Russian, Upper Kenai off to good start

Okay, the poorly kept secret is out–the Upper Kenai and Russian River are filling with bluebacked sockeye salmon, providing consistent catching for Alaska anglers without much else to celebrate.

Unlike some June 11 openers when the early run sockeye are just trickling into the Sanctuary and upper river, this year there were lots of fish already there when the season opened at midnight Sunday.  And not many anglers, probably because they had to work Monday.  Those who fished Monday found lots of willing bright fish and 3-fish limits were the norm.  That trends has continued all week and despite heavy crowds Friday and Sunday, most fishermen have still been catching fish.

In the Russian itself, fish are in the normal spooky pattern, moving from hole to hole as anglers spook them, but there are still plenty of fish for anglers willing to wade and stalk to find their limits.

This is good news in a season with lots of bad, especially king salmon closures statewide, Kenai early run kings now catch-and-release only until mid-July and even the Copper River closed to sockeye fishermen, thanks to a horrificly low run.

The other hot ticket for filling the freezer has been snagging at the terminal sockeye fishery in Resurrection Bay at Seward, especially since the daily limit jumped to 12 there on Friday.  Commercial fishermen will begin netting the remaining sockeye in earnest beginning Monday, unless rough weather keeps them from fishing.  So snaggers wanting to get those big limits need to do so this weekend.