636 | Kenai River Sportfishing Association with Shannon Martin - Chinook, Alaska, Conservation

Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast

Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/636

Presented By: FishHound Expeditions

Today, we hang out with Shannon Martin, executive director of the Kenai Sport Fishing Association. She's here to take us behind the scenes into what they are doing to protect the best salmon rivers in the country. Plus, we'll get an update on the Chinook status in this area.

Have you heard of the suicide run? It's a multi-day fishing adventure where anglers stay up all night, catching their limit for the day and getting their limit again for the next day.

There's nothing better than Alaska King Salmon. Let's jump into it with Shannon and KRSA.

Show Notes with Shannon Martin on Kenai River Sportfishing Association.

02:34 - Shannon grew up in Alaska, where fishing has always been part of her life. About 15 years ago, her brother retired from the Army and got into fly fishing on the Kenai River. Shannon joined him, fell in love with it, and got hooked.

Fly Fishing the Kenai River

03:48 - The Kenai River is over 80 miles long with more than 15 public access points. The river is famous for its huge salmon, including the world record King salmon that weighed 97 pounds.

The "Suicide Run" and Dip Net Fishing

06:26 - The "suicide run" is a unique way to fish on the Kenai River. You get off work at 5:00 PM in Anchorage, drive down to the river, catch your limit of salmon by midnight, and then catch the next day's limit after midnight.

This July, the sockeye salmon run is expected to bring in about 3.3 million fish, making it a great time to try out a suicide run.

Dip net fishing is only for Alaska residents where they can harvest salmon using a five-foot-wide hoop net. Each household gets 25 fish for the head of the household and an additional 10 for each dependent.

Kenai River Sportfishing Association

10:25 - Kenai River Sport Fishing Association was founded in 1984 by Bob Penney to protect Chinook salmon. Commercial fishing, especially with gill nets, impacts Chinook as they return to spawn. KRSA aims to balance commercial interests with preserving fish stocks for future generations.

Check out our episode with Adam of FishHound Expeditions! He talked about his experience visiting Capitol Hill to spread the word about the issues facing Alaska's fish.

16:42 - Shannon explains how heavy foot traffic on the Kenai River banks harms salmon habitats. To fix this, they’ve built light-penetrating boardwalks. These walkways let people access the river without damaging the vegetation that holds the banks together.

18:35 - KRSA hosts events like the Kenai River Spring Cleanup, where local students help remove litter from the riverbanks. They organize the Jr Classic in the fall, where they introduce around 100 children to fishing and water safety.

24:19 - Shannon talks about the importance of educating anglers on proper catch and release techniques, especially for the declining Chinook salmon.

31:24 - We talk about KRSA's major project with Alaska State Parks to restore and improve a popular state recreation site on the Kenai. This includes:

Installing light-penetrating boardwalks Adding stairwells Providing offsite parking Kenai River Classic

33:58 - The Kenai River Classic functions as not only an educational opportunity for KRSA to get together with local policymakers and philanthropists, but it's also a fundraiser. Highlights of the Kenai River Classic include:

A three-day fishing event for about 150 participants The national round table on sport fish policy, in partnership with Yamaha Rightwaters Speakers from the American Sport Fishing Association and local tribal entities discussing important topics like the MMPA and in-river fishery protection.

Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/636