Herring On The Move In Cook Inlet

I have a charter operator buddy who buys bait herring from several guys that commercial fish beach set nets for herring about this time of the year during their spawning run. Word over the network sounds like netters in the Clam Gulch area got hit with a bunch of bait fish. The netters further south, i.e. Deep Creek, Whiskey/Anchor Point seemed to have missed the fish that appear to have stayed offshore when passing through that area.

I'm going to try some beach fishing for halibut Wednesday around the mouth of the Kenai River and also drift a gillnet for hooligan to see if we can round up some halibut and lake trout bait for this summer. Will let you know if the hoolies are hitting the river.

Wednesday Update:
Hit the beach with a friend to scout for hooligan movement along the beach and soak a line for halibut. Crappy weather, temps in low 30's with 10 knots onshore 'breeze.' Didn't bring enough layers!!  There were nine others fishing in the area. We tried the hoolie net for over a half hour and got nothing. We checked the other anglers as we passed by and no one had had a hit. We decided to pack it in.

The Kenai City Dock Ramp has been cleared of the winter accumulation of mud and silt and is open for boat/kayak launching, FREE until July 10th when dipnetting starts. I think I'll launch the kayak tomorrow or the next day and try further out off the beach.

HERRING BAIT: I tracked down a supplier of herring bait for anyone in the Kenai/Soldotna/Sterling/Kasilof area. Peninsula Processors on KBeach across from the school is selling 35# boxes of individually frozen Gulf of Alaska herring (the 100-300 gram monsters) for $52.50 a box. $1.50/lb. But with it individually frozen you can repackage it in whatever amounts you need for your trips. You can call them at (907) 262-8846 and order over the phone. They have a shipment arriving Friday May 7th. The fish are this year's harvest and besides saltwater bait, it makes a great herring wrap on your Kwikfish when fishing for lake trout or king salmon. Even cohos will grab it.