Potential Kenai river guides beware.

[CATCH AND EAT]

Way to late!!!! Talk about mismanagement. :mad:

[reeldick]

I lived there during to 80's.

They broke through the 100+ number of guides in the early 80's. Each year it got worse. Of course the new guides were coming from Northern CA, Oregon, and Washington to cash in on the king run only. August 1st, they would all disappear. The number of registered guides on the river went to over 200. Add to that the unregistered guides working the river and you have traffic, smoke, and hard feelings.

If you remember, this is also the time they decided to drop the motor size to 35 h.p. to save the banks from wake action. (A hint of too many boats?)

The only place you could get away from the guide boats was by fishing between Skilak Lake and Bing's Landing. Fewer fish up there and tougher running the sleds.

Now here it is twenty years later and the state has realized that they have a problem, go figure!

[ 12-19-2002, 02:24 PM: Message edited by: reeldick ]

[fishbait]

:cheers:

[Mr. Shannon O'Brien]

Reeldick,

Exactly. It is about time. The # of permits is just over 350.

Some of the lodge owners are creating a stink stating that they will not be able to hire back their cheap helpers/guides. Which only means tough %hit.

They created the monster now they will have to tame it. BOO HOO!!

A few years back our friends in the Northwest had to give up logging due to the spotty owl issues and some found other work.

Commercial fishing has went in the toilet for Kodiak residence, so some complain and whine and others look to start other jobs. Go figure.

Some people are rather good at making projections. Too bad they didn't do it a long time ago for this river.

Shannon

[fop]

Shannon.

Do you know if a Kenai Guide can sell his permit if he guided last year and is not going to guide this year?

Or, is that something that will turn up after the 2 year moritorium is over??

fop

[Sagebrush Fisherman]

Anyone who has fished the Kenai knows that when the guides are on the water..Watch Out.

From 6 am till 6 pm its a real traffic jam of boats gong from hole to hole. If you look at the bank the wakes are really taking a toll. Every time a wake hits the bank it muddys up the water near the shore.

The Kenai is a real treasure that will be lost if the state doesn't grab the bull by the horns soon.

[Steelie Ben]

I read an interesting statistic a while back, the exact info got diluted in my brain but it was something about the gene pool of the chinook getting biased by smaller fish. Everyone knows that the kenia is all about big fish and thats why everyone goes there, wanting to get that trophy. So many of the Hawgs are being harvested that their genetic size is being reduced. Do you understand what I am saying or am I just confusing the heck out of you? It all makes sense in my brain but I am probably butchering it on here!! If you know anything about this maybe you could post it and refresh my memory.
SB

[Tilla]

Let's see, there is that supply and demand thingy. If there are limited guides and large demand then, hmmmmm, let's just say bring your wallet. :rolleyes:

[Mr. Shannon O'Brien]

Steelie Ben,

Your right on the money. No need to be a biologist to hamper up them thoughts. We have all buzzed that idea around and actually this mast May they implemented a new regulation that lasted a short while.

In May and June they regulated the catch to where you could not keep a chinook over 30 something inches. Sorry iI do not have the exacts, but it boiled down to you couldn't keep the fish between 35 pounds to 60 pounds during the early run.

It lasted a few weeks, but after heavy complaints over the guides not having sufficient time to adjust to the new regs they lifted it and said they will re-write the policy. So come this next spring we will know whether or not they will implement the plan in stone.

The last thing I want to see is a monopoly on a service. I'll have to get my own boat and boycott the guides. I do not want to, but I can't afford to pay their prices once this goes down. Forget the love of the sport. It's the love of paying for new boats, warrrantied rods and sportsmen shows.

I do not see a half day at a cool $100 on the Kenai as being a handout. It looks like them days will be gone.

Hopefully the few who have things paid for and have a love for the sport can still offer some of us an affordable trip.

Shannon

[Mr. Shannon O'Brien]

If you plan on ever having a guides liscence/permit to fish on the Kenai it just went in the toilet.

They are now having a cut off of the number of guides/permits issued for the Kenai.

If you have one your good to go, but if you do not your SOL. This will be going on for 2 years until they develope a system.

Call parks in Soldotna @ 907 -260-4882 for more info. :shocked:

I'm happy that they are trying to tame the monster :smile:

Shannon

[Miss B Haven]

So.... The Kenai "Blue Haze" won't get any thicker? :grin: :cheers:

[Grantspastor]

Something had to happen. For anyone wanting to understand the situation on the Kenai...the last issue of Alaska Magazine had a great story.

[Keta]

7 years too late.

[Joe Schwab]

Watch out for the rental boats! They also need to do something about the illegal guides on the river. They don't seem to want to address that issue. Just like always they strap down the legal guides some more to solve problems that are not the fault of legal guides. How are the guides going to accomodate the crowds that come in July?

[Mr. Shannon O'Brien]

Oh them guys will charge an ungodly amount so true fisherman aren't able to afford it. True fisherman will not pay it.

They'll be targeting coorporates!

I can't wait to buy my boat and laugh at the fools, yes fools who will be dumping $185-200 to sit there for that one fish.

HE HE :grin:

I'll be smiling thinking to myself "Yep, those clients just got snowed."

Shannon

[Keta]

Shannon,
Have you been to Whitter yet? If you have the right boat the halibut and salmon fishing in PW Sound is dynamite. It should be easier to get there now that you don't have to take the train. I always hated getting stuck there. A whole town full of Whittidots.

[ 12-20-2002, 08:15 PM: Message edited by: Keta ]