Drifting-admin, Author at Drifting On The Fly

sockeye salmon fishing

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Drifting-admin

Hanging out at the boat launch on the Kenai river this morning. Had the boat launched early (O dark 30). Waited for an hour for the guest to show up. This usually isn’t a big deal but with the added pressure this year of red fisherman it was this morning. The gravel bar that I really like was filled up and I had no spot to fish. We spent some time running in the boat and was able to get a pretty good spot up river. One of my favorites in the area that I’m in. We’ve lost a few and missed a few but have not put any on the bank and we are half way through our day. with this being said, This year more than ever it’s important to make your start time! I want to see you catch fish about as bad as you want to catch them. Here is a shot of the guys flipping for sockeye salmon fishing on the Kenai river. Hope the second half of the day goes better. I know we will get a few.

Remember that felt soles are banned in the state of Alaska. If you plan to bring waders make sure that your wading boots have a vibram sole and not felt. Tight lines and good fishing, Scott Sager Www.driftingonthefly.com

Kenai river sockeye salmon fishing

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Drifting-admin

I was able to get on the same gravel bar today that I had yesterday and managed to scrape together my two limits. Kenai river Sockeye salmon fishing is still spotty but fish are passing up river in small spurts. Hard work and determination will pay off at the end of the day with a limit of reds (sockeye salmon). Look for better pushes of fish in the next few days.

When the numbers of fish are just starting to show up I prefer to move lower in the system and find a hard bend in the river. Usually with a hard bend in the river there tends to be a back Eddie and fish will hold up there. Get right above the Eddie in faster water and wait for fish to push by. This has payed off for me many times. Yesterday’s Kenai river red run estimate was 6500 fish for a total of 56,000 fish so far. When I’m not chasing king salmon, I am chasing reds in July. If you have any interest in a trip for either of these salmon give us a call at 907-382-6808 or check us out on the website at www.driftingonthefly.com

Kenai river sockeye salmon

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Drifting-admin

Today I fished for Kenai river sockeye salmon again, during the fast paced Alaska fishing season there are weeks when I don’t fish the same place twice. As I found yesterday the fish were in lower numbers but passing through in more consistent waves in the morning. By mid day it almost seemed to be over. The group I fished today did manage to get all their fish. I would say in 5 more days they will be easier to come by even though there are plenty of fish in the river to catch. We will see in the morning If the fish cooperate again! Reds aren’t the same as a big king salmon but they do make for an exciting day of fishing on the Kenai river and make an excellent dinner. The king salmon report is slow but when and if numbers improve we will be chasing them as well soon.

Tight lines and if you are in the area and would like to try your luck on a gravel bar this season for some hard fighting sockeye salmon check out our sight at www.driftingonthefly.com for more information on how to line up your fishing trip.

Hanging out on the Kenai river

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Drifting-admin

Hanging out on the Kenai river today waiting for a push of sockeye salmon to come our way.

We are still a few days away from the big push of second run of reds (sockeye salmon). On average the reds usually hit the river in big numbers by the 15th of July so our hopes of filling the limit aren’t way up there but we know with a little work that we get close to a limit anyways. We ended up picking up a couple fish today but we had to work for every one of them! Pulling into the gravel bar we did encounter this bald eagle feeding on a fresh carcass. As we got closer the eagle took off at the last second and flew away. Every time I See an Eagle go into flight close like this it wows me. How a bird this large can fly so easy?

I’m sure that the sockeye will hit the river any day with the predictions of the run as high as they are. I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens. It is very hard to know what kind of runs of salmon we will have year in and out. The only thing I can promise is that our gear will be in good working order and we will be in one of my most productive spots to keep our odds up for the whole trip.

Kenai river king salmon

Posted on July 8, 2012 by Drifting-admin

Headed up the Kenai river this morning in hopes of catching a handful of rainbow trout.

We are swinging black leeches today out of the boat and picking a few fish up here and there. Client and good friend Dan Goff sets the hook on the swing and line starts peeling. The fish swirled and we both new he had a very big fish on. This is probably Dan’s 20th+ trout trip on the Kenai river with me and he knows all to well how fast you can get schooled on a big fish. After just a short 3 minutes we new he had a 30-35 pound kenai river king salmon on. We cranked down the drag a little and grabbed the leader. Got a quick photo of the fish and released him immediately. What a great battle and it just goes to prove that you never know why you will latch on to when fly fishing the Kenai river.

The Catch and Release tool I use really comes in handy when you don’t want to put a fish in the net.

Line screaming off of Dan’s real from a Kenai River King Salmon.

Kenai river fishing

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Drifting-admin

kenai river fishing for rainbow trout was slower today but we did manage to hook a few and land a few! I found that swinging leeches with a sinking tip line got the most bites. The Kenai river is big and the fish are spread out more now. I found fish in the eddies and in the normal spots but no big concentration were found. Big bunny leeches and smaller flesh fly patterns seemed to be the ticket on a dead drift. Some days its a dead drift and some days it is on the swing. I will put an indicator on with a trusted pattern and run a dead drift and swing it at the end of the drift. If I see that most of my takes are on the swing I will take the indicator off and take more of a down and across approach.

This unlucky sockeye salmon decided to take a leech on the swing. After a long winter a fresh salmon on the BBQ is always looked forward too. A 10 to 12 pound fish on a 7 weight fly rod put up a great battle.

Seward Alaska mountain marathon

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Drifting-admin

Happy 4th of july from the Seward Alaska mountain marathon! A total of 3022 feet climb with an average of 40% grade in nearly 5 miles the Seward Alaska mountain marathon is the second oldest race in north America. Our good friend Kelly Murray from Virginia was drawn for the race after three years of applying. It’s rainy and foggy on the mountain today so the conditions are going to be bad. Olympic cross country skier Holly Brooks from anchorage Alaska won the women’s race this year in 51 minutes and 55 seconds! The day was a lot of fun but I don’t think I’ll be running up a mountain anytime soon. Maybe hiking up a mountain is more my style

Seward has a lot off fun attractions to offer but this race is one of the community’s most loved events. Of you’re ever in Alaska on the 4th of July make sure you come to Seward for the race, parade and great food. You can even get chocolate covered bacon!! Yuck but you have to try it because it’s chocolate covered bacon.

Kelly crossing the finish line with a shot of the mountain she just went up and came down!

Gary king Alaska series raft

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Drifting-admin

I have a 13′ x 6’1″ Alaska series raft for sale. It has never been in the water and is two years old. I would call it in mint condition. It comes with frame, two oars, a rowers seat, a repair kit, an air pump, a transom for a small kicker, a storage bag, 11 reinforced D rings attached to the boat, two air bladder bags for inside the boat and oar locks.

This will make a great raft for anyone that would like to fish, hunt or just float most rivers in the state. I’m asking $3500.00 for the package. If anyone is interested in finding more out about this feel free to give me a call at (907)382-6808. Shipping will not be included in this price. Also you can check us out at www.driftingonthefly.com

Felt Sole Ban

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Drifting-admin

Felt sole ban on wading boot in Alaska is a good move! In 2012 Alaska went to a felt sole ban policy. While planning your trip to Alaska if you want to bring waders along make sure you remember to take this into account.

Rubber sole wading boot have come a long way and should provide plenty of traction and you will not have to worry about bringing in any exotic species to any of our systems. I do highly recommend that you still rinse your boots off after each day of fishing if you plan on fishing different water systems while you are on your trip.

I ask that if you book with me that you please do not wear studded boots while fishing out of my boats. Bring them along for any shore fishing that we may do but they do tear up the aluminum flooring in our boats. Give us a call and we can get you lined up for a great day of fishing on the Kenai river.

Wilderness Way

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Drifting-admin

Great customer service and knowledgeable employees makes wilderness way one of the best places on the Kenai Peninsula to find the outdoor gear that is right for you.

A very good selection of fly fishing gear for the kenai river and surrounding waters keeps wilderness way competitive with the bigger box stores! Working close with local guides and getting on the water too keeps the stores fly selection up on what is actually going on on the river.

Wilderness way outfitters is located in the heart of the kenai peninsula in down town Soldotna. This is one of my favorite shops in the state of Alaska for quality fishing camping and hunting gear. The fly fishing section has grown into a big part of the shop so if you are looking for some good information on what is happening in the kenai river or are in Need of some quality equipment I highly recommend stopping in. They also have good knowledge of the area and are willing to share information on some great hikes and hike in fishing on the kenai peninsula. You can also check them out online at www.wildernessway.com