End of Kenai Kayak Season. The River be JAMMIN~!

We are running about two weeks ahead of schedule for the Kenai River to finally jam up and freeze over in the Soldotna area. Today the ice slush is on the move and piling up, jamming, pushing through, jamming again.....

The slush jams can get up to 8 feet thick before it all freezes solid with the river water level increasing six feet or more and dumping mountains of ice slush on top of the banks in huge ice bergs. With slowly warming temps around the corner compared to the last couple of seven below zero days we might only get 3 or 4 feet thick before it locks up. That means an early meltdown and open water for spring kayaking and canoeing. And May king fishing!

This was the Kenai freeze up from the Winter of 2008 at AOJ HQ.  Jake is on the ice that is straight out from where the video above was shot.

Wow.  Cool stuff.  Thanks for posting KK.  After a couple of writ winters, this year it has come back with a vengeance.  Hope to get a weather window here sooner than later!

I hiked in and fished the inlet at Skilak lake on Sunday and was struggling trying to punch a fly though the slush to get a decent swing. I picked up two fish, but it was a lot of work for them. -2F all day where I left the truck.  Good thing I left the kayak at home, the ice accumulation would have been a losing battle in fresh water at temps that cold.


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I hiked in and fished the inlet at Skilak lake on Sunday and was struggling trying to punch a fly though the slush to get a decent swing. I picked up two fish, but it was a lot of work for them. -2F all day where I left the truck.  Good thing I left the kayak at home, the ice accumulation would have been a losing battle in fresh water at temps that cold.

You are a tougher man than I. LOL Last night at midnight it hit 11 below zero in Soldotna and locked up the river slush solid and unmoveable now....barring any unexpected winter release of Snow Lake glacier dam. But the coming heat wave is hitting here already. By 6am it was at zero and at 1pm now its 14 ABOVE. Looks like that pineapple express swirl is warming faster than predicted on the Peninsula. No complaints.

Wow.  Cool stuff.  Thanks for posting KK.  After a couple of writ winters, this year it has come back with a vengeance.  Hope to get a weather window here sooner than later!

Oh yes, I'm watching the Marine Forecast and 10 day weather projection every day. Looks like a break coming our way this approaching weekend. I'm leaning in that direction with the yak this time but the PB is still ready in ten minutes and I've got some new minature UW UV lights and new needlefish spoons to try with the DR cam system.  So the camera system data is definitely taking a higher priority from its research value. I just hope the water quality starts clearing up. The cold should knock down the algae bloom but the rough water mud is unpredictable.

My HX870 VHF radio shipped today....arriving Friday so that may be a "kink" in my plans.  (The Xmas morning presents syndrome!)  Got it for $162. Retail $249. Couldn't pass up the latest in GPS/DSC distress signal technology and the 6 watts of power. Spare battery on its way from ebay.

Got your summary of BOF proposal action results. Indeed the one(s) related to the Bluff/Anchor Point to Ninilchik "zone" left me confused as well since there was no actual AK statute wording to define just exactly what they ended up amending and approving. VERY disappointed in F&G and BOF members ignoring the scientific proof about feeder kings and expanding that fishery for everyone.  THANKS SO MUCH for sending that document.

I'm not sure "tougher" is the right word for it, KK.