Kasilof Driftboat Advice

[madhatter898]

First I want to say thanks to the guys on this forum. I have been reading as much as I can over the past month and have gleaned a lot of valuable advice.

I am looking to do some king fishing on the Kasilof this summer and want to make sure I do things the proper way. I don't want to cross anyone on the river with bad ettiquette and hopefully pick up some nice kings along the way. I am comfortable in my drift boat (have done upper and middle Kenai a fair amount) and have done some limited powerboat backtrolling.

Now to my questions.

Do you typically run you plugs on a flatline or with a diver? and what size diver do you prefer, if you use them?

What is the best place to pull-out at the end of your drift?

What should I know concerning tides?

I know you can't anchor around "People's hole," but what is the typical ettiquette concerning anchoring?

Any other general ettiquette suggestions I should be aware of?

General fishing suggestions?

Thanks for the help. I want to do things the right way and hopefully put some kings in the bottom of the fish box. Any advice will help.

[Kenai Cache Outfitters]

Madhatter,
there are a lot of different options available to you for fishing the Kasilof. Send me an e-mail and I will answer your questions. You can also stop by our shop in April and I can set you up with the essentials.

Best regards, Colin

[kasilofchrisn]

For Kings you will be best floating the lower river.
The only put in is just past the bridge in Kasilof.
Trujillos is closed so the only pull outs are Coho Cove witch is a beat up concrete ramp or Kasilof River Lodge and Cabins. Kasilof River Lodge and Cabins is the type of ramp where you hook up to a cable and tow your boat on the tidal mud up to the top then load your boat on the trailer.
This ramp is also down in the tidal zone and I would recommend a small gas or electric motor to travel down the last bit of river down to the ramp as you don't really fish the last section anyway.
Trujillios was nice as it was just past the last decent fishing area unfortunately they decided to close down a couple of years ago or so.

[Mark Collett]

Kasilof Fishing

Madhatter,
Kasilofchrisn is correct about putting in at the Hwy bridge and also pulling out.Coho campground makes for a fairly short drift,and yes the ramp is a little rough but very do-able.Kasilof River Lodge is quite a bit further down so plan on an all-day-trip.
You can use divers with plugs or go flatlining.If bait is legal when you go, that works best IMO.I've seen folks throwing spinners,corkies and yarn,and a variety of other King gear.Use what your comfortable with or what has been most successful to you.Some will try flies,whatever floats your boat........
As far as proper ettiquitte on the river,watch what other boats are doing and act in a similar fashion.There will be some people down there that think they "own" the entire river.Treat them as needed.No one "owns" any river.Do be courteous and you'll be fine.
By the way,many of us appreciate your thoughtfulness for asking the right questions.Well done sir.Another couple of months and we'll see you down there.Have fun with it ,the Kasilof can be an awesome river:topjob:

[madhatter898]

Thanks for the advice. I will definitely stop by Kenai Cache on my way down this summer. Any further advice/pointers are much appreciated.

[Kenai Cache Outfitters]

Madhatter,
here it is in general for a basic load of tackle for fishing the Kasilof. I would tell you right off tha bat, that there are a lot of particular, attention to detail items when it comes to King fishing that make the difference between catching "consistently" and not. So in no way is this conclusive in any way shape or form. As a former King guide (my passion) it was the 'little things" that always made the difference with very few days (and yes they exist) where every thing worked. Anyhow, I digress.

- Anchoring. stay out of the main channels and moreover, dont do it in a crowd as as many folks plug both banks, left and right and center. Most folks anchor on the incoming tide below Coho Cove and all start to move shortly thereafter.

- Plugs. K-14s are very popular wrapped with you favorite bait. Popular colors, anything with Chartreuse.

- Always have eggs and a variety of canon ball sinkers.

- Spin & Glos. small seems to be the way to go. Orange colors and chartreuse.

- Spacer beads.

- Snaps.

- sliders.

- Three way swivels.

- Flourocarbon leader. As small as you are comfortable with. I always used 20# Pline.

- Scent remover or masker such as anise.

- Gloves. Use the always and throw them away after each day of fishing.

- One to 2# pound test for wrapping plugs. White thread is fine or I prefer hem thread made by Singer in the sewing department.

- Double hook rigs. 4/0 - 5/0

- Wash you boat and equipment really well before a trip with Lemon Joy "little stuff item".

- And the most important rule as with any where...dont low hole any one.

Best of luck to you!!

[Kenai Cache Outfitters]

Oh, and yes, divers...20s and 30s any color is fine. Pink is most popular. With Kings, the biggest mistake most anglers make is not having the presentation on the BOTTOM. Yes a King will on occasion move aggresively to a lure but more often, back trolling, you are forcing him to make a decision...either strike or get out of the way.

[markw3]

K-14 and K-15 (I prefer K-15's) are standard. 90% of guys DO NOT use a diver when fishing plugs on the Kasilof, especially in June.

If you're taking out at Coho, tides aren't a big concern, other than possibly wanting to fish down around tidewater around the tide. If you're taking out below Coho (Kasilof Kabins) then you don't want to be trying to row downstream when the tide is high... not fun.

I'm glad you asked about anchoring because it can be a real problem, and the etiquitte is quite complex. The biggest thing is to not anchor in a hole that boats are trying to back troll through. Most guys only anchor for a short time in order to freshen baits, grab a quick bite to eat, or tie a new rig... but they get off anchor anytime a boat is approaching from behind. The only time anchoring for an extended period of time is ok is during the flood when current is slim/none, or when there are very few or no other boats in the hole.

The best advise I can give you is to watch other boats and even mimic the successful ones. It won't take long for you to figure out your favorite holes, times, baits, etc.

Good Luck

[madhatter898]

Thanks guys. I can't wait for the snow and ice to melt. Really only around 3 more months now.