http://krpga.forumco.com/Kenai River Professional Guide Associationhttp://krpga.forumco.com/rss.gifhttp://www.krpga.org/http://krpga.forumco.com/rss.gif8637scotteggemeyerhttp://krpga.forumco.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3610Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:51:51 +0100Billy and Stephanie Joneshttp://krpga.forumco.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1810Sun, 4 May 2008 18:26:29 +0100My name is Billy Jones and my wife and I will be leaving Redding CA, to drive to Homer AK on the 26th of May. We are interested in towing a boat for someone to help pay the fuel for our trip. If you are interested you can contact me at
billandsteph@gmail.com
or call 907-299-7142]]>kenaihttp://krpga.forumco.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1710Tue, 8 Apr 2008 18:17:27 +0100
It appears that Cook Inlet commercial fisherman are hard at it again.
They are again attempting to convince the public that poor freshwater sport fishing
has nothing to do with their relentless and in many cases, "round the clock"
gillnetting out in Cook Inlet. Commercial gillnetting has been completely
banned in most places in the United States but Cook Inlets remaining commercial
fishermen do still desperately cling to their scraggly old gillnets.
It appears that a "NEW AND IMPROVED FISH WAR" is currently brewing
because the public living in and around Anchorage has again concluded that
the reason they are not catching fish in northern Cook Inlet districts is because gillnetters
are catching millions of salmon in central Cook Inlet before those fish can reach those districts.
Anchorage sport fisherman appear to have concluded that changing the Board of Fish
composition and moving the department of Fish & Game up to Anchorage, will allow
Anchorage residents more direct access to the department and the board.
These changes are viewed as giving the average resident more control over what happens
out in Coo k Inlet. These residents are pushing Senate Bill 284 to transform the makeup
of the Alaska Board of Fisheries from a seven person board to a nine person board.
The addition of two subsistence fishing seats to the board, appears to be a direct attempt
to at least dilute the substantial control Cook Inlets commercial fishermen have exerted
over the Board of Fish in the past. This attempt appears to be focusing in on diluting
commercial fishing's control of these fisheries by pulling the people who make the decisions
closer to Anchorage and forcing the Board of Fish to carry more members who participate
in subsistence fisheries.
All in all this new "FISH WAR" appears to just be a different tentacle of the same old octopus.
Resident Alaskan's have been involved in this "FISH WAR" for many decades. Usually what
happens is that freshwater sportfishing dwindles down to almost nothing and then the public
starts firing off broadside shots at the commercial fishing industry. Senate or House bills fly
through the wind for a few months and then some "NEW" and very great "SOLUTION" is arrived at.
Then the commercial fishing industry goes into "hyper-overdrive" generating funds to support a gigantic
law suit against WHO EVER was responsible for generating the changes. These gillnetter's will continue
generating legal funds and suing everyone in sight for years until whatever changes that were made
are totally dissolved INTO OBLIVION.
End of story.



Mat-Su, Kenai fish war brewing
SPORT VS. COMMERCIAL: Legislators want more salmon for northern Inlet.
By WESLEY LOY
wloy@adn.com
Published: April 7th, 2008 12:01 AM
Last Modified: April 7th, 2008 05:00 PM
JUNEAU -- Mat-Su legislators who say people in their area are getting shortchanged
on salmon are pushing measures that could revolutionize fishery management in
Cook Inlet, the state's most popular fishing hole.

The lawmakers have rolled out a package of legislation to tilt the balance of power in
the Inlet from commercial fishermen to sport anglers and other users. And with a week
left in the legislative session, they're hoping to land something big.
"What you're seeing is a manifestation of the frustration," said Chugiak Republican Rep.
Bill Stoltze, who represents a chunk of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.
People in Mat-Su, the state's fastest growing region, are worried salmon numbers are
dwindling in the Susitna River and other drainages and they want changes now, Stoltze said.
He along with Senate President Lyda Green, R-Wasilla, and other Mat-Su lawmakers
unveiled a trio of actions this session:
• Language in next year's state budget would close down the Department of Fish and
Game commercial and sportfish management office in Soldotna and move the staff to
Anchorage, the state's population cen- ter. Backers suggest the managers are too
close to commercial fishing interests in Soldotna.

• Green introduced Senate Bill 284 to transform the makeup of the Board of Fisheries,
which regulates commercial and sport salmon catches. The bill would change the board
from seven to nine members, with six seats reserved for sport, dipnet and subsistence
users and three for commercial fishing interests.
• Resolutions are nearing a vote in the Senate and House to create a Cook Inlet Salmon
Task Force, to be composed of 10 legislators appointed by Green and House Speaker
John Harris, R-Valdez. The task force would look at how to boost salmon returns to the
Inlet's northern reaches -- that is, the Mat-Su region -- and would explore a buyout of commercial fishermen.
The heart of the Mat-Su delegation's argument is that commercial fishermen are netting
salmon that otherwise might swim to popular northern sportfish streams.
It's an assertion commercial fishermen and some lawmakers dispute.
Both sides can point to studies and statistics to bolster their argument, but the fisheries
and the science are highly complex.
Some studies say increased sportsfishing pressure, storm water runoff and other byproducts
of Mat-Su population growth and development are ruining salmon habitat, and voracious pike also are taking a toll.
Of the three legislative items, the task force seems to have the best chance of passing this session.
Millions of salmon return from the ocean to Cook Inlet streams each summer to spawn, and
demand for the fish is intense. That's because more than half the state's population is clustered around the Inlet.
Commercial gillnetters, guides who take tourists on sportfishing trips, dipnetters and other
factions long have jockeyed for advantage in Cook Inlet's perpetual fish fight.
In the middle are the managers -- the Board of Fisheries and the state Department of Fish
and Game. Their job is to first protect the long-term health of the stocks, and then to divide
the available fish among various users.
The task force resolutions themselves are loaded with fighting words, declaring that Cook
Inlet sport and dipnet fisheries "far exceed" the value of commercial harvests, and that the
board and department are failing their duty.
Sen. Charlie Huggins, R-Wasilla, said Mat-Su residents have lost confidence in the managers.
"Our people feel like they've been abandoned by the Board of Fisheries," said Huggins, who
chairs the Senate Resources Committee.
The task force could bring out new information on how to help returns to northern streams, where
the fishing is becoming poor, he said.
Sen. Tom Wagoner, R-Kenai, objected Sunday to an attempt by Huggins to bring the task force
resolution directly to the Senate floor for a vote.
Wagoner said the resolution hadn't received a public airing in any committee. He also suggested
that commercial gillnetters aren't the problem with Mat-Su salmon returns, and that legislators
who might serve on a task force have no business trying to do a job best left to the
Board of Fisheries and the state's professional fisheries managers.
"None of us in this group are biologists," Wagoner told his colleagues.
For the resolution to come to a floor vote, it first will have to clear a gatekeeper: the
Rules Committee chaired by Sen. Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak.
Stevens wouldn't say Sunday whether he'll allow the resolution out of his committee.
But he did say he doesn't much care for the task force idea.
First, he said, lawmakers don't yet know how much task force meetings, travel and so
forth will cost. Second, Stevens said he believes the Board of Fisheries, not the Legislature,
should decide how to allocate the state's fish among users.
But Stoltze said his office has received more public feedback on salmon than any other
issue this session, and the issue can't be ignored.
"You wouldn't see this much high-level activity if there wasn't a real problem," he said.
http://www.adn.com/money/industries/fishing/story/367974.html

Find Wesley Loy online at adn.com/contact/wloy or call him in Juneau at 1-907-586-1531.
-------------------

Don Johnson
ccpwow@gci.net


Don]]>webmasterhttp://krpga.forumco.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1610Tue, 1 Apr 2008 22:20:58 +0100
I would like to propose that the KRPGA sponsor a documentary that focuses on the issues regarding commercial fishing versus sport fishing in Cook Inlet. I would also like to see the KRSA contribute to this effort, however I have not yet contacted them.

Does anyone have any interest, thoughts or ideas on how we might fund and tailor this proposed documentary to support the sport fishing industry? I would want this to air on prime time television and perhaps even produce a DVD. I look forward to input.

Thanks in advance.]]>vipalaskahttp://krpga.forumco.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1510Tue, 1 Apr 2008 19:32:12 +0100
DRUG & ALCOHOL TESTING SERVICES - No appointment needed.

VIP Alaska
43530 Kalifornsky Beach Rd., #4
Soldotna, AK 99669
(907) 260-6599
cpr@vipalaska.com
www.vipalaska.com]]>Jim Torpeyhttp://krpga.forumco.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1410Mon, 3 Mar 2008 12:39:15 +0100 We have retired & have just bought a house in Kenai. We are moving ourselves up there the 2nd week of May. I'll be pulling a trailer with our household goods, etc., & my wife will be following in her Honda Civic.
I was planning on shipping up my 20' Hewescraft ET with Tote, but after speaking with my friend Jeff King, decided to give his suggestion a try.....contacting the folks on this forum to see whether any of those who may be driving up this year would be willing to tow it up for me! I have the boat on an oversize-capacity (for my boat) dual-axle EZ-loader trailer that tows like a dream. I would be willing to pay fuel costs for the trip. If any of you folks would be interested, please contact me at: (509-442-3799) &/or email me at: jimtorpey44@hotmail.com. Thanks!!
.......Jim Torpey
Ione, Wa.

Jim Torpey]]>kenaihttp://krpga.forumco.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1310Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:48:50 +0100
Proposal 166, adjusts the Kasilof River salmon management plan to have
a fixed 36-hour window for commercial fishing set on Fridays through July 7;
Proposal 171, moved guided sport fishing regulations out of commercial
fishing regulations;
Proposal 181, provides that the Kasilof River Special Harvest Area be rarely
used and only for conservation reasons;
Proposal 301, restricts the use of a motorized vessel for fishing on the
upper Kenai River near Kenai Lake;
Proposal 321, allows sport fishing guides on the Kenai River to operate for
charitable events on two Sundays in May and the first Sunday in June;
Proposal 324, allows registered guide vessel on the Kenai River to carry more
than five persons upstream of Skilak Lake in July;
Proposal 328, prohibits guides on the Kenai River from fishing while clients are present;
Proposal 329, aligns vessel registration regulations with Department of Natural
Resources requirements;
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/FedAidPDFs/RIR.2A.2007.01.pdf
-------------------------------------------------------------------

The Alaska Board of Fish passed 6 proposals on Saturday, Feb. 9th, 2008.

Proposal 74, prevents the use of spotter aircraft in the Upper Cook Inlet.
Proposal 221, prevents personal-use dipnetting on the lower Kenai River from
boats that don't have four-stroke or direct fuel-injected two-stroke engines.
Proposal 238, closes the Kenai River from the outlet of Skilak Lake to the
Upper Killey River to all fishing between May 2 and June 10.
Proposal 246, prevents fishing from an anchored boat in the swan sanctuary
area of Skilak Lake and on the Kenai River between Aug. 1 and Dec. 31.
We now have no anchoring boats between Aug. 1 and Dec. 31 and no motors between
the breakup of the ice upstream and June 14 on the Kenai River flowing from
Skilak Lake; because of this Trumpeter Swan Sanctuary.
Proposal 248, increases the daily bag limit for Dolly Varden in Cooper Lake
from two to five fish.
Proposal 249, decreased the bag limit for lake trout in Hidden Lake from
two to one.
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/FedAidPDFs/RIR.2A.2007.01.pdf
-----------------------------------------

The Alaska Board Fish is currently reviewing and "deliberating" Proposal 83,
( by the Kenai Peninsula Fishermen's Association ) which proposes opening back up the
Cook Inlet Commercial fishing season from Aug. 10 to Aug. 15.
The proposal attempts to justify the request so that the commercial fleet can catch more
pink salmon. This request is being made even as there are no pink salmon to catch every
other year. Sportfish worked very hard to get the commercial fleet off Cook Inlets
silver salmon during this time period but now the Board is again seriously considering
allowing them access to those silvers again.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Board of Fisheries
Board of Fisheries Member Addresses
(Revised July 1, 2007)
Member
Address
Position Term Expires

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jeremiah Campbell
PO Box 1586
Seward, AK 99664
06/30/2009

Larry Edfelt
PO Box 210821
Auke Bay, AK 99821 06/30/2008

Bonnie Williams
PO Box 82812
Fairbanks, Alaska 99708 06/30/2009

John Jensen
PO Box 681
Petersburg, AK 99833 Vice Chairman 06/30/2008

Mel Morris
917 Mill Bay Road
Kodiak, Alaska 99615 Chairman 06/30/2008

Vince Webster
PO Box 121
King Salmon, AK 99613 6/30/2010

Howard Delo
PO Box 520707
Big Lake, AK 99652 6/30/2010
http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishinfo/member/fmemadd.php
Alaska Board of Fisheries members may also be reached at:

ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME
Boards Support Section
P.O. Box 115526
Juneau, AK 99811-5526
(907) 465-6098 or 465-4110
(907) 465-6094 FAX
For more information, contact the Executive Director at (907) 465-4110.




Don]]>kenaihttp://krpga.forumco.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1210Fri, 15 Feb 2008 21:38:32 +0100
Proposal 166, adjusts the Kasilof River salmon management plan to have
a fixed 36-hour window for commercial fishing set on Fridays through July 7;
Proposal 171, moved guided sport fishing regulations out of commercial
fishing regulations;
Proposal 181, provides that the Kasilof River Special Harvest Area be rarely
used and only for conservation reasons;
Proposal 301, restricts the use of a motorized vessel for fishing on the
upper Kenai River near Kenai Lake;
Proposal 321, allows sport fishing guides on the Kenai River to operate for
charitable events on two Sundays in May and the first Sunday in June;
Proposal 324, allows registered guide vessel on the Kenai River to carry more
than five persons upstream of Skilak Lake in July;
Proposal 328, prohibits guides on the Kenai River from fishing while clients are present;
Proposal 329, aligns vessel registration regulations with Department of Natural
Resources requirements;
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/FedAidPDFs/RIR.2A.2007.01.pdf
-------------------------------------------------------------------

The Alaska Board of Fish passed 6 proposals on Saturday, Feb. 9th, 2008.

Proposal 74, prevents the use of spotter aircraft in the Upper Cook Inlet.
Proposal 221, prevents personal-use dipnetting on the lower Kenai River from
boats that don't have four-stroke or direct fuel-injected two-stroke engines.
Proposal 238, closes the Kenai River from the outlet of Skilak Lake to the
Upper Killey River to all fishing between May 2 and June 10.
Proposal 246, prevents fishing from an anchored boat in the swan sanctuary
area of Skilak Lake and on the Kenai River between Aug. 1 and Dec. 31.
We now have no anchoring boats between Aug. 1 and Dec. 31 and no motors between
the breakup of the ice upstream and June 14 on the Kenai River flowing from
Skilak Lake; because of this Trumpeter Swan Sanctuary.
Proposal 248, increases the daily bag limit for Dolly Varden in Cooper Lake
from two to five fish.
Proposal 249, decreased the bag limit for lake trout in Hidden Lake from
two to one.
http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/FedAidPDFs/RIR.2A.2007.01.pdf
-----------------------------------------

The Alaska Board Fish is currently reviewing and "deliberating" Proposal 83,
( by the Kenai Peninsula Fishermen's Association ) which proposes opening back up the
Cook Inlet Commercial fishing season from Aug. 10 to Aug. 15.
The proposal attempts to justify the request so that the commercial fleet can catch more
pink salmon. This request is being made even as there are no pink salmon to catch every
other year. Sportfish worked very hard to get the commercial fleet off Cook Inlets
silver salmon during this time period but now the Board is again seriously considering
allowing them access to those silvers again.

----------------------------------------------------------
Board of Fisheries
Board of Fisheries Member Addresses
(Revised July 1, 2007)
Member
Address
Position Term Expires

----------------------------------------------------------

Jeremiah Campbell
PO Box 1586
Seward, AK 99664
06/30/2009

Larry Edfelt
PO Box 210821
Auke Bay, AK 99821 06/30/2008

Bonnie Williams
PO Box 82812
Fairbanks, Alaska 99708 06/30/2009

John Jensen
PO Box 681
Petersburg, AK 99833 Vice Chairman 06/30/2008

Mel Morris
917 Mill Bay Road
Kodiak, Alaska 99615 Chairman 06/30/2008

Vince Webster
PO Box 121
King Salmon, AK 99613 6/30/2010

Howard Delo
PO Box 520707
Big Lake, AK 99652 6/30/2010
http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/fishinfo/member/fmemadd.php
Alaska Board of Fisheries members may also be reached at:

ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME
Boards Support Section
P.O. Box 115526
Juneau, AK 99811-5526
(907) 465-6098 or 465-4110
(907) 465-6094 FAX
For more information, contact the Executive Director
at (907) 465-4110.




Don]]>kenaihttp://krpga.forumco.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1110Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:00:23 +0100
"Ring, Ring, Ring," rang the telephone.

"Alaska Dons," I said.

"Silence, silence, silence, silence, the sound of numbers still being entered, hello," said the client.

"Hello? This is Alaska Dons, can it help you?" I responded.

"Silence, silence, more key tones, silence, hello, hello," said the client.

"Hello? This is Alaska Dons. Can it help you?" I asked again.

"Is this Alaska Dons?" asked the client in a voice which sounded at
least 100 year old.

"Yes sir, this is Alaska Dons. Can I help you?" I said again.

"Is this Alaska Dons?" asked the client again.

"Sir can you hear me? This is Alaska Don's," I said again.

"Oh there you are. Is this Alaska Don's?" asked the client again.

"Yes sir, this is Alaska Dons. Can I help you?" I said again.

"Yes I had a couple of questions there for you. Is this Alaska

Don's?" asked the client again.

"Yes sir, this is Alaska Dons," I said again.

"Yes could you tell me how many salmon you can catch on the
Kenai River?" asked the client.

"You can catch and release as many as you want but you can only kill two king salmon per year on the Kenai River," I said.

"Two! Is that it? Only two?" asked the client.

"Yes, you can only kill two kings on the Kenai River per year," I said.

"Only two? That's not many fish for the whole year," said the client.

" I understand what you are saying but the State of Alaska restricts the amount of kings you can kill on the Kenai River while expanding the amount of other salmon you can take on the river. It is setup so that you may take up to 6 sockeye salmon per day and that is unrestricted annually," I said.

"Only two king salmon! That's not many fish to take home. You mean I'm supposed to travel all the way from New Jersey to Alaska and spend close to $10,000, and I only get to take home two salmon? Wow; and I thought Canada had restricted bag limits. You guys have really out done them!" said the client.

"Well you can only take two from the Kenai River but you can also take

three other king salmon from other locations around the state. It’s just that only two of them can come from the Kenai River," I said.

"I don't understand. I watch all these here fishing shows on the TV every week and those guys catch way more than two king salmon on the Kenai River. Heck I see those guys catching hundreds of kings on that there river. You mean to tell me that all that TV fishing is illegal?" asked the client.

"They were probably catching and releasing fish. A lot of people catch and release fish on the Kenai River," I said.

"Well my friends came back from the Kenai River last year and they each had a couple of big boxes of salmon. They had at least a hundred and fifty pounds of fish each. Are you saying that they all poached those fish?" the client asked.

"Those boxes could have been full of a lot of sockeye or silver salmon. The limits on those salmon are a lot more liberal since you can take home 6 sockeye and 2 silver salmon per day," I said.

"Yeah but they said they were king salmon fishing on the Kenai River
and I know those guys they wouldn't lie to me. Well at least I thought I knew them," the client said.

"Well you know that the kings on the Kenai River are the largest in the world. King salmon could have made up a large part of those boxes of fish," I said.

"Oh don't give me that stuff about the Kenai having the biggest, most gigantic king salmon in the world. I've been fishing for 50 years. I've caught fish all over Canada and everywhere else for that matter! We've caught lots of big fish but I've never seen such a restrictive limit. You would think that if a person was going to travel all that ways, that they would at least let them take some
fish home with them," the client said.

"That decision has been made by the State of Alaska, there's not a lot we have to say about it," I said.

"Well we were up there fishing the Kenai last year from a drift boat. We plopped into one spot and caught a king. It wasn't any kind of a monster or anything but it was good sized. We don't need to catch giant fish, just a medium sized thirty pounder is all we're looking for. When we first got there we caught that one but then we just sat there and caught nothing else for the whole trip! Do you folks fish from drift boats or power boats?" asked the client said.

"We do both, would you like to reserve some seats in one of our
power boats?" I asked.

"Well we're more interested in power boat fishing. I don't understand those guys in those drift boats, they don't want to get out there and chase the fish!" the client said.

"We could certainly setup some days for you to fish the Kenai in one of our power boats. What days are you interested in," I asked.

"Another thing that make me wonder about that Kenai River; everyone says that the land owners along the river spend their whole lives trying to figure out ways to stop the public from trying to fish the river. Why are those people so bent on stopping the public from fishing a public river like that? It seems like they believe they
own the water and the fish or something," the client said.

"Well we do have plenty of Kenai River land owners with attitude problems. A lot of them do that sort of thing but the river is still open to the general public. That is one of the reasons we are here, we act as a practical way to make the river more accessible to the general public. There are a great many people who either don't have or cannot afford all the necessary equipment and skills required
to fish on the Kenai," I said.

"Yeah well I come from an area that welcomes its visitors and we enjoy watching them make idiots of themselves trying to catch our fish. I just don't understand why those riverbank owners get so upset when they think a visitor wants to try to catch one of those Kenai River king salmon. From what I've heard they’ve caused
day and hour restrictions on visitors only and that's just not right. Nobody would put up with that kind of nonsense where I come from. Someone would get their head busted if they tried that stuff around here. Well anyway, could you send me some brochures or information on what you guys offer and your pricing?" the client asked.

"Sure, could you just tell me how many people are in your group, the dates your looking to fish the river and if you need lodging or not?" I asked.

"There are 4 in our group and we're looking for fishing and lodging from July 10 - 17," the client said.

"Could you give me your name, telephone number and mailing address," I asked.

"Yes I am Martin Goodman and our phone number here is * *** *** ****. Our mailing address is ***** West Mountain Av., ********, *****, *****," the client said.

"Ok Mr. Goodman I will send you out some brochures and work up a package for you to take a look at. Is there anything else that I can help you with?" I asked.

"No that's about it. If you could just send that stuff to us, we will be able to make some decisions as to what we want to do," the client said.

"Ok, well thanks for calling and if you think of any other question about fishing in our area, don't hesitate give us a call. We're always happy to help," I said.

"Ok, we will talk to ya later after we get the information," said the client said.

"Ok, thanks, bye," I said.




Don]]>kenaihttp://krpga.forumco.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1010Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:05:14 +0100
"Ring, Ring, Ring," rang the telephone.

"Alaska Dons," I said.

"Silence, silence, silence, silence, the sound of numbers still being entered, hello," said the client.

"Hello? This is Alaska Dons, can it help you?" I responded.

"Silence, silence, more key tones, silence, hello, hello," said the client.

"Hello? This is Alaska Dons. Can it help you?" I asked again.

"Is this Alaska Dons?" asked the client in a voice which sounded at
least 100 year old.

"Yes sir, this is Alaska Dons. Can I help you?" I said again.

"Is this Alaska Dons?" asked the client again.

"Sir can you hear me? This is Alaska Don's," I said again.

"Oh there you are. Is this Alaska Don's?" asked the client again.

"Yes sir, this is Alaska Dons. Can I help you?" I said again.

"Yes I had a couple of questions there for you. Is this Alaska
Don's?" asked the client again.

"Yes sir, this is Alaska Dons," I said again.

"Yes could you tell me how many salmon you can catch on the

Kenai River?" asked the client.

"You can catch and release as many as you want but you can only kill two king salmon per year on the Kenai River," I said.

"Two! Is that it? Only two?" asked the client.

"Yes, you can only kill two kings on the Kenai River per year," I said.

"Only two? That's not many fish for the whole year," said the client.

" I understand what you are saying but the State of Alaska restricts the amount of kings you can kill on the Kenai River while expanding the amount of other salmon you can take on the river. It is setup so that you may take up to 6 sockeye salmon per day and that is unrestricted annually," I said.

"Only two king salmon! That's not many fish to take home. You mean I'm supposed to travel all the way from Pennsavain to Alaska and spend close to $10,000, and I only get to take home two salmon? Wow; and I thought Canada had restricted bag limits. You guy have really out done them!" said the client.

"Well you can only take two from the Kenai River but you can also take three other king salmon from other locations around the state. It’s just that only two of them can come from the Kenai River," I said.

"I don't understand. I watch all these here fishing shows on the TV every week and those guys catch way more than two king salmon on the Kenai River. Heck I see those guys catching hundreds of kings on that there river. You mean to tell me that all that TV fishing is illegal?" asked the client.

"They were probably catching and releasing fish. A lot of people catch and release fish on the Kenai River," I said.

"Well my friends came back from the Kenai River last year and they each had a couple of big boxes of salmon. They had at least a hundred and fifty pounds of fish each. Are you saying that they all poached those fish?" the client asked.

"Those boxes could have been full of a lot of sockeye or silver salmon. The limits on those salmon are a lot more liberal since you can take home 6 sockeye and 2 silver salmon per day," I said.

"Yeah but they said they were king salmon fishing on the Kenai River
and I know those guys they wouldn't lie to me. Well at least I thought I knew them," the client said.

"Well you know that the kings on the Kenai River are the largest in the world. King salmon could have made up a large part of those boxes of fish," I said.

"Oh don't give me that stuff about the Kenai having the biggest, most gigantic king salmon in the world. I've been fishing for 50 years. I've caught fish all over Canada and everywhere else for that matter! We've caught lots of big fish but I've never seen such a restrictive limit. You would think that if a person was going to travel all that ways, that they would at least let them take some
fish home with them," the client said.

"That decision has been made by the State of Alaska, there's not a lot we have to say about it," I said.

"Well we were up there fishing the Kenai last year from a drift boat. We plopped into one spot and caught a king. It wasn't any kind of a monster or anything but it was good sized. We don't need to caught giant fish, just a medium sized thirty pounder is all we're looking for. When we first got there we caught that one but then we just sat there and caught nothing else for the whole trip! Do you folks fish from drift boats or power boats?" asked the client said.

"We do both, would you like to reserve some seats in one of our
power boats?" I asked.

"Well we're more interested in power boat fishing. I don't understand those guys in those drift boats, they don't want to get out there and chase the fish!" the client said.

"We could certainly setup some days for you to fish the Kenai in one of our power boats. What days are you interested in," I asked.

"Another thing that make me wonder about that Kenai River; everyone says that the land owners along the river spend their whole lives trying to figure out ways to stop the public from trying to fish the river. Why are those people so bent on stopping the public from fishing a public river like that? It seems like they believe they
own the water and the fish or something," the client said.

"Well we do have plenty of Kenai River land owners with attitude problems. A lot of them do that sort of thing but the river is still open to the general public. That is one of the reasons we are here, we act as a practical way to make the river more accessible to the general public. There are a great many people who either don't have or cannot afford all the necessary equipment and skills required
to fish on the Kenai," I said.

"Yeah well I come from an area that welcomes its visitors and we enjoy watching them make idiots of themselves trying to catch our fish. I just don't understand why those riverbank owners get so upset when they think a visitor wants to try to catch one of those Kenai River king salmon. From what I've heard they’ve caused
days and hours restrictions on visitors only and that's just not right. Nobody would put up with that kind of nonsense where
I come from. Someone would get their head busted if they tried that stuff around here.

Well anyway could you send me some brochures or information on what you guys offer and your pricing?" the client asked.

"Sure, could you just tell me how many people are in your group, the dates your looking to fish the river and if you need lodging or not?" I asked.

"There are 4 in our group and we're looking for fishing and lodging from July 10 - 17," the client said.

"Could you give me your name, telephone number and mailing address," I asked.

"Yes I am Martin Goodman and our phone number here is 1 610 354 8675. Our mailing address is 48558 West Mountain Av. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 18235," the client said.

"Ok Mr. Goodman I will send you out some brochures and work up a package for you to take a look at. Is there anything else that I can help you with?" I asked.

"No that's about it. If you could just send that stuff to us, we will be able to make some decisions as to what we want to do," the client said.

"Ok, well thanks for calling and if you think of any other question about fishing in our area, don't hesitate give us a call. We're always happy to help," I said.

"Ok, we will talk to ya later after we get the information," said the client said.

"Ok, thanks, bye," I said.




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