Kenai River beaches crowded for start of dipnetting season

KENAI, Alaska (AP) – Several hundred people made their way to Kenai for the opening weekend of the most widely used personal dipnetting beach in the state.

More than 300 people gathered on the Kenai River Saturday to use their hand nets to search for salmon, the Peninsula Clarion reported.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has predicted that 3.7 million sockeye will be harvested during the 2015 fishing season, but many people reported smaller-than-average catches and slow fishing this weekend.

“Very few people (are catching),’’ said Matthew Dollick, 16, of Wasilla. “Everyone has one or two and they’re smaller than usual.’’

Dollick was fishing for about 45 minutes Saturday before he caught his first sockeye of the weekend.

A group of three fishers form the Nana region of Northwest Alaska had different opinions on the Kenai River’s offerings.

Alta Horst, Sonya Adams and Teri Naylor stopped fishing Saturday to filet their catch. Every few seconds, Horst cut the waste into small pieces and tossed it to a growing flock of seagulls that squawked as they fought over the scraps.

Naylor agreed with Dollick that the going was slow and the fish were smaller than usual.

“We usually go out on the boat, but we came to the beach this year,’’ she said. “I like being on the boat, you get more fish.’’

But Horst said it’s the norm for this time of year.

“I’ve seen a couple of them that are small today,’’ she said as she sliced a fish head open to remove the gills. “But all the years I’ve come here, the ones in the first half of July are always smaller than the ones in the second half.’’

Kenai Parks and Recreation Director Bob Frates says he doesn’t know exactly how many people used the beach over the weekend but expects the city to have firmer numbers on Monday.

On Saturday, nearly 40 tents lined north beach of the Kenai River mouth and more than 70 people stood in the water, fishing.

But an equal number laid on beach chairs, blankets and towels or under the shade of a tent as the heat climbed.

“I’ll come back with my own children during the last week,’’ said Horst. “I’d like to avoid the weekends and come during the off-time, but if it runs into the weekend that’s fine because I’ll have my fish and be ready to go while everyone else scrambles.’’