Heat

I just got back, you are going to love it! Hit me up if you have any questions.

I think going with the guide kinda helped us from being overrun with the crowds. I guess if you have access to a boat you can also find some good spots. I've seen the videos of the combat fishing on the Russian River and Lower Kenai and that didn't look like fun for the first time, especially with my wife and father in law fishing with me. Springing for the guide was expensive but well worth it for the first go round IMO. We had a wonderful time together as a (partial) family that I will cherish forever!

Dude keep this thread rolling, post your reports and pics right here! Enjoy man, it's about to get "reel" !

Middle Kenai. We launched at Lower Skilak Lake and fished down towards Sterling. If I get on Google Earth I can probably figure out exactly where we were. There was a grass island/gravel bar kinda out in the middle that we were standing on. Bald Eagles were nested right across the river from where we were. It was so cool! Our 9 fish turned into 26.5 #s of filets so these fish were probably somewhere between 7 to 10 #'s I would guess. The day before we fished 85K fish moved past the sonar at the mouth. The Good Lord provides!

shoot not another one...Sorry to hear about Lee! I had the opportunity to meet him almost one year ago to the day. Stopped by his hotel room in San Diego to say hello and chat before he went tuna fishing last year. He was a great guy, kinda seemed to be having a hard time there towards the end. So sad! Peace be with him. Sincere condolences to his family and friends. RIP BigLakeJake!

I'm back in Yuma now. It was one of the best vacations I have ever been on, and I have had some great trips! I know where I will be spending about a month a year when I retire, that's for sure!

This lady right here showed me and her Dad how it was done. The beer I was drinking was a Kenai Brewing Grateful Red, local red beer perfect for catching "red" salmon. The whole trip was just unreal and so much fun! If you guys are ever looking for a guide on the Kenai, Jason Lesmeister is a bad butt! He is professional, competitive, fun to fish and talk smack with, had great gear, and got us tuned up in no time flat!

These sockeye salmon gave one heck of a fight! Using a little hook with yarn to "floss 'em" was kinda hard but productive. I lost a few by lifting their head out of the water. So used to going 12 O clock with the rod tip on the take it took a minute to train myself to put pressure on the fish at 3 O clock or horizontal. My wife was a natural. She put the first fish on the stringer and had her limit first. Very proud of her. Best part yet is she is totally addicted now, so more trips to come for me, lol!

I'm in shock reading this! Hope this is a wake up call for any of us that have unfinished business. Live every day as if its your last. You never know! Rest in Peace Delw, you were one of a kind. Maybe clashed with him a time or two but who didn't? I had a lot of respect for him and will miss him for sure. God Bless him!

Fish are coming up good now, your timing is probably about perfect for the Upper and Middle Kenai!

We fished out of Seward with Profish N Sea, Captain Woody on the Profish. Fished the Kenai this morning with Jason's Guide Service. Both were super fun to fish with and very professional. Would not hesitate to recommend either one, no doubt!

Fishing was alright today I guess...

Nice detailed report, right on!

I did. Lots of spots off the 282 to Camp for sure but lots of places all over to be honest. Send me a PM if you want to exchange numbers. I will be solo too.

Good Luck on the 6 pack! Fishing is phenomenal right now. Lots of different grades some mixed in the same schools. I think there are a lot of fish very close too.

Next Level shoot right here!

Were you on there with the dude who had a coffee grinder with a rope around his neck and the rod?

I would rather eat bluefin any day of the week but albacore usually bite a lot better, so kinda apples to oranges. The Yellowfin Tuna is the best of both worlds if you ask me; fights hard, tastes good, and when they are ready to bite, they bite!

The New Lo-An just called in with a report from their 1.5 day trip. They have caught 11 Bluefin Tuna (mixed sizes with the largest at 200lbs) and 1 Albacore (25lbs...No that is not a typo).

Michigan is awesome for the fall spawn in the rivers! I see guys tearing it up near San Francisco in the ocean too. You have a lot of options. I can point you in the right direction if Michigan sounds like something you might be interested in. The fish are usually in the rivers good in mid October.

Good thing you had no plans! Sorry to hear it. Happy Independence Day Del!

Grabbed some USDA Prime NY Strips for the grill this PM.

This is really all that matters, the rest is BS, LOL!

Deer tag for one of us, mostly like me for 12 Archery.

My heavy rig is a Penn Fathom 40 Lever Drag 2 Speed. I have 500 yards of 80# PowerPro white on it. The rod is a Charkbait Rainshadow 60-80 rated 7' RCJB84XXH blank. Can use 50 to 80# topshots on it. The fact that I actually hooked and landed a 75-80# fish on a sinker rig with it tells me its good to go. Can fish that rig for bait or jigs down deep. If there are 100# plus fish around I want the boat's gear.