Available May 25th to June 30th
You’ll wake up at the crack of dawn to drift the Kasilof River for king salmon. Kings on the early run range from 12-20 pounds on average, and we target them fresh in from the ocean. Often, they have only been in the river a few hours when caught, having come in on the previous tide.
It’s a relaxing trip – the guide does most of the work rowing as you backtroll with rods in the rod holders until you get a bite. Cured eggs behind a diver or swimming lures wrapped with sardines are preferred when bait is allowed by regulation. When the rod goes down with a bite, it’s an intense fight to land the fish. King fishing is “high risk, high reward,” meaning, this is not a trip of constant action. There will be periods of waiting interspersed with high excitement chances to fight fish. An average day sees a handful of chances to land kings. You may also hook into an early sockeye salmon or a steelhead as bycatch as it departs the river on its post-spawning migration.
The float on the Kasilof is incredibly scenic. It takes you down 7 miles of drift-only waters down to the lower boat ramp near the mouth of the river. Our guests always enjoy the unique takeout process, which involves hooking the boat up to a long cable and hauling it up the muddy bank to be winched onto the trailer. Moose, waterfowl, and eagles are commonly sighted.
Kasilof River, located 60 miles from Drifters Lodge
Drift boat float
Back trolling with with cured eggs behind a diver, swimming lures wrapped with sardines, or back bouncing eggs.
The Kasilof is a 17 mile long glacier-fed river located just south of the Kenai. It’s fed by the enormous Tustumena Lake, and sees multiple runs of king, silver and sockeye salmon. It takes about 1 hr 20 minutes to drive there from Drifters Lodge. While the Kenai often gets all the recognition when it comes to king fishing, the Kasilof is currently a more reliable fishery. This is because one of the runs is supported by a hatchery population of fish.
The Kasilof is home to two king salmon runs. The early run starts in late May and continues through the month of June. This run is augmented by a hatchery program, which releases king smolt annually into the Crooked Creek tributary. The existence of the hatchery population makes sportfishing much more consistent. Even if the Alaska Department of Fish and Game releases emergency orders to protect wild kings, we can usually continue to target and keep hatchery fish. Therefore, we recommend June to any angler prioritizing the ability to keep a king.
Kasilof River, located 60 miles from Drifters Lodge
Drift boat float
Back trolling with with cured eggs behind a diver, swimming lures wrapped with sardines, or back bouncing eggs.
Available July 15th to 31st
Fishing for late-run Kings in July is a very similar trip to the June run. You’ll target kings by backtrolling from the drift boat. There are also many sockeye salmon in the river at this time of year, meaning you’ll often land a number of sockeye salmon incidentally. Fresh sockeye are always good to keep! The late run sees the largest kings return to the river, some 30 – 40 pounds, or even 50+ pounds. For the opportunity to fight one of these legendary fish, July is the best time. However, you’ll also need a backup plan, because in recent years, this run has been subject to emergency closures to protect the kings.
The late run Kasilof kings are a purely wild run. Therefore, sportfishing is more likely to be affected by regulations to protect the population. Alaska Department of Fish and Game sets what are called “escapement goals” for each run of salmon. This is the number of fish that they want to see returning to the river in a given year in order to ensure enough fish can reproduce and maintain subsequent runs. There are numerous ways ADF&G monitors the runs, including sampling fish in the ocean, and counting them once in the river. If escapement goals are not being met, then they will release emergency orders regarding sportfishing for that run. For example, the use of bait may be eliminated, single hooks mandated, or catch-and-release required. It has been common in the last several years for wild kings in July to be made catch-and-release only, or even closed to fishing. With the trends of the last few years in mind, we have put a strong focus on our sockeye salmon fishing for our meat options in July.
Drifters Lodge is a small, locally owned and operated fishing lodge with a long history of repeat guests and satisfied anglers. We have been in operation since 1998.
Drifters Lodge is permitted to operate on public lands under special use permits from the Chugach National Forest, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, and Alaska State Parks. Drifters Lodge is an equal opportunity provider.
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