The Kenai river water is too low for the power boats but the drift boats in the middle released a #60 buck and retained a #35 hen-eggzackly-
The Kasilof is hot with spring steelhead and kings..

 

 

Kasilof seems to be the best game in town for king fishing.Astock of good native fish have entered the system-the bite happens on the early tides.
Kenai is getting “fishy”the water temp. is *44f and clear,a few degrees up and we got product.The reds have entered the system in very fishable numbers with some nice limits of big fish

 

Fish and chips was the special of the day.Excellent tides and no wind produced some nice flat fish faire 40-60 pound,the perfect fillet.
Both the Kenai and the Kasilof are starting to produce fish.The Kasilof is the most promising-with some beautiful “nates”
The reds are “in” and getting some quality fish,similar to second run size…..real knuckle-busters.

"I was impressed with the handing of the fish. and restuarant quality wild fish. "

Jeff 503.502.8472

 

600 hundred pounds of fillet…………yup, that’s what the 6 Salt Lake City boys loaded up with. The catch included a 200 lb Anchor Point flat fish that was 25 years old, followed with a number of great table size fish in the 40-60 lb range. That combined with some nice KINGS rounded out a perfect seafood platter. Bound and determined to come back in August to pound the silvers one thinks they may know something we don’t.
Kasilof is fishing good, Skinny reports:”yeah gotta use the fresh berries and bounce
Um, 2 otta 4 but missed a bunch”
Trout got off to a red hot start. These big bows are just coming off the spawn beds and want to eat.”I feel the same way but usually just have a cigarett”BIG FISH was reluctantly quoted.
Kenai is fishing fair, the water conditions are great and the temperature should rise few degrees a get these fish into the system and snappy.
2e

"We sure don't get this quality fish in Salt Lake..., We got major Barbeque."

Chad 801-864-1131

 

The Chuitt river next to the Denaiana Athabaskan village of  Tyonek proved to be happy hunting grounds for the ‘WINE GROUP’.Lots of big strong kings in small clear water makes for some challenging conditions and awesome results. One member of the group landed 5 of these brutes with an 8 weight ORVIS loaded w/wt forward line on a MACH 3 reel. Leeches seemed to be the desired antagonist to get these protective fish to grab and shake.
JULY HOGS are in the river early with some nice fish boated, the biggie being a 65 pounder released using a #16 kwikfish no diver needed. The water is super clear with an unusual clarity of 48 inches and it looks as if the second run fish are early.
Seward reports silvers off Pony Cove already ,and lots of reds in the salt.
Dumb and hungry was the issue with a 12 pound  Kenai“bow”caught a released by the wine group congrats Bridgett on your first big bow on a fly.
Halibut fishing has been very good ,Capt. Dustin aboard the Badger reports.”The weather has been holding and some nice fish  in the 30-60 pound slot with some near the triple digits.”

“excellent trip especially the quality time with the kids…..and the variety of trips offered…”                                                                

Robert@303-947-4423

 

 

The monster was 31 inch by 18 inch rainbow
Six trout over 10 lbs and a 17lb 10 oz silver with numerous trout in the 5 to 8 lb class.
And to ice the cake the Anchor steelhead trip yielded 5 chromers in the 10 range.
The fishing is red hot for dollies,rainbows and steelhead.The silvers are starting to slow up abit but the trout fishing is smoking.

The Halibut Fishing was tough this week due to high tides but the silvers are still a good bet on the Kenai and Kasilof rivers.
The flyout is also producing limits of silvers on spinning gear,as the high water has made it difficult to fly fish.
The pinks are almost out of the river system and the trout fishing in the middle and lower sections should be productive.
The 12mm  washed king bead is the old stand by for the lower sections while the upper sections of the river seem to fish better with the 6mm freshy beads.  

From diesel dancing to malt liquor blind taste the Bass Bros always bring on the big game.The week started out Huge with big silvers on the Kenai followed by some awesome flyout action and finished up in the Kenai refuge with large rainbows.
Charles pulled me aside one night after some ritual bonfire bonding and in a sobering insight asked me why the big fish always show when they arrive.
I was taken back,and with a big pull off a 26 oz. can of Steel Reserve I stated with a somber tone “there always here”.This was immediately followed by another jerry can of fuel on the log fire and the party continued.    

“All the creeks seem to go off at once” was the general concensus around the campfire that night.With both Russian River,Quartz Creek,Anchor and Deep Creek all seem to push fish.
These small streams a reached easily by car and fish great.The usual method is too swing beads on an indacator and expect both silvers and steelhead to grab.
With very little pressure on the week days this can be an awesome fishery in a scene out of  a fishing catalog.

WEIGHT and WEIGHT and WINE was the venue for the Heller Group.
With the silvers running strong and the halibut going on, the group was able to reach their quota of 750 lbs fillet. Dispite all the good times and fish guts the fearless crew was able to get in some awesome trout fishing.In fact “little big fish”caught 15 lbs of a rainbow trout that he promptly released to a roaring drift boat crowd.
Lots of fish and laughs was had by all………

“WOW you mean we can flyout to different places everyday”Phll asked me.
Oh yeah,with our flight service we use, they fly to different places everyday with state of the art turbo beavers and otters.
Most of the flying is done on the west side of the inlet about half an hour away but miles away from civilization.
The Block party opted for two flyouts with limits both times and some bear encounters that will last a life time…underwear will wash…..memories last…….

“That’s right a pound a week” I explained to my clients.No sooner had I finished my “fish rap” that Jeff Fecteaus rod buckeled..long time TRL guest, he finally hit paydirt with 18lbs.10 oz monster that he put on the wall.
The flyouts are red hot and the river is kicking limits every day.
Plenty of bears with both black and brownies mixing together and enjoying a buffet of red samon all you can eat…….GRIN AND BEAR IT……..

We finished the Kings with a bang,with three Kings over 60 lbs. on the last offical day July 31.
Silvers/Coho spawn in cold,clear freshwater from September to February.
Silvers travel in large tight schools,and can go on feeding frenzys that are shocking.
They enter the Kenai the first week of August and continue strong through September.
The first run target eggs on the back bounce with a light bite followed by a tail walking battle.
Because of their aggressive nature they will take a fly..so hang on……..

Our earlier predictions by Fish and Game of a record Sockeye is on the wane. The numbers are not as strong as predicted and some catch limits will come into play.

The Kasilof remains a bright spot for Kings and the fly-outs  are trasitioning between reds and silvers. Three more King days left of King fishing (no guided trips on Sunday and Monday) so I am off to tie-up some Quick fish and get ready to back-bounce The Hole!

With just 11 days left of King fishing our guests are hard at it! We are running 2 trips a day… morning and afternoon and ripping reds in between. We have great private beach to rip on the reds and are pounding them morning, noon and night.  Fishing is strong on the reds but a light this year on the Kings with not that many shopping days left for the new World Record… we better get busy!

-Mike

Always the best King fishing on the Kenai seems to be the last couple of weeks of July and this year is no disappointment. In fact the fish are on the bite as well as the guests. Some say the “Best food in Alaska” and even the fish agree! Eat-Sleep-Fish… Life is good!

-Mike

Well, the photos show why so many people pick the Kenai in July… size does matter. July is a busy month for the biggest trophy King Salmon in the world. Our reds are still going strong and some nice Rainbow trout and caught and released. We are having some strong drift boat fishing for Kings on the Kasilof to throw in the mix, too!

 

We are flying to Big River Lake and the salmon fishing is red hot on the Sockeye and the bear viewing is awesome. We have been rolling some nice big Kings on the Kenai and the Kasilof. The Summer Soltice makes for warm sunny and long days of daylight (22 hours) of fishing and enjoying beautiful Alaska.

Can we have an endless summer… Please!

-Mike

Our Kasilof guide Skinny Pimp is shown getting ready for the clean and jerk  event on the Kasilof River. 

As the early run of kings continues, the fishing remains good on both the Kenai and Kasilof rivers. The sockeyes have been coming in too, in nice numbers, which makes the fishing even better.

Halibut fishing also continues to be dependable and anglers are bringing in their fair share of the flat fish. Fly-outs are producing as well, including photo opportunities for bear pictures and gorgeous shots of mountains.

The weather dipped a bit as we hit some badly-needed rain, but the forecast indicates clearing soon so all is good!

Melanie

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The fishing report, courtesy of Mark this time, is that the past week was very good on the Kenai with lots of fish caught. The regulations require release of kings between 44" and 55", but the fun is in the catching! The opening of the river to bait fishing has helped with the catch record this week, too, and should continue on throughout the month.

Halibut has been very good too, with the biggest fish of the week weighing in at a whopping 205#! Now THAT'S going to be a great beer-batter halibut party!

The Konoske group reported in and said they had a wonderful time. In Pat's words: "My dad thoroughly enjoyed himself, calling this a “trip of a life time” even before he hooked into a 50-inch, 60-lb. king during the last 90 minutes of our last day on the Kenai River. Even though we had to release, it ranks up there with the biggest fish he’s caught, ever. I was lucky enough to also hook into and land a Kenai king measuring 44 inches and 38 lbs."

Pat shared some photos of a king and a couple of halibut they caught, too! What a fun week.

. .

Melanie

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These larger halibut are know as “shooters.” The trick is to harpoon the fish at precisely the same time that you shoot the fish with a 410 shotgun. Timing is everything! When it sounds like a war zone on the big and beautiful Inlet… you are on a good bite.

As Billy, the younger angler attested, “This beats Disneyland, but sorry mine is bigger than yours, Dad!”

We are getting them good and all is well!

-Mike

A brace of fish… all I know it is a bunch of fish. Matt and Melisa and the Jackson family are proudly showing off their load of halibut on the Inlet. We are located 45 minutes away from the Deep Creek where we tractor launch our boats and head for the Deep Blue.

Loads of action and plenty of freezer pets is the name of the game!

-Mike

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Check out our guide Rich North with the Kenai steelhead and we are loading up on Fish n’Chips in Cook Inlet. The cold water have the Kings staying out in the salt longer than usual with low, clear water on the Kenai. We waiting for the warm weather to melt the glacier and raise and warm the water.

All is good and the lodge wintered well, as we have opened our doors and started fishing Cook Inlet. We are doing driftboat fishing for the halibut and avoiding the heavy weights and it is quite a trip with our “Shallow water light tackle” fishery.

The Kasilof has been going off on steelhead and showing a few salmon. Our saltwater is the stand-out with combo trips for salmon and halibut. Weather is cool and the fishing can be hot! 

Too early for fly-outs so the Beaver is idle but the critters are up and running and no crowds… life is good and great to be back with everything up and going. We are excited about the up and coming season!

-Mike

With eyes and eyelets focused on the trout fishing our interpid guides and guests headed for the "refuge" and middle river. We used #8 weight rods and floating lines, and #12 lb. fluorocarbon tippets ... ready for the big "toads". The upper fished great just after an area called Rock Face on the Kenai, located about halfway down the refuge. Mark reported the best bite occurred using a 6 mm tangerine bead. A total of about 30 trout were caught and an unusually high percentage of Dollies.

Thursday Mark went to fish the middle Kenai. He was a bit perplexed but still able to find the right size and color, 6 mm shrimp-color bead landed several big 'bows in the 8 to 10 lb. category. Dollies and rainbows were also found in the same feeding lanes. Although the fishing was a bit slow the weather and colors were outstanding. This coming Sunday will be a "canyon day" - we expect the walls to be echoing "fish on" and the lower end, where the Kenai dumps into the lake, plugged with big trout.

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Mike & Mark

Sunshine, steelhead and trout - "it doesn't get any better" one guest remarked. The daytime temperature is 65 while temperatures drop to the low 40's in the evening. This week our tides proved to be just perfect for halibut, fly-outs and river fishing. All of our scheduled fishing events and weather cooperated: the halibut boats out of Homer got outside the jaws, silvers were snappy on the fly-outs, and the trout were eager to be caught and photoed and releashed (kind of like Paris and the paparazzi). With our annual repeat group of 15+ fishermen, old stories were brought up and new ones created around the campifre. It was a fun week! This time of year the northern lights are often seen and the chill in the air lets everyone know that fall is here. The Anchor River and Deep Creek are shaping up for steelhead and silvers, too!

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Mike & Mark

The water in the middle river is dropping, pushing the trout into the feeding lanes. The gravel bars are also showing, making for 100 fish days per boat. Great laughs and stories of big fish and even bigger ones that got away seems to be the nightly table talk in the evenings, enjoying a glass of wine and beautiful full fall colors. As some might say ... priceless ... howeer we do offer great Fall Fly Fishing packages at a very reasonable price!

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Mike & Mark

The sockeye are still in the Kenai River system spawning eggs. Our trout are triggered on 6 mm dull finish pink bead with a red spot (made with a sharpie pen) and going berserk (postal if they could). The red spot we mark on the egg imitates the developing egg and the fish go crazy. Huge brightly colored spotted Dolly Varden and Rainbows are being caught and released, with lots of fish in the 26" plus categry. Our largest to date is 36 inches (weight approximately 25 pounds). On TV it might qualify as "The Biggest Loser" - here it's a "winner"!

Mike & Mark

The fall season has created a water-coloring like effect of the vistas. The second run of silver salmon has slowed down, but the big rainbow trout and dollies are definitely on the major bite. Fly rods are cretainly the tool of choice. Five to eight pound trout are common. We are targeting Crescent Lake on the fly-out with loads of silvers the norm ... the brown bears have been providing some great Kodak moments!

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Mike & Mark

Our guests from Salt Lake City , with the auspicious last name of Fisher, did well in all departments. The stay was a bit short but the catches were just fine for a fish cook-off in the great state of Utah . We had fun, the silvers were tough on one day, but the halibut cooperated and the fly-out was spectacular and loads of fish were sighted and hooked. When they pulled out in the huge SUV it was loaded with fish boxes and ear to ear grins.

Mike

“Perfect ... delicious ... are you sure that is moose?” were a few of the remarks heard around the fire pit. After a long day of fishing, Frenchy, our resident gold miner, stopped by with some moose meat for the guests. The Chef prepared a shitake-brandy-peppercorn reduction sauce and paired it with a fine Oregon Merlot. It brought the house down! The second run of Silvers are in full swing and no shortage of fish tales shared by all.

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Mike

“Guide Day Off” is like a buss-man's holiday and decided by a slightly biased committee. All hands on board for a day of fun fishing. The Wolf, Right-On Rob, Kooler and The Reverend were all in attendance and it was quite shocking! It was a beautiful fall evening catching heavy rainbows and we saw a couple of Brown bears. Lots of fish, laughs and plenty of “corking” while trying to wet a line… still waiting for a restraining order… is it legal to have that much fun?

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The Guides

Hi-Ho Silver and away! The silvers are in all of the systems in good numbers and bordering on obese. With a ten to fourteen pound average the Coho makes for great barbeque fare. We are catching them easily on bait and able to fly fish them in the smaller rivers. Weather is great and a Jackalope appeared on the wall for the Royal Beverage Company… what a coincidence! Much laughter and some very good wines were enjoyed be all!

. . .

MT x 2

Smore Action! Rocky the orphaned moose showed up at the lodge and hung with the guests for three weeks. It was one of our longer stays by any of our prior guests. He plans to book next year with his friends Boris and Natasha.

“Unbelievable” was the work for the day. After limits of Silvers, some of the guests opted for an Upper Kenai drift boat trip with Rich “The Wolf” North adding “it was on fire!” The big king bead with a molted nail polish (courtesy of Revlon “007-White") did the trick.

Halibut fishing stories are the best when shared around the campfire, and well worth the arms with a limit of two per day. The weight of the delicate white meat adds up quickly and can adapt to many recipes.

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Chef Mark

“Not sure if it was a Great White or a huge King” was the comment by Mike when a large monster bit thru the 60lb leader of Bill McCormick, just a few feet from the transom of the boat. Definitely a “Depends” moment. Now that was a large predator…perhaps a sequel will ensue.

Team Swiss Miss and baby man got into a bunch of reds. These fish will show up smoked at Christmas time for gifts under the tree….Yaw Yaw!

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Herr Walter

Guide "Big Fish" Rich reports an epic battle between king and the Feichtner party last week, with the Feichtners coming out the winner when they landed this 50 pounder! It was a great day on the Kenai.

Late run reds have really hit the river and are arriving in high numbers. They were slow this year but are making up for lost time! Halibut remain good, fly-outs are spectacular and the weather has been warm but not hot.

Here's the photo of the week, sent in by Phil and Beth Hunter, of a pair of beautiful Kasilof Kings they caught during their visit to Tower Rock.

Melanie

 

…..Also some good photos of a pair of Kings that the Andersen team drew. In Texas hold'em it's a winner… all in!

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Mike

“Da Bears” are hitting the rivers in search of Reds (Sockeye) big time. On the fly-outs the guests are seeing loads of brown and black bears. We are glad they are not flying them back to the Lodge with them. The guide boats are able to get up close and personal with these huge carnivores. While the bears are actively feeding our guests are doing the paparazzi bit while catching limits of salmon in no time.

Our second run Kings are showing up in the Kenai and the Halibut skippers in the salt are reporting seeing huge schools of Reds moving towards us. This is a good thing! (Note to self… order more fly-rods and load up on gear… get ready cause here they come!).

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Mike

Sockeye are still coming in the Kenai in fair numbers but we usually are doing some re-con missions to locate the pod. The days are long (like still light at midnight). It will make it tough to see the fireworks in Seaward but the run at Marathon Mountain is always a blast. Our second run Kings should be showing-up towards the end of the week. Let's hope their biological clocks are set on the Kenai Time Zone (KTZ).

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Mike

We hosted some folks from “Kenai's Sister City” in Japan. The first run of “Reds” (Sockeye) are in the river and thick as thieves. Great sashimi and the chop sticks were flying….even Bruce Lee would have been shocked. AH-SO GOOD! Kings are going stronger on the Kenai and the fly-outs are peaking on the other side of the Inlet. Our helicopter trip on the Chuitt is going big…life is good on Peninsula!

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Mike

Big Rainbows are hungry and the fishing is dine-o-bite on the bead and sculpen patterns. Most of our fish were caught from the bank and some on the drift. Weight Watchers unite, many of the brutes are in the eight to ten pound class… exercised and gently released. Guide Mark summed up the trip as simply a “Great day!” then quietly slipped off to tie up some more rigs from all of the break-offs! You gotta' love it!

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Mike

A few Kings are finally rolling in on the Kenai and we are getting bit, especially on the incoming tides. The water levels are still on the low side as indicated by my nicked prop (an expensive depth sounder). The Kasilof is red-hot and guide Captain Right-On Rob is at the top of his game. Halibut remains consistent but still to early to fly… the Kings are.. so far… a no-show on the other side of the Inlet…we are doing a “test fly-out today.” Film at eleven!

Mike

The Flat Ones are still feeding in Cook Inlet and the salt boats are doing well. We had low tides this last week so it was some heavy lifting with four pound lead weights and a few decent 80 pounders on the business side of the rod… that's a lot of fish and chips! The morning bite on the Kasilof remains strong and the Dollies provide tons of action on the fly rods.

Mike

Kenai is still on the slow side for Kings but the Kasilof River is producing good numbers of salmon. It is still to early in the season for fly-outs but the weather is awesome. Halibut are going strong and the Dolly Varden in the Middle River is off the hook! (…as well as it should be in this catch and release fishing). Our guests had a 50 fish-to-the-boat yesterday…. Sweet!

Mike

The big halibut are showing up in the shallow water… even the drift boats are getting them with salmon rods in 30 feet of water. Combine that with a combo salmon trip, intercepting the Kenai Kings before they hit the River and that is the best way to fill a freezer with freezer pets. Kenai is slow for kings as we are having a slow glacial melt off, making for low water conditions.

In fact, we can wade across the River from the dock to the other bank. The Kasilof River is rocking for Kings and plenty of photogenic moose are around the lodge that don't insist on “What is my good side?” or a demanding a call for make-up. Everything is getting greener and hope the Kenai River fish will appear soon… don't they know that they have a barbeque to attend?

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Mike

It's finally spring here on the Kenai and the snow has melted quickly. The Kenai River is flowing freely again with just a few straggling icebergs left on the banks. Alaska Department of Fish and Game is requiring that all icehouses be off the lakes by April 30th (and as warm as it's been, if they're not off by now they may very well be under water!).

The early season for the lodge starts around May 15. Early season (May 15 - June 15) is a peaceful time to fish. It's the first run of kings and while the river fishing may be a bit calm at times, the saltwater kings are often excellent fishing. Add in a bit of halibut fishing and a fly-out and you've got the trip of a lifetime - and you don't have to fight the crowds!

Mike and Mark will soon be back and gearing up for another great season - and soon the fishing reports will be full of summer fishing action. Check back through the summer and see how our season goes!

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Melanie

We're getting closer to the end of winter and spring can't come too quickly for me! It has been DARN cold this February and into the first week of March. Wind chill yesterday was down to -22F. But, as my Mom mentioned today (she's been in Alaska more than 50 years), cold winters are often followed by very warm summers. It's a good thing too. We NEED to thaw!

Even with the cold weather there are some diehard fisherpeople out there. Soldotna Trustworthy Hardware started their 10th annual Ice Fishing Derby in mid-February and there have been some nice fish brought in. Largest so far is a 13.84 lb. Northern Pike, and the biggest trout tops eight pounds. You can check out the current winners HERE. Be sure to scroll down and see the photos of the kids! Alaskan kids are tough.

I took off this past weekend and headed up to Anchorage. Two of my dogs were entered in obedience trials and I'm proud to report that they both earned new titles. On the way back I stopped to take some photos along Turnagain Arm. This is such a gorgeous drive and definitely recommended for anyone coming to Alaska. The day was cloud-free, the sky was a brilliant blue and the mountains were white with snow. As a friend used to say, "It was a picture postcard everywhere I looked!". Here are a few of the photos. The first is of the frozen waterfalls, looking a bit like melted candle wax, and the other two are of the mountains and upper Cook Inlet full of icebergs.

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Keep thinking summer - it's nearly here!

Melanie

Happy new year to all! We've slid into a new year with lots of snow and some mighty cold temperatures! We were down to nearly 30° below zero here (that's Fahrenheit) but I'm glad to say that it's warmed up and is reasonable again. Today we had a high of about 18°. Nice and toasty.

I hear a few reports of fishing lately but the fish seem to be pretty scarce. A few are bringing in pike and rainbows by ice fishing on lakes, but I haven't heard of anything very big coming in. The sub-zero weather kept most people indoors! Maybe now that it's warmed up more will be stepping out for some winter fishing.

I was down by the inlet a few days ago and the ice bergs are thick in areas - even well up the Kenai River near the bridge between K-Beach Road and Kenai. It's amazing how big some of those chunks of ice are!

I put out a newsletter last week - if you want to have your email address added to the newsletter email list, just pop a request to me at info@towerrocklodge.com and I'll add you. The newsletters will probably come out about once a month. Expect photos of FISH and some tales (tall or not) from Mike and Mark.

Hopefully I will have more actual fishing news soon! I'm surviving the winter in good style and the dogs all have nice thick coats, so they're managing well too (not that they spend much time outdoors, the spoiled mutts). Khana will be learning to fetch a beer from the fridge soon, so she and Trick can take turns. You can never have too many beer-fetching dogs.

Keep warm and check back for updated reports!

Melanie

Well, we're into the quiet of winter here. The river is resting and recuperating in preparation for another Alaskan summer.

People often ask me what it's like in the winter. It's such a vast contrast to our summers! We're already down under seven hours of daylight and that will drop to about five and a half hours by winter solstice. By this time of year, we typically have a good snow cover but this year we barely have any at all. Temperatures have run colder than normal, with several nights over the past few weeks dipping into the sub-zero range. The wind has been terrible lately, which is quite unusual. Windchill the other night was 40 below zero!

So to remind myself of those long warm summer days, I pulled out some of the fall fishing photos to share here. There's a nice mix of guests from kids to adult - and please note, one guest is fishing without a shirt on! See, it DOES get warm here (as hard as it is to believe this time of year!). Click on photos for larger views.

. . .

Fall and winter also provide some beautiful photo opportunities. Here are two of my recent favorites: sunset over the Kenai River, and Mt. Iliamna last week on a drive back from Homer.

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Looking forward to 2007!

Melanie

The season continues on with some spectacular silver fishing. In the words of one guest, "Silvers were ROCKIN'!".

Rainbows have also been good, with some real beauties caught on the Kenai River.

Despite the continued rain (this summer has been wetter than normal), guests have enjoyed halibut fishing with limits caught, and have also had some great times on the fall fly-outs. The bears are sometimes scarce on the late season fly-outs, but both last year and this year they have been in view even into September.

We're wrapping up the season soon, but I'll get some more photos up soon so you can see the excitement of fall fishing at the Rock!

Melanie

We had a quiet last week of August. The guests who were here fished hard and caught LOTS of silvers and pinks. Second run silvers are starting to show up and pinks are slowing now.

I read a report on a charter that went out of Seward for a halibut trip this week. September fishing for halibut can be "iffy" especially with the weather. But this group (about a dozen anglers) came back with over 2600 pounds of fish! Included were two halibut over 200 and seven over 100#. That's a HUGE amount and just goes to show that halibut fishing can be good any time.

Weather has had its good days and not-so-good days, with most being partly cloudy. Days are getting shorter as we get farther away from the summer solstice. We're now losing about 5 minutes of daylight a day!

I've been busy moving after living on the lodge property for nearly eight years. What a change! But I'll still be around and keeping in contact.

Keep a tight line!

Melanie

Silver fishing is HOT! Pinks continue to flood into the Kenai River too, offering some great fishing opportunities for the guests. Guide "Big Fish" Rich went out with a group and they hooked over 100 pinks in one session of fishing! Whew, that's a lot of reeling.

It's been rainy on and off, but everyone seems to be enjoying themselves anyway. Guests are having great luck fishing for halibut as well as trout - and the fly-outs continue to be great, with bears still in attendance.

The Grant party came up for a return visit and left with 286 pounds of fileted fish. That's a freezer full!

Melanie

Silver fishing continues to get better and better! August and September are usually great months for fishing for these hard-fighting fish. Pinks are coming into the river too and are fun to catch.

Halibut fishing is good, as is fishing for trout. The weather has been a bit rainy, but that goes along with the overall coolness of this summer (unlike the last two years!).

We had a large group (over 20) of guys from Red Bull with us this week. They sure were a lot of fun!

Melanie

Silvers are coming into the river now and guests are starting to catch some of those feisty fish. Trout fishing is reasonably good, while halibut continues to produce nicely.

Fly-outs are spectacular, with guests getting some great photo opportunities with both black and brown bears.

Weather has been relatively good, with a bit of rain at times.

Tight lines!

Melanie

King season is over, but it didn't go out without a few good fights! King fishing was great this past week with some really nice fish brought in. The last day of guided king fishing was Saturday - and at 5:15 p.m. Nate (Coonce group) hooked into a biggie! It was a hard fight, but the monster was brought into the boat at 6:20. It weighed out at about 80#! What a wonderful way to end the season.

Red fishing certainly had its ups and downs this year. With a weak return, they closed the Kenai to red fishing. But then a large escapement came through and they re-opened it for this last gasp of reds to be caught. Good news is that the silvers are already in the river and the pinks are starting to show too, so there are all sorts of fish to catch.

I've pulled some of the king photos from the last week or two and will share them here. Click on the thumbnails to see the larger versions!

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. .

Melanie

Whew, it was a busy week! We fished 29 guys this past week. It was fun, though. Some nice kings were brought in - one over 60#, and several around 45#. The weather was good overall - overcast but not particularly rainy. Nice and cool compared to the heat wave that has taken over the lower 48 states!

The reds just didn't produce this year. We were able to fish for reds all last week but they are shutting them down now - the dipnetting at the mouth of the Kenai River was closed Friday night, and F&G has decided to stop all red fishing on the Kenai at this point. Occasionally there is a year where the fish are just scarce and this happens to be that year.

Fly-outs continue to be spectacular, with the bear-viewing at a peak. I always enjoy hearing the guests talk about their fly-out trips - to be fishing with a bear just a few yards away is just an amazing experience!

Melanie

The king fishing continues to be spotty but it's definitely picked up. "Big Fish" Rich went out on a Kenai drift boat trip yesterday with his four friends and all five brought in kings - with two over 50#. Mondays are closed to motorized and guided trips, so it makes for a nice quiet time for buddies to go out for a leisurely adventure.

Halibut fishing continues to be good, especially south of us. Seward has not been as productive this year as it has in the past, but that could change at any time.

Red fishing, as predicted, has been slow so far this year. There have been some days of really good trout fishing, though, to help take up the slack. It's always a good day when you're on the river!

Melanie

It's been a good week for halibut fishing! The Pikila group brought in a total of 350 pounds of FILETS. That's a lot of fish! One of their fish was 150 pounds. I didn't hear any complaints of sore muscles though!

King fishing has had its ups and downs this past week. The Kasilof River produced a nice one though - a 51 pound king was brought in. It's good to see such a nice king come out of that river. Kings continue to move into the Kenai River in decent numbers.

Red fishing is a bit slow overall. Fly-outs have been good though, both in fishing and in bear viewing. The fly-out to Wolverine Creek is a huge favorite.

The weather got a bit gray for awhile, but the sun came out yesterday and today was very nice. It should be a good week!

Keep those lines wet-

Melanie

Another busy week here at Tower Rock Lodge!

Kings are still coming into the river with good numbers. Fishing has been good some days, spotty on others. Reds are running and guests are catching limits especially on the fly-outs.

Halibut is good as usual, both out of the southern peninsula (Ninilchik and down) and Seward too.

Here are some photos - click on the thumbnails for larger views!

Melanie

I'm back and finally getting a report up! Sorry it took so long. The dog show was fun but it's good to be home too.

Mike reports that the fishing conditions are excellent and that a LOT of kings are in the river. The number of kings has been spiking but the water has been cold (47.5°) and kings bite best between 52° and 56°. It just hasn't been a very warm summer and we have been spoiled the past two years with all the sun.

BUT Guide "Big Fish" Rich had guest Greg Tierney bring in a 70+ pound king today! Unfortunately the fish was not quite the right size (regulations limit the taking of kings between 44 and 55 inches long) and it had to be released. Greg also brought in a 36" rainbow trout on a catch and release this week, so he's certainly seen his share of big fish.

Another very nice rainbow was caught by Tommy Binion of the Atlanta Orvis Store. His measured 27" - not bad at all!

Guests are limiting on sockeyes on the fly-outs, and there have been lots of bears to view too. Halibut continues to be good, with at least one 100 pounder brought in this week.

Forecast is for nicer weather, so we expect to see the kings being caught in higher numbers. Keep those lines tight!

Melanie

The kings have been moving into the Kenai River. As the escapement has been good, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game opened the lower river to bait fishing. This is always good news!

"BIG FISH" Rich (one of the TRL guides) brought in three nice kings with a group of guests on Saturday.

Kasilof kings are good too, and promise to get even better.

Halibut continues to be great out of Ninilchik/Deep Creek. Andrew Davis, a guest who is visiting from the United Kingdom with his father Keith, brought in a 90# beauty this past week.

We've been getting rain the last few days, wtih a good downpour last night. While it's not great news for the guests who are currently here, it IS good for those coming later as it has been a very dry spring and fire danger has been high.

I'm off tomorrow to go to a dog show in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory and will be back next week in time to put up a new report! Be sure to check back -

Melanie

Kings are in the Kasilof River! Guide Nate Corr brought in three for three a few days ago and fishing continues to get better. The Kenai River finally has more water. The recent warm spell helped melt off snow in the upper regions which is feeding the river and bringing water levels up.

A very nice 60# king was caught off of Deep Creek (saltwater). Saltwater king fishing is generally good in late May and early June. Halibut continues to be good and guests caught their limits out in the ocean this past week.

There have been a number of recent bear attacks in the news. About 50 miles south of us a man was jogging with his two dogs and a brownie attacked him. He came through with some major injuries and many stitches, but he survived! Another guy in Anchorage woke up to some noise in his house and came downstairs to meet up with a black bear who had somehow come through the outside door. That would be quite a shock!

Here at Tower Rock Lodge we have a clean record with the bears. With proper handling of garbage and fish waste, it's unlikely that bears will mingle with us humans. Early season always runs a higher risk of bear problems as they're hungry, but I have yet to hear of any bears in our area this spring. So no worries!

Our two groups of guests from last week - the Orrs and the Duncans - both left with quite a bit of fish and some good fishing stories to tell! Now we're getting the boats ready for fishing on the Kenai for the upcoming week. We will be busy very soon!

Melanie

We're off and running here at Tower Rock Lodge!

The Kenai and Kasilof Rivers are still quite low and fishing is "iffy", so our guests are taking advantage of the great saltwater king fishing. Boats heading out of Ninilchik are often taking their limits, and the fishing is HOT.

Halibut is going well too, with limits taken by our guests. One of the Duncan group told me that he brought in a 75 pounder - now THAT'S a fish!

Fishing for dolly varden on the Kenai has been good on the days when there's a cloud cover. We've had some clouds, but overall the weather has been pretty incredible the last couple of days. We've finally gotten past the cool spring and temps have been in the 70's.

Keep a tight line and check back for more regular fishing reports!

Melanie

It's time for a special hello to the Atlanta anglers attending the
Orvis Days 2006 event in Atlanta, Georgia!

Mike is currently down in Georgia at this event and is celebrating the upcoming season "Orvis style". And from the lodge here in Alaska, I'd like to send a special greeting to others attending this event!

For those interested in fly-fishing Alaska, I've pulled together some photos to show some of the great fish, spectacular scenery and amazing wildlife that we have to offer here. These photos are representative of Tower Rock Lodge and the fishing adventures our guests experience!

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Each photo can be clicked on to view a larger version - or if you'd rather view the photos on a page, I've uploaded them to HERE and you can see them all on a single page!

I hope everyone enjoys this look back at the visions of fly fishing here at Tower Rock Lodge!

Mark is currently preparing the lodge for our first 2006 guests. The workers have been down at the river getting the new dock in. Soon I'll be reporting about the first kings taken!

Melanie

Sorry it's been so long since the last report! Things are pretty quiet here in Alaska during the middle of winter.

As far as fishing goes - Homer is having its Winter King Derby on March 18th. Feeder kings are being caught in Kachemak Bay now, with pretty good consistency. Trout fishing continues to be good in lakes across the peninsula for those hardy souls who don't mind braving a little winter weather.

Mt. Augustine is still venting at times but we haven't seen a bit of ash here. It's becoming less and less likely it will have a really big eruption. The ash has at times created some beautiful sunsets, like this one (taken on the drive into Kenai - Spur Highway - early February).

It's been a good winter overall. Temperatures in January and February got a bit chilly, but this IS Alaska! Snowfall has been reasonable and easy to deal with. A good snowfall in the winter helps us avoid a dry summer, so the snow is important.

I haven't shown dog photos this winter, but I do have one to share. We headed out to play and went down towards the lodge. This photo is of three of the girls (Trick, Tori and Khana) playing in the snow on the Tower Rock Lodge drive. It's sure pretty in the snow! Looks quite a bit different than it does in the summer months.

Bookings for the 2006 season are strong and steady - it looks like it's going to be a great year! Mike is heading off this month for some time in France and Africa (something about mingling with the chimps .. I don't ask too many questions!). Mark is still in Thailand enjoying the warm weather. And I'm staying right here in Alaska, playing with the pooches and keeping an eye on the volcano!

Melanie

It's been a pretty uneventful and mild winter so far, but Mother Nature has a few tricks up her sleeve yet!

Mt. Augustine, one of the volcanic mountains in the Alaska Range (across the inlet from the Kenai Peninsula and down near Homer) has erupted this week. Click on the map for a larger view. The first few eruptions were on Wednesday, with five more today. None of the eruptions have been really large but the scientists who are monitoring the mountain say that they do expect a very large explosion soon.

The Kenai Peninsula is not under any danger unless a large earthquake were to happen, and then the communities on the southern peninsula that are at sea level would have to watch for a tsunami. The only thing that may hit us here is ash. So far the wind has kept the ash away from the majority of the peninsula.

Here's a photo of Mt. Augustine on Jan 12, with the ash plume. Click on the photo for a larger view.

I've lived up here pretty much all my life, and this is the fifth time I can remember volcanoes erupting across the inlet. Augustine has erupted twice before (1976 and 1986) and Mt. Redoubt erupted around 1989. Mt. Spurr followed a few years later. All four of those times, we were covered in ash here. It's not a huge threat. just one of those things you deal with! If we end up with ash this time, maybe I'll collect it up and sell it on eBay ....

Hope you are staying warm and ash-free this winter - summer's coming fast now!

Melanie

Happy 2006 to all!

It's a cold crisp night here in Alaska, with the stars showing brightly in the very dark sky. That's one of the great things about being out here in the boonies - there are no lights around to obscure my view of the night sky. This is the time of year when the northern lights can be so spectacular! None tonight so far, but I'll keep watching.

Pike have recently been discovered in Scout Lake, a bit north of Soldotna, and ADF&G has opened the public access area to allow for fishing in that lake as of January 1. They're asking for anglers to report on the fish they catch during this time. During the ADF&G netting last fall, they picked up a 14# pike so there may be some nice ones in there yet. Anyone up for a little ice fishing??

I'd love to show you some photos of winter life in Alaska so far, but in all honesty this hasn't been a "real" winter. We got about 8" of snow a few days before Christmas and that's packed down or melted to about 4" deep. The dogs are disappointed as they really enjoy the snow! I did get a photo today as the sun was dipping down - here is the crescent moon in a sky dotted with pink clouds.

(Click for larger view)

Summer's coming - do YOU know where your fishing rod is??

Melanie

I'd like to tell you we're fishing, but this IS December in Alaska! Sometimes I sit here and dream of those long warm summer days. With winter solstice just around the corner, we are down to about six hours of daylight. The good news is that soon we will be gaining instead of losing daylight!

We had some cold weather (sub-zero) around Thanksgiving and into December, and then it warmed up and rained for days. Driving in from Kenai the other day, I noted that the Kenai River has very little ice now. During the cold spell, there were patches of floating ice throughout the river. Sometimes we get huge icebergs all over the beach down near the mouth of the river, but so far this winter that hasn't happened.

Mike and I have been busy working on bookings and 2006 is looking like an excellent season. It's just a mere six months away now!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all - keep warm and hope to see you soon!

Melanie

It's nearly Thanksgiving, and definitely winter here on the Kenai Peninsula. As is usual, the weather varies from cold and snow to the occasional rainfall. It's never fully predictable!

Mark fished throughout most of October and fishing remained excellent on the Kenai. The first snow didn't fall until October 22, and the weather was pretty good and made for some nice crisp days on the river.

We here at Tower Rock Lodge were saddened by the news of the passing of Curt Trout of Troutfitters. Curt was highly thought of and was an excellent fisherman, truly devoted to the art of trout fishing. He had been ill for some time. His last day he went with a friend to the canyon area of the Kenai River, fished for trout all day. His last trout was one of a triple header near the end of the day. He passed away while resting as the boat headed back to the boat ramp.

We will miss our friend.

Well, with winter here things are slowing down considerably and it's very quiet back here in the boonies. We had a bit of rain on top of the packed snow this week, and someone in a little car with out-of-state plates slid off the hill coming in. It's not much of a hill in the summer, but in the winter it can be slick! I didn't think it was that bad - I had driven out a few hours earlier with my summer tires on (had gone into town to get my tires switched over). But evidently someone else wasn't quite so used to driving on the ice! The troopers had the road blocked when I came back and I had to wait about half an hour while they sanded it. Such is life in the winter back here. If you can't handle the ice, this sure isn't the place to be right now.

Stay tuned for more Tower Rock winter news and photos of winter life here in Alaska. I may even harness up the dogs .. time for the mutts to earn their biscuits!

Melanie

Despite the cooler weather, the Tuhys refuse to stop fishing!

Here's Mark with a fish on. Note the "who me??? smile! (Click on the thumbnail for a larger version).

The silvers are still in the river, and the rainbow fishing has been very good. Mark's last rainbow trip had three over 10 pounds - all catch and release. On one of the last trips out, they took a photo of a silver framed by the net.

The second photo is of my puppy, Khana, "tasting" the hail that fell on October 1. I stood at the back door and watched the hail come down, while the dogs ran out to play in it. We don't have any snow yet and it hasn't felt like snow so far - but it won't be long!

Another sign of fall is the wildlife coming around more. Two nights ago, moose came and ate every single one of the begonias that I had planted in front of my house. I guess they wanted dessert! I'm glad they waited until nearly winter to eat them instead of munching them up in the middle of summer.

Be sure to check out the main page of the website for our 2006 updates!

Melanie

We've eased into autumn here, and our last guests of the season are packing up their catches and are heading home. Silver fishing is more sporadic now, although trout fishing continues to get better. Fly-fishing in the fall here is extraordinary, with trout hitting well and often. Add to that the beautiful fall scenery and the peacefulness of the quiet river, and fall fishing can be considered the best by many!

Halibut fishing is more "iffy" this time of year due to the greater chance of storms blowing in, so most of our guests concentrate on trout and silvers. We just had a storm, last night, that produced quite a bit of rain and wind - and yet I was out on the back deck a few minutes ago admiring the clear star-sprinkled sky (it's night, stars are VERY bright here). Alaska's weather can sometimes be unpredictable! I expect tomorrow will be a great day to fish, making up for yesterday's storm.

As we head into winter, fishing reports will fade into "winter life" reports! I remain here year-around and will share what it's like to be in Alaska in the winter. We're already losing daylight - about an hour every 11 days at this point - and by mid-December will be down to less than six hours of daylight a day. Sounds strange to most, but I'm used to it!

Stay tuned for photos of dogs playing in the snow ..

Melanie

The trout fishing continues to get better and better! Fishing on the middle Kenai generally results in several catches of good-sized rainbows, along with some dolly varden. September is known for the great trout fishing and this year is no exception!

Silver fishing continues to go well too. Here is a photo of a nice silver, taken by one of our guests. Silvers hit hard, fight well and are delicious too! Bringing them in is always easier with help - here one of the guides nets a feisty fish.

With fall comes more "fall-like" weather, with cooler days and a bit more rain. This is a gorgeous scene, with the rainbow curving over the boat on the Kenai River. You can see the trees in the background showing traces of yellow, just starting to turn to fall colors.

Still keeping lines tight!

Melanie

I apologize for the lapse in fishing reports! Things have been pretty quiet and relaxing lately, which we are enjoying quite a bit.

The Kenai River has been spotty at times on the salmon - silvers were a bit slow to come into the river but it's picked up considerably and anglers are getting their limits. Here's guide Mike Tuhy netting a nice silver that one of our anglers brought to the boat. Silver fishing has also been fantastic on the fly-outs - and the bears continue to show well, with guests bringing back reports of a brownie sow with two cubs that seems to frequent the fishing area. I've seen the videos they bring back. Watching that huge bear leap into the water after a fish is pretty amazing.

A late group of reds hit the Kenai River a week or so ago. Here's a photo of a classic male red salmon, with the hooked face and the dark coloring.

Halibut continues to be good, although the weather is always a bit more likely to be rough this time of year. We work around that, however, and our guests have gotten in their halibut charters with no difficulty.

Our thoughts go out to those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Melanie

There are still lots of reds in the Kenai system, with another 60,000 or so entering the river. But even better news is that the silvers are starting in too, and we're seeing some caught now. Here's John McCoy with a nice fish on the end of his line, out on the Kenai River.

John and his buddy Mark Sauter had some good luck fishing for reds too, as seen in this photo with guide Aaron Smith.

Silvers have been really good fishing out of Seward, and also on fly-outs. Halibut continues to be good. Quartz Creek has lots of dollies, and the trout fishing is getting better daily. With kings still on spawn in the lower river, the trout are hitting pretty consistently.

Keep those lines wet!

Melanie

It was a pretty quiet week, after the hectic last days of July. I even found time to take off for a dog show in Palmer (about 200 miles north). I'm happy to say that my dogs did quite well.

The reds continued to run well this past week, with little sign of silvers in the Kenai as of yet. Seems like it's a late red/late silver run this year. Halibut fishing is, of course, still good. Fly-outs are producing silvers now, with the bears still helping themselves to a few along the way.

I have one really sweet photo of the youngster from the Chi party with a nice fish. Isn't that a great picture? Kids have such a wonderful time here at Tower Rock. Not just the fishing, but getting to see moose and caribou and eagles and glaciers. Here's a photo of a cow and calf moose that have been hanging around the lodge most of the summer. The calf is getting pretty big these days, as you can see in this photo:

Melanie

Whew, we made it through another July! You just have to love the combination of kings, reds, halibut and long Alaskan days.

The Gillams were here this week. Glen and his crew are regulars at the lodge and we look forward to seeing them yearly. You just can't miss taking a look at this photo of Glen with his king! Whew, only a face a mother would love. Others in the Gillam group brought in some nice fish too, as you can see in this photo of a beautiful shiny king, and this photo of a king in the redder colors.

The Igoe group also brought in some nice kings, as seen in this group photo. Here's another photo with a close-up of one angler with his fish.

Reds came into the river in great numbers. Our friend from Switzerland, Walter, showed up and is hitting the reds in his usual style. Not many people can beat Walter at fishing for reds!

Some news from the Kenai River: this week a 45# king took a couple of jumps across the water and on the third jump landed in guide Stan's boat! Stan fishes the Beaver Creek area along with Mike. Reports are that the fish was mighty tasty.

More news is that a 23# silver salmon was caught on the Kenai. That's HUGE for a silver - trophy size! I was pretty proud of the 13# one I caught a few years ago. Guess I better get back on the water and try for a bigger one.

We're heading into a calmer time with king season done (as of July 31). Reds are still coming into the river, with silvers close behind. Fishing should be great!

Melanie

Wow, what a week! The lodge was hopping with anglers of all ages heading out to hit the Kenai River, Cook Inlet and Wolverine Creek.

Highlight of the week was a huge catch by Colleen Krehbiel, who was visiting with her husband and two children. She brought in a king estimated at 75# - and she released it under the "Release a Hog" program. She's eligible for a refund towards a replica mount by doing this, and the huge fish goes on to spawn and help keep the big ones coming back.

Reds are in and running well, but sporadically. One day will be fantastic, the next a bit spotty - but that's fishing! Fly-outs continue to be good and I just love the stories I hear about the bears fishing along with the anglers. Several sows with cubs have been seen at Wolverine Creek this year. Silvers are showing across the inlet these days too.

Halibut fishing is generally consistent - and this week one of the group brought in a biggie at 210# fishing out of Seward. That's a lot of filets!

Also visiting this weekend was Liane Pelletier of ACS. She was here in May for the ACS shoot and we sure enjoyed having her back. She brought a group of four and they enjoyed an afternoon on the river fishing for kings and an evening going after reds. They brought in a couple of nice kings, like this one Liane caught. There's a BIT of an optical illusion here, but not much!

Well, on to the last week of king season - keep those lines tight.

Melanie

The Kenai River is RED HOT for kings these days! We saw some beauties come in this past week. The Carlson group (nine of them) were here and on the river, hooking into some of the large fish. Ed brought in the biggest of the week, weighing in between 60 and 65 pounds. There were eight other kings ranging from 30 to 45 pounds (like this one brought in by George). George was also "fisherman of the week" as he limited out on kings, reds, silvers AND halibut!

Reds are really hitting the river too, with daily counts of around 100,000 coming in the river. Anglers are limiting, often in less than half an hour.

Halibut fishing has been good, with favorable tides. The Hendersons (father and son) brought in a couple of nice ones - 60 and 70 pounds! Now that's a good size for eating. Small enough to still be tender yet large enough to fill the freezer.

The Johnson group came in on Saturday and spent Sunday fishing out of Seward. They brought back this nice mess of silvers. Silvers have been running well in the Seward area and are reported in on the fly-outs to Wolverine Creek.

The Alliance Group showed up Saturday for a fishing tournament and party. They weighed in their catches in the afternoon, and then partied in the evening. It was fun having them here (all 35 of them!).

Crystal spent some time processing reds this past week. Some of the reds are cut into thin strips and dried, some is smoked in chunks. Salmon is a staple for those of us who live here year-around.

Heading off to bed in the wee hours of the morn - days are long during our July season!

Melanie

The kings are definitely in! Under gorgeous blue skies (record high temps, even the warm-weather people thought it was hot!) our guests were hitting the big fish on the Kenai. I'm still waiting on photos - will try to get some up soon.

Red salmon fishing has been slow except at the Russian River, where anglers were getting their limits.

Halibut is consistently reliable and delicious, especially those dishes prepared by Master Chef Mark Tuhy. Sepaking of food, the kitchen has been running exceptionally well this year, with the help of Crystal, Charlie and Nooni.

The Carlson group is here and has the place hopping. They did a silver salmon trip out of Seward today and came back with LOTS of filets - and some huge smiles and good stories!

Many things are available this year here at Tower Rock Lodge. Charlie and Nooni have taken over the fish printing and are producing some very nice prints on cloth. I've expanded out and am offering gold panning, for those who want the complete Alaskan experience. So many things to do and so little time!

Keep those lines tight and check back for next week's fish report!

Melanie

Well, it's hard to believe July is here, but the calendar doesn't lie - and neither does the fishing! We've seen a definite increase in the quality of fishing on the Kenai River. Sue Widener brought in this 50# king this week. Following in her footsteps, another guest brought in this 43# beauty a few days later (pictured here with guide Aaron Smith to the left). The Kenai River is picking up quickly to expected July conditions, with kings being caught consistently.

Halibut fishing has been great. Chuck and Judi Calak brought in their limits, including one that was 179#. Another group went out and covered the deck with their catch of halibut as you can see in this photo!

Fly-outs are .. well, incredible just keeps coming to mind! One of our guests shared some photos with us. This first one is of the Harding Ice Fields . You just don't see scenery like that often! Next is a typical "fellow fisherman" seen on the fly-outs and one you treat with MUCH respect - a brown bear.

The hooved critters are definitely around too these days. Here are a pair of caribou swimming the river. The antlers are covered in a soft velvet at this time of year. Next is a photo taken through one of the cabin windows, right on the lodge grounds, and is of a cow moose and her new calf.

Our June package deal sold out and July is pretty much sold too - things are hopping here at Tower Rock Lodge, and we even invite the wildlife!

Melanie

We had some major clam tides this week and guests were able to come back with limits on clams. It's not QUITE the same as fishing for salmon, but it's fun and different!

Jack salmon are plentiful in the Kenai River which is a good early indication of a strong King run. We're still fishing bait on the Kenai too.

In the words of the White party: "The fly-out was awesome! The view was fantastic as was the service." Reds are great on the fly-outs and the bear viewing continues to be impressive. This group reported seeing sows with cubs as well as many males. They also told me "The halibut charter was outstanding." Sounds like they had a great time everywhere!

The Kasilof is slow, and yet the Smittkamps (party of two - mother and son) brought in a 60# King which was released. That's a nice size fish no matter where you catch it!

We had some gorgeous weather - into the 70's - this week. Guests enjoyed the great weather by kicking back during their "spare" time and enjoying beverages out in front of the cabins.

Stay tuned for next week's fishing report as we head into July!

Melanie

The Kenai River has really picked up. Yesterday Mark's group hooked seven kings and brought six to the boat! The Alaska Department of Fish and Game opened up the Kenai River to bait fishing on Saturday, which is the earliest they've opened it in years.

Our very own Charlie caught her first king. I hear that she and Crystal plan to smoke it. Smoked king is VERY good eating!

The Kasilof River is fair, with conditions changing daily. Reds are in the Kenai River, and trout fishing is good on the Kenai too. Reds are big on the fly-outs, with limits caught. Bears are showing in good numbers so bear-viewing is excellent on the fly-outs!

Halibut continues to be consistent both out of the southern peninsula and Seward.

Tuesday, June 21 is the summer solstice. Here in our part of Alaska we don't quite get the "midnight sun" but at midnight it's still light enough to see easily. I was standing on my back deck watching a cow moose and her calf last night at midnight. It seems strange to people who aren't used to all the daylight, but being an Alaskan all my life means it's normal to me! I enjoy all the daylight because I know that mid-December we'll have about six hours of daylight.

The season is going well here at Tower Rock Lodge. If you're in the area, stop by and say hi!

Melanie

This early run of red salmon has been great, with guests bringing in limits both on the Kenai River and on fly-outs to Wolverine Creek. In addition, the bear-viewing was fantastic on the fly-out. There's nothing quite like being in a boat some 30' or so from a grizzly - who is fishing in the same stream!

Halibut fishing is strong both in Cook Inlet and out of Seward. Guests brought in fish up to 140# this week. That's a lot of fish! Even Mike went out for halibut - everyone needs to get out on the salt water once in awhile.

I sat down and had a chat with a few of our guests this weekend, and jotted down their comments.

Joe Hanley was full of enthusiasm for the red fishing. "I hooked probably 12, and landed five. It was great fishing!"

Mike Garvey, Sr. had this to say for his group of four: "We've had the time of our lives - it was paramount! We'll never do anything this great again, unless we come back here."

Mike Garvey, Jr. shared his thoughts too. "This trip far exceeded my expectations, and from now on, whenever I think of Alaska, I'll picture the Tower Rock Lodge."

You know things are going well when the guests are happy and heading home with boxes of fish!

I'll end with a photo - I'd like to say it's a photo of a salmon, but I keep missing the photo opportunities on the fish! I'll try to do better this week. But this is a cute photo of a little cow moose that stopped to scratch her nose back by the sauna yesterday. You don't see this pose very often!

Wherever you're fishing this summer, keep those lines tight - and c'mon up to visit us here at Tower Rock!

Melanie

HOT!! That's the best word to describe the fishing lately!

The Kenai River is looking better everyday and the kings are moving in nicely. Mark took a group out the other day and brought three kings to the boat, releasing two over 50#! One measured 53.5" long. Right now all kings between 44" and 55" must be released.

Mike retained a 38 pounder this past week, so there are definitely some nice fish coming through. He missed a strike on a BIG one. The first run of reds is already in the river too.

Halibut fishing is really good. A group went out this weekend and came back with three coolers packed full of filets. Now that's going to taste good come winter! We've also just started into some clam tides, and guests are taking advantage of those too. The Whitefields went out and came back with some 40 clams today.

Weather has been pretty good, periods of sun in the mornings with some late afternoon showers. Mosquitoes are a bit hungry, but we're trying out those new mosquito vacs at the lodge and they really seem to help.

I saw a cow moose with two new calves, and a group of caribou (one male had a really nice rack too) on my way in from Kenai yesterday. Eagles are everywhere as is typical so close to the river, so a day rarely goes by that we don't see eagles too.

All in all, it's shaping up to be a great Alaskan summer. Hope to see you here!

Melanie

We had an exciting weekend here at Tower Rock! The ACS (Alaska Communications Systems) crew came down with a group from Film Alaska Locations, Inc. to do commercial shoots for ACS. They used the Tower Rock grounds, dock, river area and driveway for several commercials - including one featuring our very own Mike and Mark! In addition, I'm proud to say that Trick (my canine buddy) was part of a campfire scene. For those of you in Alaska, keep your eyes open for those ACS commercials! I understand they should be out in June.

I've put together a separate page with the story and photos. Click here to go to that page.

On to the fishing! Halibut continues to be good in Cook Inlet, as does the fishing for the saltwater kings. Kings are moving into the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers, with reports of fish being taken on both. The Kenai River is still pretty low but that will probably change soon.

We had a long-time Alaskan stop by to visit at the lodge the other day, and he was telling us about being out on the saltwater last week with two of his buddies, just off of Deep Creek. He said that they hit a triple on kings. They weren't planning on being out long, and when one hit the first king they figured they'd head in - but then before they could pull up another king hit the second line, and then a third one hit! In a very short amount of time they all had their fish and headed back in to shore.

The weather continues to be very nice. Some rain but not much, and when it rains it just pours for a bit and then stops. It's been incredibly nice. The moose are starting to calve, and we're seeing more cows wander through the property. And as I was driving in from Kenai yesterday, I saw several caribou on the flats by the Kenai River bridge. We'll be seeing caribou here at the lodge any time as there's a group that wanders around our area.

Keep those lines tight, and check back soon for the next report!

Melanie

Sorry it's been so long since the last fishing report! I PROMISE to keep up on it better now that summer is nearly here. And WHEW, what a spring it has been! April brought us record high temperatures, and May has been very warm too.

Our first guests, Tim Liddiard and his brother Bob, arrived last week and spent some time both on the Kenai River and out on the salt water. They had a great day floating down the Kenai, fishing for trout. One of the trout they caught was estimated at ten pounds - a beauty! They released it, of course. In the inlet, they both limited out on halibut and Tim brought in a very nice 30# king too. Add to that the gorgeous weather and they were very happy!

Kings are coming into the river now, with a few being caught and better fishing every day. Trout fishing was excellent until the weather got hot, but with the recent clouds the trout fishing is picking up again. Boats are starting to hit the river more, and I'll be keeping the report updated with what I hear about the king fishing!

A young cow moose visited the lodge today, and grazed for quite awhile on the grass around the cabins. She was just ten feet away or so while she munched. I snapped this photo as she meandered off between the cabins. We typically see a lot of cow moose in the early summer, as they find our area a pretty safe place to have their calves. It's not uncommon to see several in one day.

Keep those lines tight -

Melanie

March is here, with the kindness of a lamb and not the ferociousness of a lion! It has been warm and wonderful these past few weeks. The snow is melting nicely and I even spied some dirt (REAL DIRT) on the road heading in to the lodge this past week! Dirt is always a sign that summer's on its way.

Mike and I have been busy with bookings lately - July is looking nice and we have some great incentives to book in June too. We're all looking forward to the summer and hitting the Kenai and Cook Inlet!

I don't have many photos to share with you, but I pulled this one out to let you see that the snow - while melting - still has a long ways to go! This is my puppy Khana, laying in the snow during a break from playing. If you look in the upper left-hand side of the photo (above her tail) you can barely see the edge of the roof and the side of the lodge. The roof is still boasting some snow but that won't last for long!

Keep those lines tight, and hope to see you up here at the Rock for some great 2005 fishing!

Melanie

The winter is progressing nicely and we've even had some warm days! Of course, warm to us this time of year means anything in the 30's. We've even had some days recently where the snow is melting and it feels like summer is coming. After you live here for awhile, though, you learn not to believe Mother Nature in February. We could still get five feet of snow and temps below zero! Mother Nature has a mean sense of humor.

Many of you have written and asked about Mark. He was in Thailand at the time of the earthquake and tsunami in December. Luckily he was in the northern area of Thailand and was safe. Never fear, we DO get another year with Mark and his antics!

Speaking of earthquakes, I was actually here in Alaska during the 9.2 quake in 1964. I was young but I have memories of watching my Dad try to come up from the basement while the quake was happening - he was flung from side to side. We were very lucky though, as Alaska was so lightly populated and so the damage was not as devastating as it would have been in a more populated area.

I took some photos during our recent snowfall of over a foot. This is the road that heads in to the lodge. In the summer it's a dirt road, but now it's a little bit of a winter wonderland. In addition, a moose came to visit (not the one from the last report!). While my dogs barked frantically from behind their chain link fence, the moose casually stripped the bark off of the willow bushes and ignored the dogs.

Mike reports that there is a "swimmingly good salmon forecast" and that the 2005 season is looking great. With the daylight increasing (over 9 hours now!) it's easy to see that summer is on its way and we'll be sitting on the banks of the Kenai with rod in hand before we know it!

I'll leave you with one more photo, taken from my home here on the Tower Rock Lodge property. This is an evening sunset .. one of the many beautiful sunsets that we see here in Alaska.

Melanie

Well, the new year is here and I can look back over 2004 fondly. It was a great summer at Tower Rock Lodge - a bit too hot for this Alaskan, but the guests seemed to enjoy it! Fishing was great from late May clear into the crisp autumn days. As I look out at the frost covered trees tonight, I dream of the coming season with anticipation of another wonderful summer.

While I don't have much to report as far as fishing goes, I can update you on winter in Alaska. I made a drive to Anchorage a few weeks ago, through the mountain pass and along Turnagain Arm. I was on my way to pick up my new puppy (Khana - chow chow) who arrived here from Ontario, Canada. In my "free time" I'm a dog trainer and this makes pooch #5 in my little house. I need all those furry warm mutts in the middle of these Alaskan winters. I pile them on the bed - sometimes it's a one-dog night, sometimes it's a three dog night! And those who visited this past summer will, of course, remember Trick. She's the shepherd that fetches beer from the fridge! She'll be practicing before this coming summer. If I could just get her to quit drinking it ...

Anyway, on the drive I stopped to take some pictures of the frozen waterfalls on the bluff along Turnagain Arm. This is the same area that is famous for viewing mountain sheep in the summer. The waterfalls (icefalls?) turn some beautiful shades of blue when the sun hits them. It wasn't too sunny that day, but the sight was still pretty impressive. Ice-climbers come out to practice their skills on these walls of solid ice.

Just a few days ago, I glanced out the front kitchen window (I live year-around on the Tower Rock Lodge property) and there was a young bull moose bedded down out front. I went out to take photos. He was a bit out in the woods, not against the house, and I wasn't going to tramp through all the snow just for a closer photo! Then that night, when I let my dogs into the back yard, the shepherds charged out and started barking frantically. I could hear "chomping" noises on the other side of the fence, and figured our little bull buddy was out there. The moose learn quickly that my dogs can't get to them, and so have little fear and will graze within feet of the fenceline - even when the dogs are running back and forth making obnoxious comments (I think I heard something along the lines of "yo mamma" the other night). I went out with a flashlight and could see the bull about 15' from the fence, so I grabbed my little digital camera and tried to get some pictures. Here's the rump - honestly! But in the middle of my attempt to get a good photo the little bull chose to take a nap behind some bushes, and he laid down. I decided standing out there in the cold wasn't worth it if he wasn't even going to try to strike a decent pose, so I called the dogs in and retreated to the warmth of the house.

We've had some fairly cold weather this month (down to about -20F). The aurora borealis can be gorgeous when the temps are that cold! But you can often catch sight of the northern lights during our September evenings too, for those of you who might want to come up for the fall fly fishing.

Well, time to log off and head to bed. Let me see .. I think it's about a "one and a half dog" night - good thing I have a puppy!

Melanie

As the days grow colder and ice begins to show on the ponds and puddles, the trout fishing remains sharp for those who enjoy the crisp cool mornings. September and October are incredible months on the Kenai Peninsula - the coolness is invigorating and the summer skeeters and gnats have died off. Some of the best fishing happens in the fall!

Driving into Kenai, I've seen several vehicles parked along the river flats and - looking out over the flats - a number of duck blinds are visible. Duck hunting is popular along the river in the fall. Every once in awhile you see a hunter walking back from a blind, rifle over one shoulder and hunting dog by his side.

I stopped on the river flats and took a photo of a sunset behind Mt. Redoubt, reflected in the Kenai River. The scenery here is incredible at times.

Winter is coming and we're buckling down for the cold months. Hoses are rolled up and put away, areas are cleared for plowing, and the pantries and freezers are stocked up in case of a heavy snowfall that keeps us from getting to town. There isn't any snow on the ground yet, but one thing you learn about Alaskan winters - you never know what's going to happen!

Melanie

"Let's get her done," Tony yelled as we pushed off for an upper river drift trip. We were 30 seconds into the trip when we hit a double, one dolly about 6 pounds and a nice rainbow. We pulled the boat over to release the trout when Tony's rod went down again with a leaping silver.

Both the upper and the middle river have been pistol hot with big 'bows and dollies on the spey rods. Also the upper river, where it enters Skilak Lake, is still plugged with big trout.

The Anchor River is kicking out nice steelheard with a picture perfect backdrop of fall colors. With an Indian summer still going on the fishing should continue to be excellent for another couple of weeks.

Until the snow flies, the leeches and beads will fly too -

Mark

The silver salmon fishing has remained excellent throughout the past week with limits taken daily. Rainbows have been really good, with the big 'bows showing now. Reds and pinks are leaving the middle river and with the lower temperatures the trout fishing is getting better daily!

Moose hunting season ended today, with a lot of moose harvested here on the Kenai Peninsula. Even our own Crystal got one - and my dogs appreciate the bones very much! I won't even begin to describe what my kitchen looks like after four big dogs have been chewing on giant bones. Such is life in Alaska!

While we still have guests here at the lodge, taking advantage of the spectacular fall trout fishing, the weather is certainly indicating that winter is on its way. Keep in touch for all the news of the Alaskan winter as we head into the snowy months and dream of the fishing next spring!

Melanie

Heading into town last night, I stopped and watched a cow moose and her young calf for awhile. The calf was having a great time, running and bucking on a lawn. It's hunting season right now, but only the bulls have to worry. We had a little bull at the lodge a week or two ago, but mostly we see the cows and calves. On the river flats last night, there was another cow with two calves tagging along behind. They're enjoying the cooler weather as we head into the fall crispness.

The run of silvers continues to be good, with guests still easily getting limit catches. Bear viewing and good fishing is still available on the occasional fly-out. Upper river trout fishing is great, with the fall colors providing a beautiful backdrop for fly-fishing.

Melanie

I've returned from the gold mine, unfortunately without finding the mother lode but certainly rested and full of stories. This is a real working gold mine, with a two-story tall sluicebox designed and built by the guys at the mine. They work long hours for the gold, panning out the last of it by hand. I even had a lesson on how to run the dragline this time - the tall crane that has a huge metal "box" that is thrown out and dragged along the bottom of the pond in order to bring up the dirt for the sluicebox. I had a great time there, camping on the mine property (no electricity, no phone, no computer, no running water!).

It's been a very dry and hot summer here in Alaska. We've had many record high temps and a record year for wildfires - over 6 million acres burned. Most of that was in the interior (near Fairbanks) with just one major fire here on the Peninsula. We were lucky enough to have the great weather without all the problems!

Fishing continues to be good with the run of silvers showing strong. Guests are consistently getting their limits - sometimes in a short amount of time! Silvers are great sport fish, and lots of fun to catch. The pinks (humpies) are still thick in the river and are easy to hook.

I've added photos to the August 16th report (below) of the 120 pound halibut and a ling cod - one of those kind of fish you'd hate to run into in a dark alley!

Tight lines -

Melanie

The Kasilof river is HOT these days. The three anglers from the Harding party went out this morning and all caught their limits within the first three hours. They told us the silvers were thick in the river and that fishing was fantastic!

The Kenai River has its share of silvers too, plus a huge helping of those odd-looking humpies. Under still-clear skies, the fishing is good no matter where you go! We have a bit of smoke here from the wildfires still burning in the state, but it hasn't affected the fishing and all is well on the home front.

Two caribou visited the other day, both with trophy sized racks. And the moose are moving back into the area. I saw four a few days ago in front of the cabins. The first two were a cow and calf, the second two were a cow and a young bull. It's hunting season here, and we're not talking wabbits!

I'm off to the gold mine again for a few days, and will be back next week with another fishing report (and hopefully a poke full of gold!).

Melanie

Yesterday, young angler Max Levitch brought in a 120 pound halibut that was nearly taller than he was. He also caught a very large ling cod, with a face only a mother could love! Today Max and his parents went out on the Kasilof River and hit the silvers, each catching their limit. The Kasilof is hot right now!

This morning the Elliott group headed out of Seward for a halibut/salmon combo trip and came back with a large cooler so full of fillets that two guys could barely carry it. I hear they brought in a 140# halibut, in addition to silvers, black bass and a yellow-eye (great eating!).

More photos to come soon, so keep checking back!

Melanie

Fishing remains reliable into the new month, with silvers showing more daily and, of course, the ever handy ocean providing a mix of halibut, ling cod, bass and various rockfish. The weather is incredible as is the norm this summer, with temperatures still in the 70's.

I took off for a few days and headed north, about 515 miles, to a working gold mine past Fairbanks. While the mother lode was elusive, I did come back with a small vial of gold I panned myself, and new enthusiasm for the yellow stuff! I even lugged home a big bucket of dirt so I could pan on my back deck. I figure I'm just "fishing" for a new species!

Melanie

In addition to some nice kings being brought in (like this 55# beauty caught by Ric Teller), silvers are starting to show and the reds continue to be strong.

Out in the big water, the halibut are still being caught in limit numbers, along with rockfish and cod. In addition, low tides gave access to clamming and guests returned with near limits of clams.

All is well in the land of the midnight sun!

Melanie

The King fishing has its days of splendor here on the Kenai River. Steve, a guest in the Steele group, brought in this gorgeous 72# king a few days ago! A great fight, a great fish and some wonderful photos to keep this memory always fresh makes for a good day on the Kenai.

In the stories department is the story of another big king brought in by someone dipnetting at the mouth of the river. Dipnetting is opened up to residents of Alaska in July, and is done with special long handled nets. Some stand in the water and hold these nets, and some fish from boats. One fisherman, dipnetting from a boat, felt a huge bump on the net and managed to haul in an 86.6 pound king! While dipnetting is specifically for red salmon, dipnetters are allowed to keep one king.

Days are hectic but nights are peaceful at Tower Rock Lodge. This photo, taken late last night, shows a cow moose grazing near one of the cabins. She showed up with her calf, who is getting pretty large by now.

Just one more week of king fishing, and then the schedule quiets down as people settle into more fly-fishing. The silvers will be running soon!

Melanie

Fishing continues to be great here on the Kenai Peninsula. The Carlson group brought in a whopping 600+ pounds of halibut on a charter out of Anchor Point this week. With six guys, that averages out to a hundred pounds of halibut each! The biggest fish weighed in at 200 pounds.

On the Kenai River, the reds are really starting to run. These seven anglers from the Carlson and Guemes groups went out with fly rods and everyone caught their limit of reds today! Kings are showing well, with many hooked and not quite as many brought to the boat. A really big'un got away today - but as the saying goes, it's better to have hooked a big'un and lost it, then to never have hooked one at all! Here's a great one that didn't get away - Barry Kreindler and his 50 pound king brought in on July 13.

A day on the river sure beats a day at work, regardless of how the fishing is. This photo is Guide Mark Tuhy heading for the Tower Rock Lodge dock with two anglers this evening. Even fishermen need to stop for food and sleep!

Weather is still warm and wonderful, with a few clouds moving in and a chance for some rain to help with the very dry conditions.

More soon!

Melanie

Under magnificent blue skies and in warmer-than-normal weather, Mike and Mark have been successful in getting their guests on some of those great King salmon!

Pictured here is Jackie Wharton with her 65 pound King from yesterday. Caught on a Redington rod and reel, this fish provided Jackie with a good battle but she didn't come all the way from Scotland to let the big one get away! Husband Ric Wharton brought in a large King in the morning, so their trip has definitely been one to remember.

Angler Mike Walls brought in a nice 50 pound King yesterday too. What a day on the Kenai!

Keep those lines wet!

Melanie

Fishing is always interesting here in the land of the Midnight Sun! Last month a halibut was caught in Cook Inlet that actually had a beer can in its stomach - Bud, I believe. "This Bud's for you" takes on a whole new meaning! Halibut fishing has been fantastic this year. A 180-pounder was caught from a drift boat out of Ninilchik a week or so ago! Amazing.

The kings are picking up in the Kenai River. Here's a photo of a fighting king, brought in by guest John Bues last week. This king measured 54.5" long and is estimated at 55 pounds, and was released at the boat. The photo is by Bill Deliman, who also shared this great photo of his father Andy, and red salmon caught on the Kasilof River. Reds are also in the Kenai River now, and in large numbers.

The weather is glorious, and the fires that are burning in interior Alaska have not affected us much here.

Melanie

The Kenai River clears a bit more every day, and kings are hitting the lines more and more. The Kasilof had a strong run of reds throughout last week, as is shown in this photo of guests Moses Ramos, Jim Brannan, Rose Brannan and Robyn Ramos. They fished with guide Mark Bressler on the Kasilof and each caught their limit of red salmon.

The halibut catches remain good, with limits caught and weights up over 100 pounds at times.

When guests aren't fishing, they're enjoying the view. A cow moose and her two young calves visited the lodge this weekend. Note the roof seen behind the calves - that's a guest's cabin!

Keep your lines wet and stop by again for the latest in fishing reports.

Melanie

With the summer solstice upon us, we are at 19 hours of actual daylight, with 23.5 hours of "visible" light. It gives us a lot of time to view all the wonders Alaska has to offer!

Fishing for halibut has been spectacular. The Ramos party has been having great success out in the waters of Cook Inlet and have brought in fish ranging up to 85 pounds. Here is a photo of Moses and Robyn Ramos, posing with a catch after fishing with one of our affiliate guides.

A number of guests went out on a fly-out to Wolverine Creek, to fish alongside of brown bears. This shot is of a brownie in the water, close-up and personal! Bear-viewing is an extra bonus on those fly-outs.

The weather has been wonderful - blue skies and warm temps - but it's caused a large run-off from the hills and the Kenai River has been full of silt, with fishing slower these days. As the river clears, fishing for those kings will definitely pick up.

Keep watching the fishing reports - more will be coming SOON!

Melanie

Fishing is - in the words of the some of this week's guests - "wonderful, fantastic, GREAT!"

Today Carl Grinsted brought in a 40 pound King from the Kenai - now that's a nice catch!. The Kasilof is on fire, with the Mayo group hooking more than 30 fish and bringing over half to the boat. The three McClure men have fished the Kasilof River too, with nearly 20 fish hooked.

Young angler Lilly Herbert brought in a nice 25# King from the Kenai River today. Fishing is picking up on the Kenai, with larger runs expected soon.

Halibut fishing has been incredible, with catches over 140 pounds and several brought in over 80 pounds.

Guests are describing the experience at Tower Rock Lodge as a "great adventure" and that "you don't get a lot of sleep, but you have fun!". Another guest told me tonight that this is the place to come if you're a serious fisherman - but then the McClure guys told us that we "turn amateurs into pros"! Everyone has a great time when fishing with the guides at Tower Rock.

And in the peacefulness of our long daylight hours, moose are numerous this year. Several cows with new calves have been sighted here, and the caribou are due to come through any day. This cow bedded down in front of the lodge and napped peacefully as we walked past her. The photo was taken at midnight with no artificial lighting - we're at 19 hours of daylight, with 23 hours of "visible light". It gives us a lot of time to enjoy the fishing, scenery and wildlife that makes up this wonderful state.

Keep tuned for more updates as fishing gets even BETTER!

Melanie

Guide Casey Malepsy had his finest day ever on the early run kings, bringing over 20 to the boat (unfortunately, I was elsewhere!). The hottest action has been happening on the gravel bars fishing plugs (and yet, I was told to stay out of bars and turn down the music!).

The Kasilof River with "The CHEZ" on the sticks has been averaging about five kings to the boat per trip, retaining about 50% hatchery salmon.

Homer has had 14 flatties over a buck (100 pounds) so far this season.

Super low tide week; will confirm halibut scores during the week-end! Weather great in the day, cool at night.

Keep it wet - MT

Well due to a computer glitch the report from a few days ago disappeared so here goes with the latest scoop.

In just the past couple of days the saltwater troll fishery for king salmon in Cook Inlet between Anchor Point and Deep Creek has turned RED HOT. Both private boats and the charter boats are hitting good numbers of kings ranging up to 40 pounds. A pair of charters came in the other day with nine anglers on board and between them they hooked into 16 kings and everyone got their limit of one to bring home. Halibut fishing has also been steady with fish running around 30 pounds and the occasional 70 or 80 pounder.

The good news is the substantial number of kings being taken in the 30-40 pound bracket bodes well for the first run of Kenai kings since most kings headed for Deep Creek, Ninilchik River and the Kasilof River average in the teens and twenties.

The Kasilof River is already showing the first kings at the People Hole and there are still some catch and release steelhead anglers are landing. May 16th will allow the use of bait for king fishing in the Kasilof River so things will kick into gear very soon there.

The clam beaches have been producing limits for diggers in about an hour (60 clams) but today was the last day of the minus tide set. The next clam tides begin on May 17th and run thru May 21st.

Kings have already been taken in the Kenai and with the numbers showing in the saltwater down at Deep Creek, we should be seeing some good fishing very soon. The river is running about double its normal flow for this time of the year which means the boats will be able to navigation through even the tough stretches earlier than usual this year.

Time to shake out the cob webs and do some shake down cruises in preparation for the first guests. The trees are leafing out, the grass is turning green and summer is here!

Tight lines and good fishing, MT x 2

Although winter seems to be giving up reluctantly (we had some slushy snow the other day), Mother Nature just won't wait any longer. The snow and ice is disappearing quickly and the Kenai is coming alive with waterfowl, terns, seagulls, and other migrants who herald in the beginning of Summer.

We're looking forward to breaking in our newest drift boat this season on some trophy rainbows as well as salmon.

No word yet on kings in the saltwater but historically they should be moving into the Anchor Point stretch very soon. With the weather warming there are already a few local boats heading down the highway for their check out cruises out of Homer for early halibut and feeder kings.

The way break up is progressing the river conditions remain in good shape with just a gradual flow of runoff that is keeping the clarity in good shape for those first kings. Guide Mark Tuhy and one of our early season guests from last year pose with a couple of early run Kenai Kings and we are expecting a good season this year to equal last year's performance.

If you want to see how close we are to starting the season, you can check out this QuickTime VR panorama taken the other day from the Soldotna Bridge. Our Early Bird Special indicates a lot of our guests were definitely interested in beating the crowds and focussing on Kings and Halibut to fill their fish boxes before the mid-summer rush. And our Fall Special focussing on BIG rainbows, Dolly Varden, and silver salmon is also generating a good response for those affionados who prefer the peace and quiet of a late season drift down a river loaded with plenty of willing fish and few other competitors.

It won't be long now said the monkey as he backed into the lawn mower!

Cheers, MT

Well we lost a few winter updates during the last modifications made to the website but we recovered the photos taken just a month ago.

The winter has been moderate this season with an average amount of snow that wasn't too hard on the local critters. And there are always some that hang around the yard waiting for spring to arrive just like us. This is a Yearling Bald Eagle that keeps a sharp eye on the river for drifting scraps or dying salmon. The local moose herd has been expanding and this Yearling Moose Calf helped keep an eye on things around the premises. The Drift Boat was drifted in a month ago but warm spring weather has diminished the snow level considerably compared to this shot of the Guest Cabins just last month.

But all that has changed and for us Alaskans its springtime already. Last week was the first daylight minus tide of the year and with the 40 degree weather there were a number of locals out on the beach at Clam Gulch digging their first 60 clam limits of the year.

The Kenai River ice went out last weekend and the river is now free-flowing open water again and preparing to welcome the first king salmon soon. Usually the first king salmon landed on the Kenai occurs in early May with the earliest confirmed catch being on April 28th one year. With the great returns for the early and late Kenai runs last season, Fish & Game is predicting another healthy year of good counts for both kings and reds. The average winter weather we had should put the runs right on track for their typical arrival dates with some kings taken in the saltwater troll fishery between Anchor Point and Deep Creek in the mid-April timeframe.

Mark will be coming back from Thailand next week (where he was expanding his Thai cooking skills) then up and onward to Alaska to open the Lodge for the 2004 season. If history repeats itself, the first King salmon is usually caught by May 5 in the Kenai... the halibut fishing is usually good early on and the Big Kings start to show in the Salt Chuck. We are also excited about a brand new drift boat we will be christening this year in the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers. There is plenty of Early Bird Action for those fortunate enough to book our Internet Specials.

We'll see you sooooooon!
Cheers Mike

The big rainbows registered between 28 and 34 inches with a long distance release of a huge trout that produced anglers gravey leg snacking 5 inch beige bunnyfur leachs. This could be considered the "last supper" before winter sets in with a little snow on the ground the lodge closed up this weekend, for a cool winter rest, then on to a red hot summer. Warm regards, 2E Bros.

Mark took two celebrities from Las Vegas fishing this weekend for the big rainbows. The charming couple, Siegmond and Roy, were called back early for their show but left a hard copy of "Don't Tease The Kitty" by Claude Balls for what seems to be a timely tip.

Fishing for rainbows has been excellent in the middle river of the Kenai ... our anglers have been averaging 25 fish per rod with many in the five to six pound range. The largest a 32" rainbow who should consider the Atkin's diet, an estimated weight of 14 pounds (never ask a fish its weight especially if it is a female!).

The cool weather and lack of photoshythesis has the trees in beautiful fall colors .. silvers are gone but not forgotten! Stay tuned until next Quip .. Steelhead in the Anchor River and moose on the loose ... as always, yours truly! This is a great time for the serious Rainbow Trout fly fisherman!

Steelhead are in the Anchor River, with the best times first thing in the morning and capitalizing on the tides (which are very low this week).

The weekend had the rainbows leaned-on in the Middle Kenai, but the cold, windy conditions made fishing difficult. Some nice bows were caught if you could chuck and duck in a 20 mile wind...snow job soon to follow!

Silvers remain slow on the Lower River...a disappointment for the early predictions of an awesome run! Maybe next year...for now... a few fish here and there and enough for a small barbeque...but hold-out on sending the entire guest list and notice to the In-laws...seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...mt

Silvers are spotty, but even our younger guests are bringing some in. Check here to see a nice catch! The Kasilof River has a silver lining.

The caribou paid a visit to Tower Rock Lodge this past week. Guests enjoyed seeing them! While the meals at the lodge are excellent, the caribou enjoyed the great (outdoors) cuisine.

Rainbow fishing on upper Kenai River is very good. Halibut tides are excellent. Stormy seas at Seward during the silver salmon derby, but we anticipate good fishing this week.

Guests are getting limits of silvers on fly-outs and seeing some great scenery along the way. The lower Kenai proves to be slow. Rainbow fishing is close to on fire though!

The largest clam tides of the month are coming up in a few days. We use special "tackle" for those critters.

Weather has been HOT HOT HOT with record highs lately. We're actually looking forward to a little bit of damp!

Wow, what a week of fishing!

Here's the king of the week - a 60# monster brought in by guest Kenny Teng. The week saw a lot of kings making it to the boat, with many in the 40-50# range.

In the inlet, the halibut fishing was more than fine. Guest Mitch Kahn landed a 175# barndoor - what to do with all that fish?? Guests limited out and had a great time doing so.

Today's the last day of king season - on to silvers next!

The runs of Kings and Reds continue to be strong in the Kenai River, with a total count of 33,356 Kings and 843,018 Reds passing the Alaska Department of Fish and Game sonar counters.

Our guests are enjoying their time on the river, with some great catches to show for time well spent. Check out this picture of a guest with his Kenai River King, taken this week.

While the weather is sometimes hot and other times wet, nothing takes away from the thrill of landing a great King. Here's another catch from this week - what a fight this was!

July in Alaska is an incredible time - days continue to be long and fish are running hard. Check out our Photo Page for more current pictures!

The fishing is hot, the weather is hot, and all is fantastic here in Alaska!

Anglers are getting consistent hits and bringing in some great Kings on the Kenai. Here's one of our guests with his Kenai River King. Reds are also running well, with high numbers of escapement, so limits are caught regularly.

The Kasilof River also continues to be hot, and anglers are having great success there too. Click here to see a great Kasilof catch.

Heading back out to the river - got to fish while the fishin's hot!

The near record 80 degree sunny temperature and good halibut fishing has our guests tired and smiling. And who wouldn't, with big kings in the Kenai River...reds making a big push...and halibut fishing with four pound of lead. The negative tides has our Portland guests scoring easy limits of big razor clams too!

Can't wait untill "Bloody Tuesday" and bounce for the Kings...a seventy pounder was caught yesterday...there are some very big fish showing up in the system...definitely bigger than last year! Yours truly, Rod Bentover

The second run kings have arrived in the Kenai preceeded by a big population of Jacks. The sonar counter, in the lower Kenai counted 1250 Kings entering in the drainage...and more are on there way.

Fly-outs are producing strong numbers of Reds at Wolverine Creek and the halibut tides are suberb all week...the weather is stellar...sunny, clear skies.

The Kenai water clarity is clear and the fish numbers are expected to continue to climb...Seward has Silvers!!

Life is good on the ditch!

King fishing on the Kenai remains slow with a total of 10,500 fish in the Kenai system and a forecasted 12-14K for the June run. Approximately 500 Kings are entering the draingae daily, water conditions are good which should reflect in an improved catch rate this week.

Kasilof River remains pretty good with 3-5 Kings to the boat per charter. The favorable tides for Homer halibut, makes it the best bet for loading the freezer.

Trout fishing on the middle Kenai is hot...fishing a "Joey" (secret fly pattern...not to be confused with Buttifuco (sp?)!

SILVER SALMON BEING CAUGHT OFF OF SEWARD...ALREADY!...now that is a go figure... Seeya...mt

King fishing remains slow on the Kenai, with few fish invited to the barbeque the others... unfortunately... RSVP'd and cancelled the engagement indicating on the response that they would rather spawn than die...

Reds remain slow on the Russian with the die-hards fishing as if the next cast will prove to be a good hook-up. As for now...keep casting...Bud!

We have a group out on an all day fly-out in a turbo-proped Beaver DaHavilund looking to catch a few of each spieces and promise to release any bears...then halibut tommorrow out of Homer...more later/mt

Halibut fishing proved good for father-son team of the Horchak's all the way from the great State of New Jersey, netting 80 pounds of prime fillets out of the chilly waters of Cook Inlet.

The Kenai region has been getting wet (read rain) and the rivers are blown out...for the time being. The sun arrived today and the River is on the mend. As a famous country artist once lamented, or should have "Don't it make my brown water...blue!"

Our guide 'The Chez' limited on Reds in a couple of hours this morning on the Kenai but the Kasilof remains the best bet for tommorrow's King fishing (and Reds of course on the Kenai, in the afternoon and yet, maybe another cowboy tune!) All is well!! .........Regards/mt

Kings in the Kenai remain strong, with Sam hooking a 70-75 pounder and three other salmon released! Two to Four fish to the boat seems to be the usual charter...and some none at all. Not blistering hot but interesting!

The water level is finally rising=some eight inches in the last week...leaving the river a little off color (not unlike the humor at Tower Rock Lodge).

New boats, new cabins, new tackle and even a few new jokes...it don't get better than that!.............more later....mike

Hooked 4 bright kings yesterday...3 to the boat. Today's news 2 to the boat and released. Life is good on the Kenai and one of the better May starts in years=you gotta love it!

There is currently a retain slot limit of (less than) 44 inches or over 55 inches. We got loads of rod bending action!

Even Dolly Varden fly-fishing on a catch and release in the lower Kenai is happening...slow but happening 4 to the boat w/the largest @25 inches.

All is well in the North Country and no terrorist cells cited with fly rods! call soon it's happening....mt

The mild winter and strong smolt returns suggest a good King salmon season. The tea leaf readers are predicting one of the best Silver Salmon runs since the recorded times of the Fish and Game statistics on the Kenai.

Let's hope they are right.

We still have some great dates available...call when you can, it should be a blast! mt

All is well in the great State of Oregon, with my girlfriend Paige, catching a nice steelhead over the weekend and hooking another...and the Spring salmon are in the local river systems. Locals are looking forward to a strong early season.

Alaskans are in for a mild winter...when you have to truck snow to the Iditarod...you know you have a short and mild winter!

We expect an early break-up on the Kenai...in fact, much of the ice is already broken! This could bode well for the Kings making the turn at Homer... for an invitation to a barbeque at Tower Rock were they will be the guest of honor and served at dinner!

Pheasant hunting this weekend...I'll give it a shot!

Had a great time Steelheading at the Oregon Coast with long time friends. We side drifted eggs from my wooden driftboat with some success and then endured some dirty water for the fly fishing.

I am back in the saddle again taking reservations for next season...and it is busier than ever! The great fishing from last year is an inspiration for more to join us, I guess. We are selling out weeks fast!

The Alaska Fish and Game folks are still working on a few new regulations for next season and I have yet to hear any prognosis but we will keep you posted! Stay tuned........Cheers/mt

I am in Portland and had a wonderful Christmas week and New Year with family and friends.

Busy with taking reservations for 2003 and looking forward to a great fishing season in Alaska...I will keep you posted on any predications that Fish and Game may have and/or any reliable Salmon Psychic...stay tuned for more!!

Tight lines in the New Year,

Mike

We finally have snow on the ground and the flooded Kenai has backed down fishing has been on hold...time to head South... Soon... with the other Snowbirds! Seeya... mt

We have had flood conditions all over the Peninsula, with
roads and bridges all washed out! Fishing is off the to do
list topped by possible sand bags. More later?...mt

It has been rainy and a bit on the warm side, for this time of year. We have been busy at the lodge getting ready for winter.

Antifreeze in the trucks...pickle the boats...and check-out the wood pile have been the tasks at hand.

Maybe fish this week for the rainbow, the water conditions are cold and clear. Warm Regards for now...mt

All is well in the Great North with bright silvers still swimming by the dock! There is an exception for the choosen few however, that are invited to check out our grill close up or see if the light stays on when the freezer door is closed...if you catch my drift!

Views of the Norhern Lights are on the horizon at night and the moose are still showing-up in the front yard by day. With most of the Pink salmon now out of the river system...rainbow fishing should rock this week! Fly rod in hand and gone... later mt

We are still getting limits of silvers off the dock (2 per rod) and some big ones...with David Pass weighing one in at 17.5 pounds, after a seal took a bite out of the belly (couldn't wait for the bar-b-que, I guess).

After limiting on silvers, a few of us went to the middle Kenai for trout, only to have fair trout fishing and the sighting of a brown bear. There were a wide variety of estimated weights from the judges in the boat (we all have learned never to ask a female her weight or age especially if it happens to be a brown bear feasting on salmon)!

Halibut fishing is pretty good, if you can get out of the bay due to the Fall storms. Sunny day and blue sky...See Ya!...mt

Rainbow fishing in the middle Kenai has been good with about 30 fish caught on the last outing...4 over 5lbs and a strong 8lb.er that did an areial display that even the French judges would have to acknowledge as a solid 10!

Silver salmon fishing in the lower river remains strong with limits nearly daily. The halibut fishing can be good with a 200 lb.er boated in Homer on Friday...but the usual September storms can keep the boats inside.

Weather is quite good in Soldotna (away from the beach) with an Indian Summer... all is well on the home front...off for some more rainbows today!!!! mt

We have been getting limits of silvers on the Kenai daily and pinks are available with nearly every cast of the spinners (fly fishing has been fun, too)!

We fished Seward during the derby and limited on halibut and Silvers...about 1200lbs. combined weight for the Tower Rock boat with Captain Andy at the helm. It was an awesome load of freezer pets...heavy halibut and chrome bright silvers! We loaded up better than good...bordering, if not exceeding, excellent!!!

If you could only see me now!!!

Trout and more silvers tommorrow on the fly rods...

Weather is good with an Indian Summer in play,

if we shoot a moose that will really make my day! seeya mt

As Martha would say "It's a good thing (except for that #^*#*###! audit)" all is looking good on the Peninsula and Silver Salmon Creek in general.

Silvers and pinks are plugged in the Kenai; on the last bear viewing/silver salmon trip, we counted 15 different bears and the silvers have arrived in the creek! Halibut fishing remains pretty good but with some radical tides this week. Weather can always be a factor in the late August thru September halibut fishery.

The Seagram's (the whisky people) arrive today and should have loads of good reasons to toast! That's all for now...mt

The better than average King Salmon season concluded on schedual July 31, ending on a bright note. Fishing remained fairly good and the weather awesome. Plus, and on even a brighter side, Silvers and Pinks are now pletiful in the Kenai!

We have just finished a video shoot for Cabela's, the catalog company extrodinare, that should be ready for release this coming November in a video rental store near you!

I certainly don't expect any Oscar nominations...but have started the acceptance speech just in case...the lead is "I want to thank all the little fish that made this all possible etc..."

Let me know what you think and/or if you would like a copy upon the timely completion! (Brad Pitt I'm not!) later-mt-

This place is smoking and the reels are singing! All the salmonoids are in the creek...the biggest fish of the year was caught yesterday with guide Mel Erickson and tilted the Toledo's at 87 pounds. Fishing in the Kenai has been very good and the silvers on the other side of the Inlet red hot!

The King return is above average and the silvers are showing early and with good numbers in the Kenai. Bouncing the Beav and Chicago hole are tommorrows pick...rods should bend early on the 4 am tide. We might pre-heat the bar-b-que...it should be awesome!...got to cut bait...best regards and wish you where here...mt

What do you say to a seven foot, 320 pounder bottom feeder that can't jump? Shaq...right-on! You read it right, the guest(s) at the lodge (who conincidentally works with the NBA in LA) nailed a Halibut bigger than the burger muching Pepsi drinking Shaq...(photo will soon be in the photo album section of the web site, once we get it small enough to post!)

Fishing on the Kenai for Kings has proved far better than average since the bait opener on July 1. In fact one of our guest caught a chrome, mint brite hen today and the eggs are curing as I type!

Reds are in the system...weather great...wish you were here! More later...mt (a Blazer fan)

Great news! The Kenai opened with bait today after an anemic June, with rods bending like crazy. We limited the boat by 10AM with the first crew and followed up with another early limit by 2PM...life is good on the River.

High boat on the river was Brian Lowe in the Hole (Beaver Creek) with 17 fish to the boat by noon, while fishing the Kenai Classic Tournament.

Halibut tides are great, but the wind is keeping the Deep Creek boats on the beach.

Reds in the Russian remain slow, but a fresh run is due by mid-month.

Got to go tie gear for the Hole at the 6:00 bell! Later mt

The Kenai will finally open on July 1, with the usual rules to apply. We have the eggs and sardines in the refer, chilling for the occasion!

The Russian remains pretty good for red salmon, and the trout fishing in the middle-Kenai slow. Our guests at the lodge opted to fly to Kodiak Island and fish the Karluck and the Salt. I've been interviewing them with the aid of a bright light and rubber hose; only to find the overall trip was quite good...but no matter how bad...there is nothing like the Kenai Peninsula for variety and a great Alaska lodge expierence!

Can't wait to fish with bait... Yours Truly/ mt

Somebody stop me! The thirteen year-old twins, Charlie and Tom Klassen from lovely downtown Baltimore boated a 249 pound halibut with skipper Gary Goins and hammered the reds on the Russian (with the help of Mom and Dad).

With the temporary closure of the Kenai we have exercised other options, releasing a 14 pound rainbow and working the Kasilof with plenty of action! Fishing is strong on the Chuitt fly-out and over-whelming on the Russian...the combat zone is alive and well...more later!

mt

The Kenai remains with poor visibilty, as snow-melt waters fill the system from the fantastic sunny weather. I guess you can't always have it both ways!

But God bless Tom Corr and the Kasilof, as limits have been managed before noon...6 in the boat today and 12 yesterday...salmon that is!

Halibut tides are great this week and some nice big salmon are being caught before the tide change in the salt.

Moose are on the loose and done with their calfing, so the little ones are seen regularly, trying to stay out of the food chain. See ya later...m

Still cold in the Great State and we are awaiting the spring melt...but we still have some open fishing slots with hot deals. Call me for the latest in ice breaking bargains for fishing the 2002 season! Thanks...1.800.284.3474...Mike