Alaska Outdoor Digest

The source for important, timely news on hunting, fishing and the outdoors in Alaska.

KRSA withdraws from Walker’s Cook Inlet Salmon Advisory Task Force
By Lee Leschper Kenai River Sportfishing Association (KRSA) has announced it is withdrawing from a group Gov. Bill Walker formed outside normal fisheries management procedures, which some are suggesting may be an election year tactic to gather support for Walker in the suddenly crowded gubernatorial race. The Cook Inlet... Read more
Reminder: Ninilchik kids fishing day cancelled; Ship Creek kids day June 16
(Homer) – The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has sent out a reminder to reminder youth-anglers that due to the sport fishing regulation closures on the Anchor and Ninilchik rivers and Deep Creek drainages, the Youth-Only Ninilchik River King Salmon Fishery which was scheduled for Wednesday, June 6, 2018, is closed. During... Read more
Ship’s kings off to slow start but building
By Lee Leschper There are king salmon in Ship Creek. And if you put in enough time, are good enough, and especially lucky enough, you might catch one this week. I watched one of the regulars, who I know only as Peter, hook and land an honest 30-pound king... Read more
Nushagak study: Most kings survive catch-and-release
By Lee Leschper Biologists on the Nushagak River are in the second year of key research on how well king salmon survive being caught and released by sport fishermen. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game mortality study is intended to give managers and anglers statewide a better idea... Read more
DOT, Feds ink deal to create Cooper Landing bypass
Thursday morning in Anchorage Federal highway authorities and Alaska’s Department of Transportation finalized the agreement that will lay the groundwork for a highway bypassing Cooper Landing and critical habitat along a stretch of the Upper Kenai River. Federal Highways signed the record of decision (ROD) on the Sterling Highway... Read more
And now Cook Inlet inshore saltwater closed for king salmon fishing too
FISHING RESTRICTION: King Salmon Fishing Restrictions in Effect for the Marine Waters in Lower Cook Inlet (Homer) – In favor of protecting returning king salmon and increased fishing opportunities in the future, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is implementing the following sport fishing regulation restriction in... Read more
Kenai Peninsula streams closed for kings until July 15
The Anchor and Ninilchik Rivers and Deep Creek Drainages Closed to Sport Fishing The bad news on this year’s king salmon runs continues. Joining the MatSu Valley and Southeast Alaska, the popular streams on the Kenai Peninsula have been closed to king salmon fishing until late summer. Here’s the... Read more
Giving back to troops with Combat Fishing Tournament
Today several hundred Alaska-based service men and women are not thinking about deployment or war.  They’re thinking about halibut and fishing, taking part in the annual Combat Fishing Tournament  in Seward.  So we thought it appropriate to look back at them and the history of this great event.  This... Read more
Ship Creek: Celebrating The People’s Fishery
Editor’s note:  As the first king salmon of the year are being caught from downtown Anchorage’s Ship Creek, and the fish and fishermen return in droves, it seems a perfect time to take a longer look at the most popular urban fishery in America. By Lee Leschper It was... Read more
First king of 2018 from Ship Creek
The Anchorage fishing season officially started Thursday night with the first king salmon caught from Ship Creek downtown. Dilly Vue caught the 19-pound hen Thursday night on a #6 blue Vibrax spinner. It will still be 10 days or two weeks before the main push of kings arrives in... Read more