JEFF SELF Loc: ARCATA, CA

Good Evening,
I am Jeff Self from Arcata,CA and making my first Kenai trip in September. I have been fishing for 69 of my 74 years and looking forward to prepping for the expedition. My daughter and I have degrees in Fisheries, BS&MS from Humboldt State University and Kate's MS from Oregon State. To say the least we are excited!!

If anybody has any information or tips on gear, lodging, eateries, and secret fishing areas we would love to hear from you. Also, any articles you can recommend would be helpful.

Thank you,
Jeff Self. email: jself@humboldt1.com
phone: (707) 822-1017. cell: (707) 499-3138

bibenthal Loc: SoCal

Hi Jeff,
You and your daughter are going in silver salmon season which peaks in September in the Kenai Peninsula. I would advise getting a guide to fish to Kenai River first in the sections near the ocean because there is limited shore access (private) and the banks are steep and cutoff. A guide can help you quickly find the silvers as our guide did close to the ocean mouth in 1986. We caught silvers, pink salmon, Dolly Varden, and even some later run sockeye on the Kenai river the last week in August. You will not have pink salmon running because they only run upriver on even number years. The middle river and upper river you can shore fish easily and are the best areas for big rainbow trout that follow the spawning salmon upriver. For the large river rainbows salmon egg pattern flies work best fished deep in the eddies on the sides of the river. The best lures from shore were pixie spoons (1/4 ounce) in fluorescent orange, fluorescent pink, or chartreuse for the salmon. A cluster of salmon eggs with a spin-a-glo bobber was what we primarily used with our guide on the river. We also caught some nice rainbow trout in a backcountry lake in the Swan River drainage in the north end of the peninsula. It was a 20 minute drive on logging roads and a 1.5 mile hike but worth it. We tried bait, lures, and other flies but the rainbow trout there would only hit a bubble/ California mosquito fly (size 14) combo. I highly recommend you get a copy of the Milepost book that is a bible to fishing in Alaska. It details all the lodging, fishing, and restaurants opportunities in the areas that are reachable by road. We got our fishing guide for the Kenai River by way of our bed and breakfast owner's recommendation and the backcountry lake fishing option as well. I would recommend find guides in the Milepost, resorts, or chamber of commerce in Soldotna. Ask for references from clients to confirm their competence. Good guide can make or break your day on this glacial river. You will need dry ice and boxes to take some of your catch home. These salmon are the biggest of their species probably in all of Alaska in the Kenai River. The world record king salmon then was caught here at 97 lbs 4 ounces. It was mounted in a car dealership when I was there with my cousin. The silvers we caught were from 10-16 lbs, sockeye from 7-10 lbs, and pinks from 5-8 lbs. The wildlife (moose, bald eagles, and even owls standing right behind us on the shoreline) seen is as good as the fishing. The weather can change very quickly that time of year. Have a good rain jacket ready to go. Good luck. Please let us know how you and your daughter fare. Any other questions let me know. My first degree is in zoology and we just toured Humboldt State with my oldest daughter in July. She loved it.

JEFF SELF Loc: ARCATA, CA

Hello again,
I hope my reply got back to you.
I may have hit a wrong button, tried to send a picture too.
Let me know if you got it.
Thanks again,
Jeff

bibenthal Loc: SoCal

HI Jeff,
I did not get your reply you tried to send. Keep trying please.
Thanks,
Brian

Randyhartford Loc: Lawrence, Kansas

Hi, Jeff! My name is Randy and I’m a longtime member of this forum. After reading your post, it may be possible for me to give you some helpful info for your trip to Alaska. I have a sister and BIL that are camp hosts in Alaska every summer. They are not at the same location every year, but I recall her saying they were near the Kenai River one year and she sent me a pic of the salmon they caught one day(enclosed).
I just sent her a text to see exactly where they are now and let her know you are interested in whatever info she may have concerning lodging, food, and “honey holes”. 🤣 Once she replies, I will either post on this thread, PM you or call you.
(Whichever you prefer) I hope she can help you out. 👍🙏🏻

JEFF SELF Loc: ARCATA, CA

Hello Randy,
Thank you for the message, “fishingstage.com” is a wonderful research tool.
I look forward to hearing from your AK resources.👍
Jeff
Ps the pictures are great!!

Randyhartford Loc: Lawrence, Kansas

You’re very welcome, Jeff. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear back from my sister. Some areas up there don’t get good service/internet so it may delay the response a day or two…

JEFF SELF Loc: ARCATA, CA

That’s great Randy, we have plenty of time to fill our week in. We have three days at Alaska Silvertip lodge with a guide on the Kenai and a halibut trip in the works too.
Really looking forward to it!!
Thanks again
Jeff

JEFF SELF Loc: ARCATA, CA

Hey Brian,

Sorry about the delay, I am just getting my feet wet in this tech world.
My fingers are too big for this iPhone keypad.
I’m glad you got to check out CAL POLY HUMBOLDT, I graduated from HUMBOLDT STATE COLLEGE and HUMBOLDT STATE UNIVERSITY, all the same campus by the way.
Your daughter will love it, the choice of majors is unbelievable. Plus, having a personal opportunity with fewer than 6,000 students is unheard of these days.
Thank you for the great introduction to the Kenai. I’ll put your notes at the top of my list.
We have four nights and three days of guided fishing at the Silvertip lodge near Soldotna—RAINBOWS, SILVERS and a day of HALIBUT fishing out of Homer. We will have the other four days to explore and fish on our own.
Thanks again and good luck to your daughter.
I’ll keep in touch,
Jeff

bibenthal Loc: SoCal

Thanks for the reply. Your plans for your trip on the Kenai peninsula sound great. Please keep in touch and let us know your fishtales from your trip. After your trip you will understand why they call Alaska “The Last Frontier””.

fishy Loc: Susanville, CA

Jeff, my dad graduated from Humboldt State ('34), I graduated from Humboldt State ('62), and my daughter graduated from Humboldt State University ( '97). It is a great school. Lots to do there...mostly outdoors. As a side note, I have fished Alaska and British Columbia with the biggest salmon that I caught being 29 pounds. The biggest salmon I have ever caught was when I was a student at Humboldt. 42 pounds out of the Klamath river

JEFF SELF Loc: ARCATA, CA

Thank you for the reply. This website is really helpful. Also catching up with “Lumberjack “ alums is a bonus.
At least they haven’t changed the mascot, even though we have gone from HSU, HSC and now CAL POLY HUMBOLDT.
We are really looking forward to our Kenai trip next month and will report back on our adventures.
Thanks again and a big hello to all of our alumni.
Jeff