Record sockeye salmon run

aces-n-eights · July 21, 2011, 05:18:04 PM

While many of you are experiencing record-setting temperatures we have had a record sockeye salmon run here in my part of Alaska. We are on the Kenai River and the state has installed a sonar fish counter one mile downstream of us (we're at river mile 20...). Last year we had one day where 83,000 fish came by the sonar. A couple of days ago we had 230,000 sockeye pass the sonar in one 24 hour period. Man, was that a good day to have a hook in the water! The previous record was in the late '80s with a bit over 200,000 in a day. We will probably have about 1.4 million sockeye travel up the Kenai River this year. And that's just sockeye, not the kings and silvers that also spawn here.

Here's a chart that shows the slow start to the run and then the huge glut of fish that hit the river. The green vertical bars are the daily counts and the dotted line is the 21 year history.

We're getting nice 8-9 pound bright silver reds. Might have to go buy another freezer... The Bradley will be getting a workout this year!

aces-n-eights · July 21, 2011, 06:04:28 PM

One step closer to the smoker...

car54 · July 21, 2011, 06:16:03 PM

Great picture! Your own sink right on the river?

Brad

SnellySmokesEm · July 21, 2011, 07:11:04 PM

Ace - Pack 'em in some dry ice and send them down to me! That's freakin awesome!

aces-n-eights · July 21, 2011, 08:30:57 PM

Brad, yes the sink is in a fish cleaning table next to the river. We have a couple of decks of grated aluminum boardwalk where we can fish. We have to take it up each year in fall or the ice will destroy it!

muebe · July 21, 2011, 09:01:41 PM

That is awesome! Hard to believe that many fish can come through the river in a 24 hour period :o

OU812 · July 22, 2011, 07:25:21 AM

Your own sink down at the river,,,,,,,,,,,gotta love it.

All them salmon comin up stream heading right for ya has gotta GREAT.

smoker pete · July 22, 2011, 09:36:46 AM

Man-Oh-Man Aces!! I'm always a day early and a Sockeye short! :'( Spent 4 months in Alaska last summer but I was visiting Denali National Park when the "Reds" came up the Kenai and this year I'm in California in an air conditioned house. Did manage to do a little combat fishing at Centennial Park but never got any reds or kings. Did manage to get a few silvers as illustrated below ...

Didn't know it last summer but I spent weeks just across the river from aces-n-eights house and their boardwalk decks of grated aluminum. If you look at the upper right hand corner of the pictures you'll see the deck. :'( :'( :'( :'( Wish I was there right now!! We're hoping to visit Alaska again next summer. It's was beautiful and kind of got under our skin.

MidKnightRider · July 22, 2011, 11:13:44 AM

Nice setup, wish I was up there catching some.

aces-n-eights · July 24, 2011, 09:06:30 PM

Hey Smoker Pete, i remember when you posted those pics last year. Glad those were good memories for you and hope to see you back in Alaska soon. The state raised the daily limit from 3 to 6 due to the big run of sockeye. We had 8 friends and family on our deck yesterday and all limited. Dang, that was a lot of fish to put up, but what a hoot!

Lets' see... 50 lbs of fresh sockeye in a $15 insulated box, $35 for the extra baggage to the airlines... yep i think they're ahead... Lots of family members heading back south with smiles on their faces.

smoker pete · July 25, 2011, 08:03:08 AM

Quote from: aces-n-eights on July 24, 2011, 09:06:30 PM
Hey Smoker Pete, i remember when you posted those pics last year. Glad those were good memories for you and hope to see you back in Alaska soon. The state raised the daily limit from 3 to 6 due to the big run of sockeye. We had 8 friends and family on our deck yesterday and all limited. Dang, that was a lot of fish to put up, but what a hoot!

Lets' see... 50 lbs of fresh sockeye in a $15 insulated box, $35 for the extra baggage to the airlines... yep i think they're ahead... Lots of family members heading back south with smiles on their faces.

WOW!! Now that's what the famous Kenai River is known for!! Now I know I need to return soonest ...

tsquared · July 25, 2011, 04:08:46 PM

Aces--Looks good, very good. Ocean survival rate for many salmon subspecies seems to be up. I just got back from Swiftsure Bank on the west coast of Vancouver Island where the fishing for springs (kings) has been crazy good all season. Many old timers (and I'm including myself in that category) can't remember fishing in that area being that good. We came home with 17 springs, some coho and halibut. It's nice to hear some good news stories about the North Pacific.
Cheers,
T2

Smokin Paulie · August 05, 2011, 07:58:12 AM

Looks just great ! I fished up by you a couple of years ago and stayed with friends Harry & Mary. Wish I was there.