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Fishing the Kenai in Alaska
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Winterize Your Boat
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Fishing the Kenai in Alaska

An Anglers’ Legacy Ambassador takes the trip of a lifetime

Planning a fishing trip to Alaska can be a bit overwhelming. There are lots of things to consider but, like anything, it's all about the details.

Use these helpful hints to get started in planning the perfect trip:

Choose your fish. What do you want to catch? Salmon? Halibut? This decision is crucial to the rest of your planning – picking dates, locations and guides.
Choose a date. You’ve decided what you want to fish for, now choose a week (or two) during the time that species is hitting.
Fishing is like real estate. Location, location, location. The species you choose to target is probably best in certain locations at the time you’re planning to go – search out the best spot. Then give them everything you’ve got.
Hire your guides. Be sure to do your homework – call the guide’s past clients, call local hotels. As you’ll see in the following story, great guides can make all the difference.

The Kenai River on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska boasts the best salmon fishing in the United States, if not the world. It is to the sport of fishing what Augusta is to golfing, what Lambeau Field is to football – a must see and do destination. Though the flight to Alaska can be a long one, the trip is well worth it.

A Fellow Ambassador's Alaska Trip

Here is one Ambassador’s account of his journey to the great white north for a week of expertly guided fishing nirvana.

“I believe a fishing trip is made successful by two things. One: The people you’re with. Two: Great guides.

While I knew number one was a given because my wife, Sarah, and our best friends Jeff and Kym were along with me on this adventure, it was number two I was worried about, great guides. I started planning for this trip a year in advance to make sure I got the guides I wanted. For halibut out of Homer it was Keith, a Homer Halibut Derby winner three times in the last six years. Eric was my choice for halibut out of Seward, a guide who hooked us up with three halibut weighing more than 100 pounds and one over 200 pounds a few years ago.

The last guide was a sleeper named Ray. After calling about 20 guide services, I found myself dissatisfied with the response rate and cost to go fishing with them. Then I stumbled onto Ray’s Web site sometime in August 2008. Originally from Texas, he had spent the last 20 years guiding on the Kenai for reputable services before branching out on his own in 2003. When I called, I got his voice mail, “This is Ray, I either have a fish on or I’m sleeping, so please leave a message.” The rest is history.

King Salmon on the Kenai

Ray only guided two days for us, but they were the most crucial days of our trip. When we got out, the Kenai River was flooded to about twice its size, spreading the fish out instead of filtering them into the usual hot spots. This made me nervous, and the night before our king salmon excursion with Ray, I told Sarah, Jeff and Kym that catching one king out of four would be a good day. As I fell asleep that night, I was praying to the Kenai gods to bring us good fortune.

We met Ray at 5:00 a.m. at his place, had a briefing on boat rules, and headed out to the Kenai. It was magic: cold enough to see our breath, the beautiful blue glacial water. Then, as we passed a moose on the banks, Ray exclaimed, “That will be another $25, scenery tax.”

I could see the anticipation in everyone’s face, including Ray’s, because it was the last chance for kings until next year. Ray passed out the gear, then looked at his watch. (Guides cannot have a line in the water until 6:00 a.m. for kings.) “Three minutes,” he exclaimed as he put the final touches of roe on our lines and lit a lucky cigar. At exactly 6:00 am our lines were in, and at 6:05 a.m. Sarah had our first king, yelling, “FISH ON!” Ray, as excited as we were, started his instruction to my wife on landing kings. “Keep the tension on, rod up,” as he maneuvered around boats to the middle of the river. I thought this fish was going to pull my 110-pound wife overboard. It took her 20 minutes to land the 42-pound beast. Her hands were shaking as Ray gave her a high five and the camera flashes lit up the morning.

Exactly one hour later in the same place, in the same chair, holding the same rod my wife had used, Jeff set the hook and the words rang out again, “FISH ON!” The boats parted amid cheers. Ray was like a boxing coach, yelling from the corner, “ROD UP, ROD UP.” Ray netted the 52-pound king and Jeff, unlike my wife, was able to raise his trophy up with two hands for the whole river to see. Now it was up to Kym and me; Sarah and Jeff could sit back and enjoy their conquests.

Three hours later, we had nothing. It was time for drastic measures, Kym and I needed to switch seats to bring some luck. Kym had barely sat down on my seat when I heard “FISH ON!” Jeff and Sarah heckled me as the dance started. Ray, already in landing mode, navigated his way through the crowd into the middle of the Kenai so all could watch Kym land her 27-pound king.

I’ve been to this river three times now and have been shut out on kings. What’s the silver lining? I have an excuse to go again."

Visit Joe's Fishington profile for pictures and more information.

Tips and Tidbits

Fall Fishing: Cooler air. Even hotter fishing.

While the feeling of autumn in the air might have you thinking about hanging up your fishing rods for the season, by all means, don't! The savvy angler understands that fall is when some of the most epic fishing action takes place, as fish migrate and gird up (meaning chow down) in preparation for winter. Also, with the summer tourist crowds gone, you'll find more space and solitude out on the water.

Fall is especially productive in the fly fishing world. Here are some examples:

The striped bass make their migratory runs along the Atlantic coast from Maine to the Carolinas, and the fly fishing typically heats up as stripers blitz on schools of baitfish. Offshore anglers can also zero in on false albacore and tuna.
In the Great Lakes, the salmon make their upriver runs. While they will die soon after spawning, salmon are often trailed by lake-run brown trout. This is the season when swinging a streamer fly through a deep run can produce a giant brown.
In the upper Midwest, northern pike and muskies will move back into shallower water as temperatures start to cool. This is the prime time of year for casting purple pike bunnies at big fish laid up in the shallows.
In southern Florida, autumn is excellent for snook fishing, both in the backcountry and on the "outside" beaches along the ocean. Throwing baitfish imitation flies into mangrove roots can prompt some aggressive strikes.
Out in the Rockies, the fly fishing guides say that fall is the magic season for dry fly action, as rainbow, cutthroat and brown trout key on large terrestrial insects, namely grasshoppers. There is nothing quite like the deliberate, dramatic "eat" when a big rainbow sips a hopper off the river surface.
And the Pacific Northwest sees its annual upstream migration of salmon and steelhead, while inland, you'll find excellent trout and smallmouth bass opportunities.

If anything, fall is a prime season for fishing. Whether you fish lakes, rivers, or the ocean, you'll find some of the most rewarding action of the year if you get out there right now. So there you have it. Plenty of reasons not to put the rods away. At least, not until winter comes.

To find out more about fly fishing, check out the new Fly Fishing section on TakeMeFishing.org.

Winterize Your Boat

By investing a few hours and a little money this fall, you can be sure that you and your boat get off to a smooth start next spring. While every boat is different, here are 12 general tips to help you effectively winterize:

Flush the engine with fresh water. For inboard motors or stern drives, do a final flush with anti-freeze (not typically necessary for outboards). Your boat's owners manual should have specific instructions, or you can get a kit at most marinas.
Fill the tank with gas (less space limits the possibility of condensation), and add some fuel stabilizer. Run the motor for five minutes to mix the stabilizer. Then shut off the fuel valve (for outboards, simply disconnect the fuel hose), and run the remaining fuel out of the engine.
Apply fogging oil on the carburetor while it is warm to the touch. Also, remove spark plugs and spray fogging oil through the spark plug holes inside spark plug cylinders.
Replace your fuel filter.
Wipe any excess grease and grime off the engine.
Once you pull the boat from the water, hand-wash the hull, and apply a wax coat; doing this by hand also allows you to inspect for any imperfections, dings or cracks that need immediate attention (before the freeze). The wax protects against winter grime.
Completely drain your bilge.
Visually inspect your propeller.
Clean and dry the interior of your boat to remove all grit and debris. For boats with vinyl seats, treat the vinyl with a protectant, such as 303.
Remove your battery and other electronics (like sonar), and store them somewhere dry and freeze protected.
Cover your boat with a tarp and keep it sealed (it's important that the inside is as dry as possible before you cover it). Leave one or two small vents to prevent condensation and moisture buildup.
Store your outboard engine standing up; for inboards, be sure the boat's bow is a few inches higher than the stern.

For how-to videos and tips on winterizing your boat, see the “Winterizing” information on TakeMeFishing.org.

Ambassador Spotlight

Extra-Large Largie Photos

Last edition we asked you to submit your "Extra-large largie" photos. And you sure did. Thanks to all who submitted a photo. Take a look at the largest of the largemouth.

View more largie submissions on Fishington, The Fishing and Boating Capital of the Internet.