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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), 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 full
time 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 during the peak of the first run. It is also one of the few king fisheries in the
state where anglers have a possible two king per day limit.
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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 was
for many years perhaps the Kenai Peninsula's best-kept angling secret.
While the days of only of couple of boats fishing it are now a memory,
July traffic here is still only measured in dozens of boats rather than
hundreds as is the norm on the Kenai.
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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!! |
| 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!
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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!
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