Help, I need a plan B

[T. Chris]

I will be coming to Alaska on Wednesday (for my first Alaska trip ever) and had planned to go to the Russian River and camp for a week, but it sounds like there aren't many reds there and those that are there aren't chromers. Should I drive further down the road to Soldotna to find fresher reds there? Perhaps a lot will change in the next four days and my worry will be for nothing.

 

[sodabiscuit12345]

You just dont know where the fish are gonna be so stay flexible.

Its only a ~60min drive between the Russian and Soldotna so wherever you choose to make camp does not mean is the only spot you'll fish.

Im driving down tomorrow to the Russian to check things out. Ive got about an 8 hour window to drive down, fish and drive back.
I'll let you know how I do but hoping they should be in there any day now.

 

[T. Chris]

Good advice, thanks! I am just getting jittery since the run at the Russian appears to be late. By the way, where do people fish at Soldotna?

 

[sodabiscuit12345]

There are a few spots to fish but Im not the right person to ask. Im sure others will chime in but I usually go to Centennial park because...well, its the first place on the Kenai I ever fished and I liked it so I never changed.

Im not sure if you've already done this, but if you have time, look at a map of the area. Its easy to lose a couple of hours or more just deciding where to go and how to get there. I did that a few times on my first year and that was only on 1 river.
You'll kick yourself in the butt when your trip is all over and think "man I should have been more prepared!".

Good advice, thanks! I am just getting jittery since the run at the Russian appears to be late. By the way, where do people fish at Soldotna?

 

[AKFishinGirl]

Good advice, thanks! I am just getting jittery since the run at the Russian appears to be late. By the way, where do people fish at Soldotna?

There is also a public access off of Funny River Road. I am local and hadn't even been there until today, and now I wonder how come it took me so long to find it! There was plenty of room to fish, stairs, cleaning stations, etc... Funny River Road is a left turn at the last intersection heading out of Soldotna. Turn left onto Funny River Road, a little ways down the road, (I'm terrible with estimating distances) the road is being worked on and is gravel. There is a center on the left of the road....okay, I just found it online, so this should show you a little better than I can describe it. The link talks about the river center, but the access to the river isn't dependent on river center hours. There's a parking lot and an obvious pathway to the stairs/river.

http://www.kenairivercenter.org/General/Directions.html

Anyway, as was mentioned, it all depends on where the fish are when you get here. All of this to say, it's a great place and there were people hauling out their fish and utilizing the cleaning stations, so obviously they are catching there. Hope this info helps.

 

[AKFishinGirl]

Additional note, I fished the Upper Kenai last year the first week of August and we did find a few pools of chromers, we only fished for about an hour and had 3 nice Reds. Of course, each year is different, but just wanted to throw that out there.

 

[coho slayer]

Swiftwater campground is also a pretty fair place to fish right in Soldotna. Turn like you're going to Fred Meyer but follow the road behind it. Can't miss it.

I just found another place in between Soldotna and Sterling, but I can't remember what it's called. I know, that's not helpful....I'll try to find the name of it again.

 

[T. Chris]

The reports for the Russian River area continue to look poor. Should I just head to Soldotna? Any other suggestions? I will begin fishing on Wednesday. Thanks again for your help!

 

[ANCguy]

We were at the Russian over the weekend, and it was pitifully slow. Went down at about 5:30 on Saturday morning, and after walking the river from Cottonwood down towards the mouth, saw a grand total of zero salmon. Very early Sunday morning there were a few coming through, but that little run tapered off quickly. There were a few fish here and there, as evidenced by blatant snaggers bringing in a few, but overall, pretty grim. Good luck with the plans. If you gather any useful info, please post it here ASAP. Happy hooking!

 

[akseakayaker]

I floated the upper kenai both Friday and saturday; there were plenty of reds, but it was work finding keepers. All in I caught 15 fish, but only kept one. the way I heard it is that the big run was still holing up in Skilak lake. There are plenty of trails off the sterling highway that give road access. One that i have used is at mile 54.

 

[coho slayer]

On the other hand, if you hit it when that giant slug does decide to collectively move, you are going to see unreal fishing....

 

[AKFishinGirl]

Things are slowing down here in Soldotna. I hear they're still catching at Bing's Landing....which is before you get to Sterling. Maybe the Reds will show up in the next few days in the Upper, tho.