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Picture Of The Month



SD2OR with a trophy fall walleye

Topic: Homer - Cook Inlet Status Report + This & That  (Read 2240 times)

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Klondike Kid

  • Lingcod
  • *****
  • The Eagle Whisperer
  • Alaska Outdoor Journal
  • Location: Kenai Peninsula, AK
  • Date Registered: Sep 2016
  • Posts: 488
Just spent some time on the phone with my go to guy to see what's happening and how things are looking for kings.

• Water is still below normal temps for this time of the year. Need hot days and a hard wind to stir up the water put some BTUs in the water.
• Kings this past week mostly had empty bellies with the occasional 16" cod being digested. That is a serious indicator of no baitfish in the area right now. He knew of one single fish caught this week with one hooligan in it.
• There are kings in the area. Off the Spit but all the kayakers he witnessed were fishing the wrong spots. They need to do some "exploring" to get on the fish that are available.
• There are kings out in front of town too. Not easy access for a kayaker from the tip of the Spit because its a 5 mile trip to the zone. On a good weather day launching from the beach and going out from there would be a short trip. But beach break with short wave periods can be nasty if there is a west wind. Main St. hole is out there too for a chance at some halibut.
• No sign of any hooligan or herring migration starting up yet. No sealife concentrating on feeding in the Inlet yet down Homer and AP way. He has friends who commercial fish the beach between AP and Kasilof for herring and they haven't scored yet.

Back at the "homestead" and closer to town one guy off the south beach at Kasilof mouth picked up a halibut earlier in the week. Over on the Kenai River no sign of hooligan but there is a decent group of seals working the tidewater for something they are eating. Perhaps tomcod while they are waiting for the smelt run and salmon smolt outmigration.  I spoke with a Parks department ranger today who said Bings Landing campground and boat launch is open now. They put a boat in the river yesterday but low water makes it jet boat travel only. No sign of any hooligan pushing up through the rapids.

Lakes are still covered in rotten ice. Kenai Lake ice yesterday is wet and turning blue, a good sign its getting ready to go out if there is enough wind to crack that armor. Lower Skilak still covered in ice. Today is April 28th, the earliest a king salmon has been caught in the Kenai way back many years ago. So something should be turning up in the next week or two.  Kenai king sonar begins May 15th so I'll be firing up the chart IF I can get daily counts instead of lump sum batches of data.

The month of MAY will bring the Resurrection River reds into the bay. Its just around the corner IF the water temps don't delay their timing. I'll be posting some info on the run over on FB.

That's all I got. An empty stringer so far. Working on an experimental UW camera rig for my halibut gear today. Had enough hail in 30 minutes at noon today to cover the ground white and turn the Kenai River surface into a layer of slush. Back to "normal" now.

Someone get out there and kill a fish somewhere~! So we have something to read and talk about. LOL
The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

Take a Kid Fishing and Hook'em For Life!  ~KK~


kardinal_84

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Perseverance Pays!
  • Kayak Fishing Southcentral Alaska
  • Location: Anchorage, AK
  • Date Registered: Mar 2011
  • Posts: 4216
Good report KK!!

Bit yeah, someone needs to go out and kill fish!  lol.  Probably won't be fishing this weekend.  My kid is being, well, a kid and has kid obligations like Birthday parties to go to....  I guess that's ok.  Can't have them growing up too fast.

Hopefully weather stays flat and I can take some time off here soon to do some fishing!!! May and Sept are the two months I like best!!! Gotta take advantage of it!
« Last Edit: April 28, 2017, 07:07:29 PM by kardinal_84 »
Personal Chauffeur for Kokatat & Hobie Fishing Team member, Ryu .

Personal fishing sites of Alaska Kayak Angling adventures of my son and I. I am NOT a guide.
guidesak.blogspot.com
AlaskaKayakFisher.com


CS

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Location: Wasilla, AK
  • Date Registered: Mar 2015
  • Posts: 84
KK, thanks for the update! Just got to the spit late last night. Gonna take my girlfriend out on the oasis for awhile before the water gets too choppy. She hasn't fished since she was a kid and it'd really be awesome if I could find her a chicken or two or even some rockfish. Would you mind telling me how to find the Main Street hole?


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Build a man a fire and he'll stay warm all night. Set a man on fire and he'll stay warm for the rest of his life.


Klondike Kid

  • Lingcod
  • *****
  • The Eagle Whisperer
  • Alaska Outdoor Journal
  • Location: Kenai Peninsula, AK
  • Date Registered: Sep 2016
  • Posts: 488
KK, thanks for the update! Just got to the spit late last night. Gonna take my girlfriend out on the oasis for awhile before the water gets too choppy. She hasn't fished since she was a kid and it'd really be awesome if I could find her a chicken or two or even some rockfish. Would you mind telling me how to find the Main Street hole?

Hey CS, what a bleeping incredible morning this is today. I see the mts are almost reflecting in the waters off the Spit. Great day in Soldotna too although the dog's water dish had a quarter inch of ice on it this morning.

Main St. Hole has been around since BEFORE I arrived here on the Peninsula in 1970. But its exact location has been a dubious one depending on which local you talk to. It seems everyone has their own version of its mysterious location. Much like the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine. LOL. No seriously.  The general directions are based on the layout of the direction of Main St. in Homer. And by extending a line out into Kachemak Bay (Cook Inlet side) its out there somewhere. Some folks' location is further down the Spit towards the hockey rink, others are closer to the beginning of the actual Spit. If you look on the marine charts for that general area you don't really see any bottom changes or structure that would physically put a tack on the map for it. So it must be an area that attracts baitfish for eons of time and both feeder kings and halibut capitalize on it....as well as the locals in search of a quick meal.

But measuring it on the map from Lands End beach launch is 4-5 miles one way which may make for a tough run back to the truck later when the winds blow. If launching from the beach near the base of the Spit - because the beach is so shallow along the road it contributes to waves and shore break becoming a factor as well as a long haul to the parking area if its low water. So it doesn't appear to be a popular launch spot nor perhaps a safe one for most days.

I would suggest Go West Young Man from Land's End for an easier spot to fish. You will see an "X" on the spot painted green.  ;)  Work the 60 to 90 foot line in the area. Chickens and feeders love that area. Just remember that big green bobber has an anchor line you don't want to mess with so pay attention to the direction its pulling on its anchor. This gives you a choice. I'd troll on the way out and depending on what you see on the FF work the kings or drop it to the bottom and drag up a halibut. Be aware these bigger tides will have faster currents ripping around Land's End so if you stay up on the edge of Archiimandritof Shoal you won't have to fight the outgoing tide much. But its low tide at 11:30am so it won't be long before it changes.

Hope this reaches you in time.
« Last Edit: April 29, 2017, 10:47:37 AM by Klondike Kid »
The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

Take a Kid Fishing and Hook'em For Life!  ~KK~


jmbx2ditto

  • Rockfish
  • ****
  • Location: Fairbanks, AK
  • Date Registered: Jun 2015
  • Posts: 193
Might have been us that referee to fishing the wrong spot on Monday last. Laughed from Kachemak Oyster building late for a high tide with my wife though we did make it to GC trolled to Condos 35 to 60ft. Nothing but possible BF half way at 45ft suspenenfed 10ft.
Wed- possible halibut take down same spot. Murres and Gulls feeding heavy on surface but not bait fish.
Fri- WG looked promising and fished 2 hours before and after high tide. Loons,  gulls, Puffins feeding on bait-fish in close. Went out to 60ft but stayed with the marks in closer to shore and marked a decent amount.
SKUNKED overall but that's fishing. Squatters and burnt car on the beach dishartening.

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CS

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Location: Wasilla, AK
  • Date Registered: Mar 2015
  • Posts: 84
KK, thanks for the update! Just got to the spit late last night. Gonna take my girlfriend out on the oasis for awhile before the water gets too choppy. She hasn't fished since she was a kid and it'd really be awesome if I could find her a chicken or two or even some rockfish. Would you mind telling me how to find the Main Street hole?

Hey CS, what a bleeping incredible morning this is today. I see the mts are almost reflecting in the waters off the Spit. Great day in Soldotna too although the dog's water dish had a quarter inch of ice on it this morning.

Main St. Hole has been around since BEFORE I arrived here on the Peninsula in 1970. But its exact location has been a dubious one depending on which local you talk to. It seems everyone has their own version of its mysterious location. Much like the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine. LOL. No seriously.  The general directions are based on the layout of the direction of Main St. in Homer. And by extending a line out into Kachemak Bay (Cook Inlet side) its out there somewhere. Some folks' location is further down the Spit towards the hockey rink, others are closer to the beginning of the actual Spit. If you look on the marine charts for that general area you don't really see any bottom changes or structure that would physically put a tack on the map for it. So it must be an area that attracts baitfish for eons of time and both feeder kings and halibut capitalize on it....as well as the locals in search of a quick meal.

But measuring it on the map from Lands End beach launch is 4-5 miles one way which may make for a tough run back to the truck later when the winds blow. If launching from the beach near the base of the Spit - because the beach is so shallow along the road it contributes to waves and shore break becoming a factor as well as a long haul to the parking area if its low water. So it doesn't appear to be a popular launch spot nor perhaps a safe one for most days.

I would suggest Go West Young Man from Land's End for an easier spot to fish. You will see an "X" on the spot painted green.  ;)  Work the 60 to 90 foot line in the area. Chickens and feeders love that area. Just remember that big green bobber has an anchor line you don't want to mess with so pay attention to the direction its pulling on its anchor. This gives you a choice. I'd troll on the way out and depending on what you see on the FF work the kings or drop it to the bottom and drag up a halibut. Be aware these bigger tides will have faster currents ripping around Land's End so if you stay up on the edge of Archiimandritof Shoal you won't have to fight the outgoing tide much. But its low tide at 11:30am so it won't be long before it changes.

Hope this reaches you in time.

Thanks for all the info. Didn't get it before hitting the water this morning, but still had a good day. Couldn't have asked for better weather to take Katie out for her first spin. Got on the tail of the outgoing tide about 9:30ish after a slow start and just blindly trolled past the buoy and out to deeper water. Didn't mark any activity on the ff and no takers. I was running Brad's cut plug with a brined filet behind a dodger and deep six and she was running the same behind a flasher and 8oz weight. Once the tide turned we worked back toward the buoy. Jigged herring around there on the bottom for awhile. She caught a small butter sole and completed three firsts:
First fish in Alaska,
In the salt,
And from a kayak!

Not what we were hunting for, but a beautiful and successful day nonetheless. I caught and released a few p-cod from the buoy and around the end of the spit. I've always been told that the cod and pollock caught out of homer shouldn't be kept, but I can't remember why.



Watched a half-dozen small pb's trolling most within a half mile of the south side of the spit, but didn't see anybody pulling anything up.

Gonna take her out again tomorrow if the weather stays good.


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Build a man a fire and he'll stay warm all night. Set a man on fire and he'll stay warm for the rest of his life.


kardinal_84

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Perseverance Pays!
  • Kayak Fishing Southcentral Alaska
  • Location: Anchorage, AK
  • Date Registered: Mar 2011
  • Posts: 4216
Way to get out on the water and introduce others to this awesome activity! 

The better halibut fishing seems to be off of Whiskey Gulch but its definitely a more challenging environment.  There should be a few out off the spit I would think!

Personal Chauffeur for Kokatat & Hobie Fishing Team member, Ryu .

Personal fishing sites of Alaska Kayak Angling adventures of my son and I. I am NOT a guide.
guidesak.blogspot.com
AlaskaKayakFisher.com


Klondike Kid

  • Lingcod
  • *****
  • The Eagle Whisperer
  • Alaska Outdoor Journal
  • Location: Kenai Peninsula, AK
  • Date Registered: Sep 2016
  • Posts: 488
When I looked at the webcam at 930 that morning I knew it was going to be picture perfect day one way or the other. It can only get better from here on out. It was a nice day to introduce Katie to the other side of life. :)  Looking at the webcam right now 1130 Sunday I see 3 boats and a kayak out working the GC on cloudy flat seas. Maybe thats you and Katie. At least you have company!
The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

Take a Kid Fishing and Hook'em For Life!  ~KK~


CS

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Location: Wasilla, AK
  • Date Registered: Mar 2015
  • Posts: 84
KK, That probably was us. Went out for a few hours this morning before the wind and chop sent us back in. Didn't see anyone catching anything. On the way in spoke briefly to a younger fella, Justin, in a mottled greenish looking outback as we were rounding lands end on the way in. He hadn't caught anything either.

Just dropped Katie at the airport and now heading to WG for a couple days.


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Build a man a fire and he'll stay warm all night. Set a man on fire and he'll stay warm for the rest of his life.


Klondike Kid

  • Lingcod
  • *****
  • The Eagle Whisperer
  • Alaska Outdoor Journal
  • Location: Kenai Peninsula, AK
  • Date Registered: Sep 2016
  • Posts: 488
Just dropped Katie at the airport and now heading to WG for a couple days.

Looks like SwansonSilver broke the ice on his yak at WG this weekend for a flattie. Sounds like there are some spawners moving along the beaches too. Better take both rods. :)
The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

Take a Kid Fishing and Hook'em For Life!  ~KK~