Homer report ...Team Alaska - Plans Sept 27/28?

Rudy what about trolling in big lake for char, and pike? I would love to maybe do a float of Kenai for some late season silvers, dollies and rainbows. Homer will be doable if the weather is good. I am also thinking of doing a deer/bear hunt on POW. Was thinking of doing some bird hunts grouse/ptarmigan.

We used to troll Big Lake a lot this time of year just for something to do.  Always caught decent fish.  Usually a lot more rainbows than char.  I am looking at the pike in Big Lake.  I hear you can find them off the weed beds across from the North campground.  I have only witnessed them caught and on underwater video near the south shore closer to Fish creek.  I hear there are some big ones.  It's just never great fishing from my experience. 

Lots of big rainbows in the valley lakes as well.  With bad weather I'd usually think of the Kenai but it sort of freaked me out how many cars were parked at Sportman's.  That's a middle of the week trip or wait another few weeks to run off the fair weather fisherman.

Hmmm.... Going to keep an eye on the weather.  I think the Homer Elk's derby I am going to fish out of a powerboat since its become a traditional thing for a group of my friends and I seem to have a signficant part of the tackle.  So that means I don't really need to pre-fish the kayak areas. 

Don't put the kayaks up yet!  Winter or late fall is one of the HUGE advantages of owning a kayak.  This is the time of year with the first frost, my powerboat friends are deciding whether to winterize or not.  What a PITA to get your boat out, run it, then re-winterize it again.  Not with a kayak!!!  Last week was the official start of my salmon season!  We have at least 8 weeks of this fishery before the fish head deeper and it does get awful cold....

I'll be moved to Wasilla Mid-November...but I'm guessing there wont be much fishing to do that that point.  How early in spring do you start getting out again in the salt/lakes?

I'll be moved to Wasilla Mid-November...but I'm guessing there wont be much fishing to do that that point.  How early in spring do you start getting out again in the salt/lakes?

Mid November is prime time for Saltwater kings in Homer!  You can fish year round but frankly it slows way down in December.  Fish move deeper and the bait gets sparser.  But to be honest, I think its just that none of us have it figured out.  The other winter kayak option is to float the Kenai River.  By the end of October, it also slows way down, but I know hard core folks who will hit it in January and February. 

I spend a lot of time ice fishing the Wasilla area.  LOTS of ice fishing to do.  I have a few videos on my youtube site.  Its mainly Big Lake.

First of May is our traditional Kayak start time.  I have fished the March winter king derby two years....no fish...but that's going to change!  lol. 

By mid-may, kings and halibut will be available in good numbers.  I plan to hit Homer available weekend until the first week of December or so.  I would have full expectations of landing a king till then.  After that, I will likely try it once or twice from January to March leading up to the March Derby again.

My November Logs from last year:  http://guidesak.blogspot.com/2013_11_01_archive.html

Ok. Barring major weather change. I will be hitting homer Sunday morning. First light.

Don't discount Byers lake on the parks and long lake on the Glenn side for big lakers. Weather is usually nice at Byers and it's really never choppy on long lake

Ok. No big fish. Not many pollock. The usual 16 inches. Got a proxy. Kept 4. Arghh.

very nice! did you try your new set ups? or the same deep six, flasher, hoochie? I am guessing you were fishing the same depths.

Wow, I must be doing something very wrong. 3 trips to Homer and nada.  I have to bow to the the King.

Here's the quick video.  I didn't really bother to edit and its only in 480.  Well its actually longer than usual at 3 min plus.  I guess if I was trout fishing I would be pretty happy with them.  Not much to see other than those fishing the area.  They hit great...just no big rod bendo afterwards....

The last clip is two of them in 90 seconds...

very nice! did you try your new set ups? or the same deep six, flasher, hoochie? I am guessing you were fishing the same depths.

I did try my new set ups.  Didn't work.  As I had suspected, by adding "bling" in front of the hoochies, the spinners deadened the action.  The spinners became the pivot point and it had no action.    I stripped them off and the hoochies worked much better. So bling might be okay in front of baits with action (cutplug, rolling herring, spoons, etc) Not for something where you need the flasher to impart the action   Live and learn...

So Michele filleted out the fish.  Fairly fatty except for the center area. Should eat great!  We will see....

yumm! good eats! tell Michelle good job cutting the fish up!

You going back down this weekend with the kayak Rudy?  Thinking about breaking my king skunk record. 

You going back down this weekend with the kayak Rudy?  Thinking about breaking my king skunk record.

Nope.  I have to be down there as part of a powerboat crew.  Unfortunately for this crew, I have the most experience king fishing...though I am not sure my kayak fishing translates into fishing off a  28ft hardtop with a 350 outboard on it....

If you want to catch a bigger king, I'd consider running green label herring if the pollock are as thin as they were last weekend.  If you want to catch ANY king, downsize.  The sandlances in the kings were slivers an inch maybe two long. 

It has to be getting to the point where it is more consistent.  2012 it was mid September.  2013 it wasn't till the 2nd week of October I think although we did catch a few nice ones off the powerboat in the first week of October.