COOK INLET KINGS ON THE MOVE~! The Cook Inlet king run has appeared to be a bit lethargic this year and fish up to now have been hard to come by. All that changed over the weekend when the herring finally showed up and started running the beaches. Right behind them was the beginning of our season's first king salmon. Captain Shane of Driftwood Charters, our saltwater sponsor down in Homer, has been keeping an eye out for when these fish were scheduled to arrive and has been sampling the Bluff Point to Anchor Point zone whenever he had salmon charters to run. With herring in the Inlet he's been busy processing his summer season's halibut bait but couldn't pass up an invitation to jump onboard a friend's boat for more scouting on Monday. They launched from Anchor Point and it didn't take long before they were in the fish. They had plenty of hookups, released a number of fish and ended up with this fine rack of fish as a confirmation that the King run is on! Captain Shane expects the next two weeks to bust wide open on saltwater king fishing and will be the best time for those with a boat to get out and intercept them. If you don't have a boat and want to join in Shane is still running his WEEKDAY SPECIAL for SALMON trips where you can save $50 per person if you can round up four anglers. Check out his website for details. This is also GOOD NEWS for Kasilof & Kenai rivers since it won't be long before these fish start hitting those streams. Beginning MAY 16th BAIT IS ALLOWED ON THE KASILOF RIVER. FISH ON~! <*){{{{{{>{

PARKS STREAMS DO HAVE FISH A lot of springtime anglers have tested the waters of streams crossing the Parks Highway over the years. Many have come away with memories of perhaps a fine day on the stream but few memories of actually catching much of anything. But the fish are out there waiting to test an angler's resolve if you can discover what selection to use, what size the fish prefer and how they want it presented to them. Morgan Miller is one of those new to fly fishing who is lucky enough to have an expert mentor to teach her the ropes and get her up to speed enjoying the catching part of the sport. She landed this beautiful rainbow on the FIRST CAST with a homemade fly she tied herself. Shane Hertzog (who most readers have seen photos of his own incredible rainbow catches on the Kenai) and Morgan spent the weekend of May 5-6 combing the waters of the Parks Highway system for some action and were not disappointed. Although nearly everyone they encountered reported getting skunked they had very successful results including Shane landing four species in one day - Rainbow, Dolly Varden, Grayling & Whitefish. Most areas open to fishing right now have Catch n Release only for Rainbows while they are on the spawn. Photo courtesy of Shane Hertzog.

ADF&G Alaska Conservation Camp (ACC) Seeks Intern Recruits For Fairbanks Camp THE MISSION OF THE ALASKA CONSERVATION CAMP IS TO PROMOTE AN UNDERSTANDING OF ALASKA'S NATURAL RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION, AND TO GIVE YOUTH "HANDS-ON" EXPERIENCE IN HUNTING, FISHING, AND RELATED OUTDOOR SKILLS. Help youth learn outdoor skills at the ADF&G ALASKA CONSERVATION CAMP this summer! This season they are seeking motivated and energetic individuals for intern staff positions for this summer's Alaska Conservation Camp program! Assistant Camp Director $2,775 stipend Camp Counselor $2,275 stipend Here is their STAFF RECRUITMENT POSTER you can read. The ACC is made possible by a cooperative effort between the Alaska Department of Fish & Game (ADF&G), the Outdoor Heritage Foundation of Alaska (OHFA), the National Rifle Association of America (NRA), the Friends of the NRA, the Alaska Interior Marksmanship Committee (AIM-COMM), and many community sponsors and volunteers. You can click on the LOGO below to visit their website and read about signing up your own kids for the camp or applying for one of their positions.

While browsing through the National Park Service website I came across this video they had put together. Its a VERY dynamic and moving piece. All my life I've been proud to live in America and the forward thinking of those people like John Muir and President Teddy Roosevelt has resulted in the preservation of significant portions of America which by our own hands would have been modified, altered, or destroyed if left to our own greedy devices. I've watched this dozens of times and see something new in it each time. Enjoy!

While On The Subject Of Fishing Videos The year 2010 was a good year on the Kenai River for sockeye salmon fishing. And as usually the run started its normal trend of tapering off near the end of July. Then on the horizon appeared a new slug of sockeye salmon heading up Cook Inlet and destined to enter the Kenai River. With escapement goals already met, ADFG issued an immediate Emergency Order raising the daily sport fish sockeye limit to SIX reds per day. The BIG numbers hit the river on August 3rd, 2010 and the river came alive with fish AND ANGLERS. Everyone slayed the salmon with most everyone that day getting their six reds before calling it quits. Then it was over and back to "normal." But what a day!

GREAT CLAM TIDES AND GOOD EATING! Every other week of each month there are a set of minus tides that provide outdoors lovers an opportunity for some good fun and exercise. And oh, some excellent eating too. So if you had your fill of fishing and want to pursue some other Alaskan game, there are plenty of razor clams waiting for the summer diggers. And to make the process of cleaning your clams an enjoyable activity I've whipped together a quickie clam cleaning video that will warm the hearts of every digger that has been doing it THE HARD WAY all these years. The video will open in a new window. CLICK HERE or on the photo above to activate the clip. PLEASE DRIVE SAFE~! -KK-

IPHC Rules regarding Filleting Of Halibut at Sea ANCHORAGE -- Under federal rules that are in effect now, a halibut may not be cut into more than two ventral (bottom side) pieces, two dorsal (top side) pieces and two cheeks, all with the skin on. Anglers are allowed to consume halibut while at sea after filleting. This new rule applies statewide. Questions regarding this new rule can be directed to the International Pacific Halibut Commission at: (206) 634-1838.