I was in a tent and didn't see any pike or trout swim by.

[AOJ: For pike you might try setting out a couple of tip ups along the edge of a weed bed or patch of weeds before the sun comes up. Pike love that twilight period when they can see their prey but their camo and low light obscures them from being seen themselves. And realize too, March is the time when the big female pike begin feeding aggressively to fatten up and finish ripening their eggs for the spawn in April. They are most vulnerable at this time. You may not catch any males during this period because a 5 or 10 pound female will make quick work of a 2 - 4 pound male that ventures into her sights. Eventually hormones kick in and she "relaxes" her aggressive nature to allow the spawning event. Years ago I caught 4 pound pike that had shredded slashes raked down each side from a bigger pike hitting it from underneath. Pike have been documented to eat a fish that was 40% of their own weight. If you want some cheap, i.e. free bait for pike, go over to Cheney Lake with your shrimp and small hook and fish on the bottom for blackfish to use instead of $8 a pack herring. Good luck.]

REPORT: Went to test out Cheney first time this year. Nothing but blackfish... They must have survived the rotenone treatments in the lake because there were a lot of all sizes 3"-8" Kept a handful for bait. We were definitely surprised to see them there with no rainbows at all. At least there was no sign of pike... Maybe someone else had better success, we fished in about 10 feet of water, no weeds just bottom. 25 or so inches of ice.

[AOJ: Indeed that IS a surprise. I guess it is possible that a few may have hid out in a tiny patch of untreated lake water and started reproducing. But the various sizes indicates several years of age classes. That in itself doesn't indicate it was someone stocking them back in the lake. ADFG rotenoned Scout Lake here on the KP and last winter while I was fishing it with my AquaVu camera down the hole a big school of sticklebacks came swimming by. I checked and F&G didn't stock them after the treatment. So they are a hardy little bunch too and obviously from their tiny size it would not be difficult for a boy/girl pair to be in some little untreated part of the shallows. You did right keeping some for bait. They do make EXCELLENT PIKE BAIT on a tip up and 1000x cheaper (i.e. FREE) than buying herring at outrageous prices. Pike aren't picky and its a good way to help remove and reuse blackfish which are an unwanted, non-sport species that you can use for bait. But always DEAD of course.]

REPORT: I just have a question. Are 2 stroke motors illegal in the Matanuska Valley?

[AOJ: I'm not aware of any restrictions imposed by the state on navigable waters up that way. The Kenai River drainage is the only one I know of in Southcentral that has restrictions. From what I was told by a friend, THIS YEAR 2013 is the year when 2 strokes are completely BANNED on the Kenai River for the entire year now. I'll double check on that but its about the right time for that to kick in. Of course its probably not going to be much of an issue until August when the silvers arrive since it looks like there won't be any kings in either run to catch this season and most likely the fisheries will end up closed to all king fishing. This year's forecast is for a return that is worse than 27 out of the last 28 years. And I don't think we have seen the bottom of this spiral yet. So other than a few sockeye boats it should be pretty quiet on the Kenai this summer. Better start thinking Winter-Spring-Summer Feeder Kings in the saltwater if you want to punch a fish on your license. Valley fisheries won't do any better either. Don't need a crystal ball for that one.]

REPORT: Would like to start off by thanking everyone for their reports, and KK for slaving over a hot computer to get us the info in a timely manner!

Friends and I have been fishing Sand Lake in Anchorage since early November, have had great days and slow days. (pics to follow) There are A LOT of fish in there, and getting them to bite lately has been tricky but doable.

I will be taking a trip to Lake Susitna to hunt caribou the weekend of the 16th, will be bringing the equipment to fish. Mostly just wondering if I will need to invest in an extension or if someone has a tip on where to punch some holes, what depth to fish in. We will be giving it a shot regardless but would like a heads up on what to expect. anybody been up that way lately? Any help is greatly appreciated!!

Report of the trip will follow, as well as a trip to Figure 8 shortly thereafter.
Thanks,
Robert

[AOJ: Well the computer has a pretty good cooling system and I keep HQ thermostat set at 62°F all winter so its not too bad. I tried to locate a bathymetric map of Susitna Lake but doesn't appear to be one. Maybe some readers have been there and fished the waters in the past. As far as the need for an extension, yes I believe you shouldn't leave home without one. I saw a post on Ice Shanty just a day or so ago where a guy went out and measured Big Lake ice at 34 inches. There is little doubt that Lake Susitna will have as much or more since its colder up that way. Don't forget a pack shovel. Probably have to dig down to hard water. Good luck on the 'bou hunt. ADFG just opened the Mulchatna herd up to a registration hunt for across the Inlet too.]

REPORT: Went up to Trapper Creek to check out Amber Lake. 3ft of snow before hitting some overflow on the lake. Ice was thick once you got to it. We worked three separate points and a couple holes in the middle. We soaked bait with tip ups and threw everything shiny and obnoxious we had at them Northerns. Not sure if it was because we were later on the hard, but we fished constantly from 12-4 without one bite. It was my first time there so I guess it's not pay dirt everywhere. Looking at Google Earth and at the Gazetteer I would think pike would travel up Kroto and be up in that lake. Has anyone had success in that area? Thinking of heading south next weekend to Kenai or Crescent lakes. Any idea on ice conditions at those locations? Thanks KK for your ongoing help in providing us all with a place to share, grumble and rejoice in our passion of fishing!

[AOJ: You are correct about the invasion of northern pike up the Kroto Creek drainage and into all the lakes in that system all the way to the headwaters at Kroto Lake by Petersville. I think Amber Lake has seen a fair amount of pressure as its a nice lake for fly in fishermen as well as trail access. All those lakes in the drainage, Amber Lake, Kroto Lake, Neil Lake, No Name Lake all have pike in them too. Here's some reference to help. http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=invasivepike.areas

Much further downstream Parker Lake may be your best bet for finding some remaining lunker size fish. But land access may require some research. 14 miles west of the Parks across the Big Su as the raven flies. A few years back there was one guide doing fly-in pike spear fishing trips. You might have seen the video clip on KTUU weekly fishing trip piece. I don't believe the guy is in business doing that experience anymore. I think it was a financial logistics thing. I think he was hitting a number of the lakes along this system, perhaps even Amber. Parker Lake is still a target for some fly-in pike fishers. There are several lakes south of Parker with No Names listed, 1 and 2 miles SW, that are actually on a completely separate fork of this drainage that eventually ties up with the main channel many miles downstream. They look very "pikey" from Google Earth. Could be a few sleeper hot spots that few anglers have really tapped yet. BTW, your lack of success could well be a late start on the day. My best tip-up fishing has always been from morning twilight to about 10:30am. That is until March when the big females start their feeding frenzy fattening up for the spawn a few weeks later. Then it can be all day long action. Gettin' close to that time!

About Kenai Lake - a friend was there fishing late last week out on the ice from the bridge (past the 1/4 mile mark) and said they had easily 18 inches. Don't know about Crescent. Might be lots of snow at that elevation.

Thanks for the KUDOS. We try to keep it honest here! :-) While visiting Yosemite Park when I was about 7 my dad was in a gift shop and bought a piece of ponderosa pine tree bark which had a burned saying inscribed on it and a little cartoon guy stretching his arms out while another angler stood listening. The saying was "All fishermen are liars except you and me, but I'm really not so sure about you either." I think my dad eventually came across a T shirt many years later which had a similar cartoon and expression. But he opted for the T that said "I'm in Alaska for a Good Time, not a long time!" Good luck and good fishing! ~KK~]

REPORT: So instead of a report, I've got a question. Has anyone fished Lower Fire Lake recently?

REPORT: We hit DeLong Lake on Monday to get out in the sun. While Jewel Lake may be getting all the press, we had no luck whatsoever there and the bite was definitely off. So, we headed to the much quieter DeLong Lake, and results were instantaneous. We were fishing with shrimp and we were consistently getting hits just off the bottom. The action was medium paced. My recommendation is if you want to get out or get the kids on some fish, head out to DeLong Lake, and get out towards the middle. The ice was about 3' thick, and there are some, but not many, previous holes, so an auger will likely be essential.

REPORT: Saturday morning turned out to be bright and sunny on big lake with no wind. Punched a few holes in 15 feet of water surrounded by weed beds in hopes of catching a bruiser feeding on landlocks. Fishing was slow but it is still a little early in the spring, it will pick up in March. Attached is a picture of a nice char caught on a krockadile in the 25 inch range.

Fishdoc

[AOJ: Thanks for the photo, nice colorful fish. Good luck on your archery moose hunt. I got drawn for the Homer antlerless hunt so hope to capitalize on that good fortune for next winter's cache. I might have to try the services of a local Soldotna wild game processor that I hear makes excellent jerky sticks and sausage. Sorry to say no buffalo permit after 40 years of trying. Guess I need to just go up to Delta Junction and buy a buffalo hunt from Barney's kid's operation where I use to hunt geese. Got to fulfill that quest some day as I'm related to Buffalo Bill and its "in my blood" to kill a buff! Already researching sources for a working .50-70-425 Springfield trapdoor rifle with a 40 inch barrel just like Cody's Lucretia Borgia .50-70 he killed 4280 buffalo in 8 months with. Anyone out there got one? :-) ]

REPORT: Jammed over to Finger Lake and popped open a couple of holes.  Worked from 40 ft to the ice. Wife was hot on the scales landing 8-10inch trout without the bite turning off. Sun was out most of the day and temps were in the low 20's. We worked spoons,shads,rattles,pimples,and plugs. Everything got hits. A fun day on 20 inch plus thick ice. Anyone have some 411 on shelf ice conditions at Jim's Landing and the water between there and sportmans? Would like to recon the river with a little info before the drive. Keep um tight!

[AOJ: I don't have any upper Kenai info but maybe other readers might. There is a chance I'll be heading up to fish Kenai Lake and if I do I'll stop by all the ramps and take some photos to post here for a firsthand eyeball assessment.]

REPORT: The Division of Sport Fish Aquatic Education Program's annual ice fishing event occurred on Wednesday, February 13th. The event was for Kenai Peninsula Borough School District elementary school classes that are participating in Alaska Department of Fish and Game's "Salmon in the Classroom" program.

The event was held at the Sport Lake Public Access from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 13th. Up to 135 elementary students per hour were fishing. Approximately 520 students attended and fished at Sport Lake during the event.

During this hands-on event, students are taught ethical angling practices, such as proper harvest and catch-and-release techniques, bag limits, how to use ice fishing gear and learn a fun winter outdoor activity at the same time. Holes are predrilled and ice fishing rods and tackle are supplied as well as portable ice fishing shelters/houses and an underwater camera will be setup for use at the event. Sport Lake is stocked annually with landlocked Chinook salmon catchables and rainbow trout fingerling from the William Jack Hernandez Sport Fish Hatchery.

Volunteers from each classroom and ADF&G staff assisted during the event. Parents of participating students were encouraged to attend and share in the ice fishing experience.

Other hands-on components of the "Salmon in the Classroom" program include collecting salmon eggs in October, raising salmon eggs in classroom aquariums, releasing the salmon fry in May and classroom salmon dissections. To learn more about how much fun ice fishing can be, go to the Department website and search under ice fishing.

[AOJ: Glad to see the event was a big success. I guess the first group in the morning slayed them with many students leaving with more than one or two fish in a baggie to take home. The weather was perfect. 33° and no wind or snow. When I walked down the boat ramp it sounded like a football stadium in the background. Kids were chattering away with excitement and enjoying the outing. Many of the students reported that this was their first ever fish caught through the ice. Hopefully we have some young recruits that will continue to enjoy Alaska's winter activities and bounty. It was nice to see every kid focused on working those little ice jigs and shrimp, each with their own style and rhythm. And a few even curious enough to get down and peer down the hole to see what was going on down there.]

REPORT: Had a threesome of tough hombrés that wanted to fish on Sunday "no matter what." You just never know what this winter weather is going to be unless you are standing on the dock that morning. Saturday was forecast for Small Craft Advisory...6 footers and wind....and mellowed out to a very nice day contrary to the Marine Forecast. Sunday's forecast was for "rough n tough" conditions and it didn't let us down. We headed out of the harbor knowing this was going to be a challenging day with zero help from the rest of the fleet for scouting as we were the only boat to leave the harbor for the fishing grounds.

We headed for "just this side of rougher than hell" to at least get the lines down and working in the somewhat shelter of the mountains along Seldovia. And the fish gods started smiling on us. We bagged a double on kings on the first pass so the pressure was off. Eventually we picked up a third king and added some black rockfish and a kelp greenling to the fish box that couldn't resist a passing troll herring. All in all in spite of the rough seas we finished the day with a pretty decent showing. I must say its better than anyone did last summer on the Kenai Peninsula streams.

Even though the warm winter temperatures have been near record-breaking we just haven't had the smooth seas to capitalize on this temperature good fortune. Many days have been frustrating with a desire to get to the fishing grounds and not be able to venture out. From February through Spring the numbers of bigger feeders will continue to increase as more fish move into the area following the baitfish. Sandlance (needlefish), hooligan, and herring all will be heading into Kachemak Bay and Cook Inlet on their spawning runs which improve the fish bite going into summer.

Good fishin' to ya, (for) Captain Shane

REPORT: Taking an extended weekend with my buddy AlcanRon made for some more great fishing stories and memories. We decided to try our luck with both lake trout and burbot with the mild temperatures hitting the Interior this last week.

We left early on Friday morning for Harding (Hard Luck) Lake eager and ready to try some new areas and depths. Fishing has been rather slow, or should I say catching, through the entire month of January. With little hesitation we set out quickly after arriving and set up over 120 feet. Marked a few fish with no serious interest and decided after a couple hours to drill some additional holes towards what we thought would be shallower depths. Leaving the portable set up we ventured off about 200 yards in the direction of the shoreline and found ourselves jigging our junk at about 70 feet in 90 feet of water. Our holes sat side by side in close proximity and like dueling banjos we worked the water column. It did not take long to mark some aggressive action. We focused on the fish finder monitor while jigging, and chipping the ice out of our rod eyelets. The debate started on whether or not to pull anchor on the portable and move camp to the current location (thus keeping the rods from icing). That’s about the time we simultaneously saw a fast rising mark race off the bottom towards our lures. Locked on my offering like a smart bomb and hit like a freight train as I double clutched and set the hook. Back and forth head swags and drag ripping battle ended with fish on the surface, couple of pics, revived & a strong release.

We scrambled quickly reading each other’s minds to tear down and move to the hot spot. Pulling the performance off flawlessly like an Army 10-man tent drill, it only took us about 15 minutes to relocate and begin fishing again. However, our reels were not ready and frozen line had locked the reels up. AlcanRon hand lined his jig in first trying to stir up some action as I fought with trying to unthaw. Lightening strikes twice at times, evidenced by another smart bomb locking onto his lure this time and thumped it hard as he set the hook and tried to reel down, his line snapped. Gone it was and the agony of defeat was felt, hard luck. It did not take long for his look of shock turn into disappointment. We fished the rest of the day with only a couple more lookers and no takers. We ended the day in a tie, Anglers 1 Hard Luck 1. This lake is not for the weak, we will be back.

The next day we doubled up on AlcanRon's snow machine for a planned burbot adventure on the Tanana River. Towing a sled full of equipment for set line fishing for the fresh water cod fish know as the "poor man’s lobster." We ended up setting in two locations which both were situated in a back eddy along a steep bluff. The water depths we placed our sets ranged anywhere from 5 to 20 feet. We used cut herring for bait. Thanks to ADF&G posting recent video tutorials, we were able to construct our sets and plan the fishing with good confidence and reasonable expectations of success. A total of five two hook sets were put in for each of us. Insulated with snow and marked we left them in place overnight.

We were both excited to find out the next day if our sets worked. I was thinking about a monster being on one of the lines on the ride back out to the set locations. Digging out the set was fairly easy, the dry snow we piled up kept the hole from freezing over and recovering the line was easy. AlcanRon rolled up the first line slowly and felt the head shake as he brought it to the surface. The end of the line revealed a typical size burbot of about 2 lbs. Although it was not a huge fish, we were stoked that the placement of the set yielded something on the other end. The next line had a larger size fish, about 5lbs. This continued and we racked up 4 out of 5 for the first location. We repeated the recovery process at the second location with a little less fortune, with 2 out of 5 on the lines. For our first set line adventure for burbot we ended up 6 of 10, not too shabby.

[AOJ: You guys are always entertaining. And for putting up with all that 40 Below Zero much of the winter you Interior anglers deserve to hit some super bragging size fish for your efforts. Kudos to your catch n release efforts on those lakers for future enjoyment. Now where did I put that pan of melted butter for those burbot?]

REPORT: This past weekend was the annual Jewel Lake Jamboree in South Anchorage. Saturday was beautiful and sunny but Sunday was rainy and miserable! Still had fun though. Fish and Game was there as well as the Jamboree crew and had holes and poles for everyone. Fishing was great! My kiddos were out there. Daughter caught her first, on-her-own through the ice fish. My son's big deal was when I walked my younger daughter off to get a hot chocolate, I came back and my son says, "so dad, do you see anything different about the inside of the pail?" I had to laugh. He caught one by himself. Proud 8 year old.

Fish were really swarming. Everyone was catching them. Best part was seeing the "first timer" ice fishers coming down with their own poles, summer poles! Saw one kiddo fishing about 7 feet from his hole because he was holding his summer spin casting rod! Hey, he was down there with the rest of us and that was what it was all about. I have to give him credit. We live and learn. It was a great day and many fish were caught. Way to go Jewel Lake Jamboree organizers! Can't wait till next year..... so I think I'll go next weekend!

Good luck and tight lines to you all!

[AOJ: Ah yes, I saw the tv news cast this weekend showing the kids out there on the ice scattered all over. And every kid in the picture was working that rod like an old pro. Great to hear it was a big success again this year. ADFG here in Soldotna will be putting on an Ice Fishing event for the school kids on February 13th at Sport Lake.

The Division of Sport Fish Aquatic Education Program’s annual ice fishing event is scheduled for Wednesday, February 13th. The event is for Kenai Peninsula Borough School District elementary school classes that are participating in Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s "Salmon in the Classroom" program. All classes must preregister. The event is not open to the general public.

The event will be held at the Sport Lake Public Access from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 13th. Up to 135 elementary students per hour may be fishing. Approximately 520 students will be attending and fishing at Sport Lake during the event.

During this hands-on event, students are taught ethical angling practices, such as proper harvest and catch- and-release techniques, bag limits, how to use ice fishing gear and learn a fun winter outdoor activity at the same time. Holes are predrilled and ice fishing rods and tackle are supplied as well as portable ice fishing shelters/houses and an underwater camera will be setup for use at the event. Sport Lake is stocked annually with landlocked Chinook salmon catchables and rainbow trout fingerling from the William Jack Hernandez Sport Fish Hatchery.]

REPORT: Finally getting a chance to submit this report: Fished the hardwater at Upper Ohmer since some friends rented the cabin right on the lake. I have mainly fished the hardwater around the Anchorage bowl and have not ice fished anywhere on the Kenai Peninsula so I wasn't sure what we were in for. I figured we might catch some small rainbow, char or dollies. Took just a few mins. to get a bite which was encouraging. We starting catching rainbows in the 10-13" range. My wife who hasn't fished the hardwater much gets this nice 25" Dolly! After catching and releasing it the bite was off. Caught maybe 2 more rainbows in the next couple hours.
Thanks again for providing us with all the useful information on AOJ!
T-Rod

[AOJ: Good to hear you had some action on your visit. Depending on the winter those lakes can be tough to get to due to drifting snow blocking the access roads. I guess as long as you are willing to haul the tent on the lake and let her catch all the biggest ones you'll have a good fishing partner. Thanks for the photo to go along. Looks like another full week of barely freezing weather.]

REPORT: Ok guys here's the deal, I wanna catch big pike. Anyone ever done the Yukon without a guide? Is a 12' skiff with 15hp motor OK? How do u get to a good boat launch? And how far do u have to go to find a slough with pike? I've fished pike a lot but a trip up there sounds fun. I checked out the ADFG website and it wasn't to helpful. Anyone got anything? Thanks guys.

[AOJ: Well I can't personally steer you in the right direction of a hot spot. (So maybe a reader with experience up that way can chime in.) But if I were to plan such a trip I'd perform a few rudimentary fact finding tasks to get the ball rolling and then work on specific details afterwards. First I would review the Interior Sportfish Regulations booklet (online). Often you can glean some useful information about waters that have good pike fishing - perhaps so good that some protective measures or restrictions are necessary to keep that particular fishery in its prime. Next I'd hit up the most recent issue of the MilePost Magazine. You can usually find a copy to review for free at the local library. Look over those areas you may have an interest in. Check out road interception points along the Yukon where boat ramps are usually found. There is also some good reference information in the pages of the Milepost about what fish species are found in accessible waters although remote rivers and streams may not be represented. Utilize Google Earth for scouting the river up and down from the launch site for distances to tributaries and dead-end oxbows that may be likely destinations with pike habitat. You can get exact GPS coords of those locations to plug in your GPS too for when you are actually traveling. A 12' skiff might be a bit limiting and perhaps unsafe for such and undertaking. Often long distances may require additional fuel to make sure you get back OK which takes up space that survival gear would need. A boat that small wouldn't be big enough IMO to take anyone else which opens the door to personal risk if something were to happen to incapacitate you. Lastly I'd always pick a destination UPstream to provide a means of getting back down to your starting point even without a functional motor. Maybe some readers have some suggestions as to some specific fisheries. Good Luck.]

REPORT: I took the sled out to Figure 8 a couple weeks ago the trail is fine a little bumpy and I am sure with all of the new snow that they received that it is better. Fishing was fairly slow however, between the three of us that were out there we landed 16 in the range of 24-30 inch nothing huge but fun enough to waste a day on the hard water.

[AOJ: Kinda like a 30# halibut is perfect eating size in my mind, I'll take 24-30 inch pike any day of the week as the perfect eating size. Good to hear the trip out paid off.]

REPORT: Has anyone been out to Figure 8 Lake; via snowmobile or ATV lately? Is the trail open?

[AOJ: That's a good question. I think last winter I had only one report from Flathorn/Figure 8. A few years back a group of Russian speaking anglers spent a lot of time on Flathorn and decimated the population. The carcass pile they left would have filled half a dump truck and they were all running way over the 5 line per person limit on their tip ups. After that the fishing really took a nose dive and its been VERY quiet these past couple of years. Figure 8 got hit with some pretty intense fishing pressure too and got to be tough fishing. But.....its been a while and perhaps those hammerhandles have grown up enough to offer some eating size quarry again. So far no one has reported going out on the trail.]

REPORT: Does anyone have any knowledge about this lake? I heard it was stocked this year, are their any catchable trout? Any help would be appreciated.

[AOJ: I don't see that lake on the ADFG stocked lakes list for Matsu area. Maybe others know more about its fishing prospects.]

[AOJ UPDATE: The following information was just sent to me by one of the readers as an update to the situation at Reflection (Rambo) Lake.

Heads up on Reflections Lake (aka. Rambo Lake). This lake has undergone extensive cleanup and access development over the past few years. ADF&G stopped stocking it a while back due to possible health concerns regarding deposits of lead shot in the lake.
Since the cleanup, sampling has shown the system to be safe for human activity such as harvesting and consuming fish. Looks like it is in the draft stocking plan to get rainbows this coming spring.

Thanks for providing the additional information. Nice to see a lake back on the rehabilitated list that will again provide some sportfishing opportunities. One of the benefits of the small increase in our resident license fees from a few years ago that went into the new hatchery facilities that are beginning to hit full stride in their production.

MORE UPDATE: I just received some further information from ADFG. There was a News Release last July that I missed that mentions a Rainbow Trout stocking that occurred and some additional information on the history and evolution of this new recreational site. REFLECTIONS LAKE SCHEDULED TO BE STOCKED WITH RAINBOW TROUT. Thanks for the info Shane.]

REPORT:

Fished the last 2 Saturdays @ Big Lake. It was typical January fishing, not many bites but at least 1 good fish each day. Rained liked I've never seen in Jan. on 1/12 creating lots of overflow. 1/19 we broke through 4 inches of the overflow in a couple spots in the twilight hour, puckered us up it did. Got off the main road & had no trouble the rest of the day.

We tried light/ dark colors of all sizes and shapes, the 3/8 oz black/white/ pink Croc was the winner. It was crushed by a 23 1/2 inch Dolly Varden. Skinny fish w/ lots of color. 15'-20' is where we fish, and we move if nothing happens after 1 an hour.

[AOJ: Indeed that beauty looks like it spent a lot of energy this last fall spawning and needs to start fattening up on some of those tasty sockeye and coho fry rearing in the lake. A white skirt leadhead jig works pretty well on them too. Suppose to get a big chill for a couple of days which should help firm up that overflow a bit although that might just increase the pucker factor when your vehicle breaks through. :-) Let's hope everyone has the QuickTime plug-in installed on their WinPCs to be able to watch the video. The iPads, Macs, and iPhones will all be able to view it no problem. BTW, that was the first iPhone video clip I've received through email and it played fine inside the note. Don't know what's going on with the temperatures here at HQ tonight. Was 28°F at 10pm and now at 1:30am its up to 35°F and 10-15 knots. Looks like some doable clam tides during daylight near the end of February. Ha! I'll probably give the first minus set in March a shot at the Gulch. BRING ON SPRING!]

REPORT: Does anyone have any knowledge about this lake? I heard it was stocked this year, are their any catchable trout? Any help would be appreciated.

[AOJ: I don't see that lake on the ADFG stocked lakes list for Matsu area. Maybe others know more about its fishing prospects.]

REPORT: Two of us couldn't resist all the warm weather so we decided to try Elephant Lake for the first time this winter. Good thing we brought along the power auger "just in case" since we weren't expecting that much ice. We mostly used very small one inch curly tail jigs tipped with a bit of roe. Fishing was steady and we ended up with a nice mess for the dinner table.

REPORT: Headed to 17 Mile Lake Saturday by default since I thought it was the best lake to hide from the wind. Drove out to the point straight out from the launch and set up. Fished with a little doc spoon in 20 feet of water. After fifteen minuets I hooked a 14 inch bow. Let it go and dropped down the doc and within a few jigs had a 24 inch brood stock char. It put up a good fight but man was it ugly, there was a scar on its side and a chunk missing from its gill plate. Let it go and caught a few small fish around 10 inches then another good size char around 18 or 20. Not great fishing but nice to have a few larger ones in the mix. The wind was about 15 with 30 mph gusts and it was overcast and in the teens. Could not believe how thick the ice is. Took all the drill bit to go through, another inch and you will need the extension.

REPORT: First note is the State Park Ranger for the Nancy Lakes Rec Area has distributed the newest Winter Trails Report. Most of the snowmachine trails remain closed due to insufficient snowfall needed to protect the environment. Butterfly/Lynx Lakes road trail and East Red Shirt Lake Trail are the only two that are currently open. In addition to those two lakes, Nancy Lake itself is open to snowmachines on the lake ice. See the hot link in the notice above for the full report.

Down here on the Peninsula the warm weather and rain has turned the surface of all the lakes into a slushy mess that is going into a heavy freeze back tonight (5am Friday) as the thermometer is now at 6 Below Zero. On the good side of the equation that means almost an instant 6 NEW inches of ice on top of the two feet of clear ice already on the lakes. But that puts us closer to needing to add the 12 inch extension on the old auger. I'm sure the Valley lakes are experiencing the same sequence of events as tonight's temps are in the single digits at the time of this writing and still dropping.

Looks like we are in for some decent snowfall beginning this weekend for Anchorage, the Peninsula and the Valley but RAIN is in the forecast from Monday thru Wed/Thurs for Homer and Cooper Landing. I think I'm gonna hit the salt chuck down Homer way with Captain Shane and see about getting some long awaited footage of the action for all of you to enjoy watching. The weather has been uncooperative at times this winter down there but with the harbor back to being ice-free and warm days ahead with more daylight its all falling in to place for some great action.

February 1st is Trustworthy Hardware's Annual Ice Fishing Derby which many Peninsula residents look forward to since it has many categories for the kids and lots of prizes for them too.

Hope to see some new reports during this next warm spell. Take your kids fishing. Valley and Anchorage area lakes have plenty of stocked fish on the bite as well as those stocker lakes on the Peninsula. Send in a pic too. Good Luck and Good fishing.

REPORT: Did some ice fishing with a buddy today. Went to my favorite local lake and NAILED some nice rainbows! Caught about 7 fish over 16 inches...the biggest measuring in at 20inches!!!. Ice was about 20inches thick and really dense. We were the first ones to fish this lake since freeze up apparently. Caught most of them with eggs. Nothing like catching a bunch of BIG, healthy beautiful leopard bows 15 minutes from my house...in January...in Alaska!! Love it!

[AOJ: Thanks for the report and pic. It sure is nice to have that sort of a "sleeper" honey hole just minutes from your home. Might give it a shot on the fly this summer from a float tube too. Those would be great on a light tippet.

MONSOON HAS ARRIVED ON THE PENINSULA. Pouring Rain and 40 above in Homer, hail and 32 in Kenai, steady rain here at AOJ HQ in Soldotna. This heat wave just might sag the river ice enough to slot out down the middle. Always a good thing because the boat ramps usually melt out a little sooner if there is open water down the middle which warms up faster in the spring and melts the shore ice faster.

Well, 20 minutes to Game Time. Then my 9'ers later in the afternoon. Good day to STAY OFF THE ROADS. Just had a visitor stop by for a moment and said a number of vehicles off in the bar ditch with the frozen rain on the roads. Probably going to mean lots of sloppy snow melt and overflow on the lakes. Wear RUBBER boots.]

REPORT: Spent the afternoon fishing under Reeves Blvd. Fished beads, leaches, sculpins, scrambled eggs, and flesh not even a bite seen lots of other peoples tracks in the snow and was wondering if anyone else has had any success fishing the area. Lots of open water to fish. The creek was flowing low and clear. I will be down and try it again here soon.

[AOJ: I saw one of the Anchorage creeks on the news the other day and it was wide open and very fishable. Looked very inviting. Unfortunately I think the fishability of all the local streams is going to take a big hit soon. The Flood Watch Southcentral is entering now with this huge monsoon headed into our area will probably put a lot of muddy, salty run off from the streets into all the creeks for a while. As they say, get it while you can.]

REPORT:
Got a call and email from Capt. Shane today. The current heat wave is also producing some comfortable conditions for getting out of the Homer harbor and tracking down some winter kings. He's been out two days in a row scouting out the typical spots where fish usually hang out and has hit fish on both days. Today they ended up with three kings, 20/12/6, and a few black rockfish to make some good fish n chips eating too. Shane's itching to get out and spend more time on the water while these weather conditions are spring-like. He is running his Weekday Feeder King Special pricing all winter long if you can put together a small group to take advantage of those savings. That will easily cover the expenses for driving down from the Valley or Anchorage if you don't live on the Peninsula. Spend the time on the couch during the NFL Playoffs then get out during the weekday for some fresh salt air and great scenery as well as some enjoyable fishing. Treat yourself to a delicious winter king dining delight for your friends at your Super Bowl Party in February. Road conditions are great. Its 40 degrees ABOVE at this moment in Homer at 2:30am on Friday. Can it get any better than that? Just don't forget to get your 2013 Fishing License and KING Stamp before heading down.

REPORT: Where are all our King Salmon?

I found only one left and without a mate.

REPORT: Hello KK

It's a fishing report, but an old one. Just want to tell you, there is an English version and some pictures.

Thank you once again for helping me with your rainfall/stream condition updates. Next year, there will be a break; have to dry my gear first...haha....
2014 I will be back, another Brooks Range trip or for the first time a trip to Bristol Bay.

Stay dry & warm, enjoy Icefishing.
Hans

http://hansmetzler.me/2013/01/fishing-is-not-enough-english-version/

[AOJ: Ah, so that is what you were up to. I was doing some "housekeeping" on the website the other day and encountered some "File Not Found" errors for the links you had originally posted in your fishing report for your story and photos and video. You must have been converting the story and photos over to this new English web page. (Hans is from Switzerland) Excellent job!

If you are thinking about Bristol Bay, do some research on the Wood/Tikchik rivers system (State park). There are great rafting/kayaking float trips offered on that system and many varieties of fish depending on the time of the season. Beware, BOIL or TREAT all your drinking water. A friend came back with giardia and it took him many months to finally get rid of it.

Have a great 2013 while you rest up for your next AK adventure.]

REPORT: Went out Sat and Sun to get some more practice in setting up my gear and to spend some time hanging out with my daughter.  I am new to the sport.  I got out once in Dec.  Anyway they say 3 strikes yer out or 3rd times a charm. Well third time out and I finally caught one. I got about a 12 inch bow using a spoon with a piece of shrimp on the hook. Had it sitting in a rod holder in about 10 to 15 ft of water maybe. Ice is thick, had to use most of a standard auger blade to break through.  There were 3 other groups out there on Sunday. Love the website, keep the posts coming.

[AOJ: Good to see you are enjoying the warm weather. Looks like MORE to come. Take advantage of these heat waves as you know what kind of weather is in between those Pineapple Expresses. And usually that is not very pleasant ice fishing weather. The overflow stinks if you get on a soupy lake since you have to keep everything up off the ground. A good large capacity sled to haul all your gear in and keep it dry while you fish is a very worthy investment. The Jet Sleds make a good product in many sizes. Get the normal size (not JR) and it will hold a ton of gear and still easy to drag. I never go out without my sled and always much more gear than I could possibly use. HA! But you need to be prepared. Good luck and don't forget to send a pic with your next report. Kids always love their photo on the Internet of their catch.]

REPORT: Haven't been fishing in a while so I had to give it a go at Big Lake.  Took the Qwikfish shelter but it was warm enough that I didn't need it.  Besides you can see a lot more if you have your face right up against the water.  

Get there about noon.  Set up in about 15 feet of water.  Water was pretty murky and it was hard to see the bottom.  Started off with a large doctor spoon.  I catch my first fish, about a 20 incher, while checking the depths.  

I manage a nice fat rainbow that might go 18 inches.  I may have underwater footage of this fish but I didn’t get it on this sequence.   

But the final fish of the day pays off.  I had felt bumps on my spoon and when I peered down the hole I could see smaller fish cruising by.  So I switched to a home tied jig and sent it down. I usually fish under a small dodger but I forgot mine this trip.  You can see the small sticklebacks (now that I look it might be small salmon) attacking my swivel and jig.  I had a hard time seeing from directly above.  Pretty impressed with the GoPro 2.  Haven’t picked up the third generation yet.

Well you can see for yourself the final fish! Oh I got the final strike on video underwater! A pretty nice fish.  I will send in footage of the other fish once I pour through the video.

Here’s the video of the largest of the day: http://youtu.be/pWaMbyAtnU8

[AOJ: Most likely the deteriorating visibility is from the warm weather runoff into the lake. That also puts warmer, organically rich water into the lake causing an increase in algae too. I've got a couple Gen2 cams and even bought GP's new release of their flat lens underwater housing. A VERY GOOD investment because you can shoot in ALL resolutions now with zero vignetting in the corners. And its a better housing and flat port than buying the $40 flat plastic lens replacement I had to get before this official gopro housing arrived. The GP3 is tempting with the wifi remote control. It would make using it under the ice a bit more efficient if you could turn it on and off to save battery and memory space once the fish is out of the view or you are changing tackle or taking surface pics. I guess it would be best to search the forums to see if anyone is using the wifi control through the water from the surface and having it work. Don't know anything about radio signals penetrating water let alone at deep locations. The broadcasting the signal to another monitor is pretty cool too. I imagine it could be sent to an iPhone?? BUT I need to start using the two I have FIRST before getting another "latest gadget" for the backpack.

Glad to see you finally got some fresh air! Hey, if the overflow gets too bad you can always launch your 'yak and get some video ice fishing that way. HA!]

REPORT: Went out Swanson the first day only one caught at 12incher, went to Scout today and was slow again. I'm not getting out early in the morning but it seems like its been a little slow from a few friends that go too. I've went from jigs to ice ants plain hook with some shrimp, salmon eggs and not having much luck. Any one got some productive hooks or bait they've been using.

[AOJ: I think its the New Year's doldrums. Some friends that fished Johnson and Scout two weeks ago couldn't keep the fish off their lines. They fished Johnson Saturday and all they caught was little first year stockers and even those were not biting well. Might be the barometer and pressure changes too I guess.]

REPORT: Thanks for the info. That's why I read anglers reports and ask questions. So the river is open where Skilak Lake dumps in? If the upper Kenai is open and most of the fish are in Skilak Lake, what about hiking from Hidden Lake road down to where the Kenai dumps into Skilak Lake? Would that be worth a look? Looking for something constructive to do while the warm weather is here. I might have to go poke holes into the ice on a lake.

[AOJ: Well with the warm rainy weather (34°F here in Soldotna at 3am) the upper Kenai in Cooper Landing should have good shoreline access for walking since most of the snow should be gone as well as any shore ice. As far as where the Kenai dumps into Skilak Lake, there have been a couple of folks who have taken the trail down to that spot in years when there has been very little snow but its hard to say how close the lake ice is to the river inlet for allowing fishing. And the hike with this short daylight hours might be of concern too. Of major concern is the Skilak Loop Road with this warm weather. I'm sure its probably glare ice and on warm days its wet and dangerously slick. If you drive that road you might consider bringing along tire chains in case they are needed. I've had to chain up front and rear to get into Hidden Lake in some years when it started raining on the road in February. For the outlet of Skilak to open water its only one mile hike from the lower Skilak boat ramp parking lot to the outlet of the lake AND its all flat ice and snow to walk on compared to the trail at the upper end of the lake. A number of anglers walk out there near the edge of the ice and fish through the ice for lakers, rainbows, whitefish, and dollies. The open water is nearby so that offers some open water with more or less the same walking effort.]

REPORT: Contemplating a fishing trip. AOJ, I read your synopsis regarding fishing/transporting boats from Skilak Lake to the Kenai River. Any thoughts about the Kenai downstream from there, say Kenai Keys to Sterling? It appears (Google Earth) the river is open and very low. I was thinking about just fishing from shore with beads/flesh flies in various places along the river there. It looks the water is so low that most of the trees that were in the river during the summer are now high and dry.

[AOJ: Whoops! The images you see in Google Earth satellite views are still photos taken in a moment of time. They are not REAL TIME imagery of the Earth. That photo was taken April 17th, 2011 and is the most recent "view" of this area in Google Earth's database of photos. I can't venture to guess what the river and ice conditions would be in the Kenai Keys area. There may be some open water you could walk to if you have some kind of access. But as an example, here in Soldotna I have a froze over river in the backyard with ice that is SIX Feet thick in places. The fishing options described at the outlet of Skilak Lake whether with a raft or walking along the shoreline is really the only sensible option except for the upper Kenai at Cooper Landing where the river stays ice-free and has the road right next to it for easy access. Oh I might add that 99% of the entire trout/char/salmon fry biomass in the Kenai River migrates each fall back to Skilak Lake to overwinter with the exception being that some big rainbows and char remain in the ice-free spawning zone at the lake outlet to feed on late season eggs and flesh. The Kenai Keys area may not have anything to catch in that area at this time of year except maybe in the very deep holes protected from ice scour. Most of the winter food is at the lake.]

REPORT: It may be a funny time of year to ask about techniques for Reds, but I don't have anything better to do right now.

So, I like using yarn when I drift for Reds and use pretty heavy line like 20Lb main and 30Lb leader. The problem I have is trying to keep the yarn in the egg-loop because the heavy line prevents a tight rig. Other than not using yarn, any suggestions?

[AOJ: Just loop the yarn around the shank of the hook and through the egg loop and tie an overhand knot then cinch down the loop.]