May 2004 Fish Alaska

A Day on the Water

This issue heralds the return of the Chinook, Alaska’s state fish, and with it come all the arm-busting runs and gear-shredding power the king of the Pacific salmon is known for. The adrenaline rush one receives when fighting a feisty king—especially the oversized version that’s found in some regions of Alaska—is not to be outdone, in my opinion, by any other sport fish. The trade-off is that sometimes it can be a game of hurry up and wait while you look for a pod of fish in the river or a roving saltwater school.

Last year while fishing the Kenai River with Daniel Myers of Alaska Clearwater Sportfishing, we got to spend some time with Chris Luiten and his 8-year-old son Christian. Christian was responsible for the most subscriptions sold during a Fish Alaska fundraising drive with various Alaska hockey clubs. He plays for the Alaska All-Stars. Chris works for Alaska Pipe and Supply in outside sales, and among other hobbies, he thoroughly enjoys fishing. He and his family have a drift boat and like to drift the Kasilof River.

Well, in the end our outing could be characterized in one of two ways. For those whose fishing days can only be quantified by size and number of fish hooked and landed, it might have been viewed as only an average day. But for those of us who cherish every moment on the water, it was a fine day, a day spent with good people, looking for big fish on an extraordinary river.

It was also an opportunity to trade stories with Dan Myers. After moving to the Kenai Peninsula in 1980, he took up guiding on the Kenai River in 1985. In 19 years on the river, he has tailed more than his share of fish and has the fish tales to prove it. In 1985, Dan was fishing a client in a drift boat and together they landed a 92-pound king salmon. The fish took them for a mile downriver to Swiftwater Campground—that’s quite a distance to play a fish, but big kings call the shots. It measured 57 inches long and 36 inches around. With fish this size in the water, although not as abundant as they used to be, it is no wonder that people flock to the Kenai.

Dan tells another story of fishing in a hole called the “Pasture” in 1993. The tide came up and everybody left. Looking to change tactics to entice a fish, Dan switched to back-bouncing and his client promptly hooked a huge Chinook. After a 20-minute battle, they tried to net the fish, but it was too big to fit in the net. He went to shore and tried to land it by hand, but the big fish refused to be subdued. Trying to pull it to shore, the angler broke the line and the fish slipped helplessly from Dan’s hands. It is the biggest king he has ever seen. Like no other river in Alaska, the Kenai provides fodder for many an angler’s memories.

Dan fishes kings in May on the Kasilof, both the Kenai and Kasilof in June, and the Kenai in July. He moves to the upper Kenai to target trout in August and September. One good tip from Dan is to use bright plugs on bright days and the reverse on dark days. He also has seen a generally better bite in the morning and told me that radio transmitter studies have shown that the kings tend to move more in the morning. He switches his techniques until he finds what works, with an emphasis on back-bouncing and back-trolling. His plug of choice for king salmon is the Luhr Jensen K-16 (silver and chartreuse) with a sardine wrap, or he uses a Spin-n-Glo with eggs and a Magnum Jet Diver to get the attractor to the right depth. He uses G•Loomis GL2, 9-foot, moderate action 10-30# rods and Penn 320 level wind reels spooled with 30-pound-test Maxima.

By day’s end we had landed two fish. Neither were trophies, but that didn’t bother anyone. We watched an 8-year old boy learn the lessons that will make him a good fisherman as an adult. We told and listened to stories, and it made the anticipation of the next bite all the more sweet. Plus, we learned a few tips and techniques from a seasoned captain and enjoyed a sunny day on an epic river. It was a great day on the water.

—Marcus Weiner & Melissa Norris
Publishers