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Alaska's Kasilof River is born as the waters of massive
Tustumena Lake located in the heart of the Kenai Peninsula spill westward towards the deep
waters of Cook Inlet just 15 miles away.
Many anglers knowledgeable with Alaska's
Kenai Peninsula are now choosing to spend their Alaska fishing vacation on
the glacial waters of the Kasilof rather than it's big sister, the Kenai
River, located just to the north.
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Late June Kasilof River King Salmon |
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Why? The Kasilof offers some fantastic tidewater fishing
coupled with a driftboat-only setting, splendid scenery, abundant wildlife,
and through most of the summer, much lighter fishing pressure than the
nearby Kenai. In addition, unlike the Kenai, Kasilof king salmon anglers are
allowed to continue to catch-and-release after retaining a king (unlike Kenai
regulations that state that anglers must cease fishing upon retaining a king
salmon). |
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We consider our Kasilof
trips to be our Alaska specialty as this is where Bob himself guides the
entire summer. He is one of only a few guides to specialize and license
exclusively for its waters. Join Bob or several other experienced guides fishing on Alaska's Kasilof
River from a four passenger (five upon request only), driftboat that was custom
built for this exciting Alaska tidewater salmon fishery.
We believe that over the last decade, Bob has guided
more anglers on this river than any other guide working on the Kenai Peninsula.
In addition, Bob also runs the largest driftboat currently in use in the
area (for those that don't like their fishing styles "cramped"),
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Late May Kasilof River King Salmon |
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King (Chinook) salmon fishing begins in mid-May with the
arrival of the
first-run kings. These
salmon are primarily of hatchery origin and return to the Crooked Creek area
just a few miles from the saltwater.
First-run Kasilof River king salmon generally average
about 15-20 pounds and sometimes push thirty-five pounds. They are probably
some of the most ferocious fighting salmon that you'll ever encounter! This
is top-notch king action: it's not uncommon to see a boat hook 25 or more
kings per day! The state of Alaska, as of 2/11/08, has also increased the
bag limit on hatchery-origin fish to two fish daily.
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Second-run king salmon
begin to enter the Kasilof River in late June and slowly build to a peak around the third
week of July. These fish are a native strain and run larger than their June cousins.
Generally, these salmon average around thirty pounds and can please anglers with regular
catches in the 50-60 pound size range.
The Kasilof's July king fishery is
perhaps the Kenai Peninsula's best-kept angling secret, normally less than
10-15 boats float the entire open fishing section of the river on any given
day.
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July Kasilof River King Salmon |
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In most years, the river rises abruptly in late June
(due to warm summer nights melting the Tustumena Glacier upstream), creating
extremely heavy current that gives anglers hooking into these large July
fish a battle that you won't soon forget!! |
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Silver salmon fishing
begins in early August and runs through the end of the month. These feisty cousins of the king salmon usually average about nine
pounds and will sometimes reach twenty pounds or more!
We offer our guests an exclusive method of fishing for these acrobatic
salmon. Please visit our Kasilof Silver Salmon
Fishing Page for more details! |
August Silver Salmon Fishing |
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An exciting fishery for anglers of all ages and
abilities, the silver fishery is the most popular
choice for families with younger children as the silvers provide adults with
plenty of excitement yet aren't quite big enough to overpower younger
anglers playing fish by themselves. We offer
king trips as full day trips in our packages (silver salmon packages are half-day
trips). In some instances, half-day trips for kings can sometimes be
arranged on a single-trip basis, please contact us for availability.
On full day trips, you may choose to
spend to spend the full day fishing
or when the tides are right, spend a portion of the day salmon fishing on the river and the
remainder of the day on the nearby razor clam beds digging one of the finest delicacies of
the sea on one of the most unique combo trips you'll find in
Alaska! |
