The Kasilof River personal use set gillnet fishery opened Tuesday. Fishing is allowed between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. until June 24, in the saltwater one mile north and south of the mouth of the river.
Only one set gillnet per household may be fished. Set gillnets may not exceed 60 feet in length, six inches in stretched mesh size, and 45 meshes in depth. A minimum distance of 100 feet must be maintained between nets.
Each personal use fisherman must write his/her first initial, last name, and home address on any keg or buoy attached to a gillnet. A keg or buoy attached to a gillnet must also be inscribed with the name or U.S. Coast Guard number of the vessel used to operated the gillnet.
The permit holder, or a household member named on the permit, must be physically present at the fishing site at all times when the gear is being fished.
Dip netting on the Kasilof is open 24 hours a day June 25 through August 7.
Dip nets are defined by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as a bag-shaped net supported on all sides by a rigid frame. The maximum straight-line distance between any two points on the net frame, as measured through the net opening, may not exceed five feet. The depth of the bag must be at least one-half the greatest straight-line distance as measured through the net opening. No portion of the bag may be constructed of webbing that exceeds a stretched measurement of 4.5 inches.
Several area businesses sell dip nets of various sizes. Some of the less expensive ones are simply oversized plastic salmon landing nets with long poles attached. Other, more elaborate nets are larger, made out of aluminum, and seem to catch more fish at the river.
Many people build their own.
The China Poot Creek dip net fishery opens July 1 and continues through August 7. The bag and possession limits at this fishery are limited to six sockeye salmon per person per day, and only sockeyes can be retained.
Boats are needed to get to the creek across Kachemak Bay from the Homer Spit. Dip netters who follow the tides closely here can catch quick limits using smaller nets.
Later in the season, the commercial fishery takes a large chunk of the fish headed to the creek.
The mouth of the Kenai River opens to dip netting July 10 and continues through July 31, between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. from the commercial fishing markers located in Cook Inlet north and south of the river mouth, upstream to the downstream edge of the Warren Ames Bridge, except for a section of the north shore from a fish and game marker below the terminus of Main Street to fish and game markers near the Kenai City Dock. This fishery gets the lion's share of pressure and is fished by stationary dip netters, others who walk down stream with their nets, and still others who use scuba gear to fish the deeper waters.
All of these fisheries fall under the Cook Inlet Personal Use Salmon Fisheries regulations that can be found beginning on page 16 of the 2004 Sport Fishing Regulations Summary for Southcentral Alaska.
A total yearly harvest limit is 25 salmon for the permit holder and 10 salmon for each additional household member. The limit is combined for all fisheries, not for each fishery.
Permits are required for all fisheries and can be obtained at the Homer Fish and Game office at 3298 Douglas Place or at several area sport fishing retailers. For more information, contact Fish and Game in Homer at 235-8191, consult the current regulations, or visit its Web site at www.adfg.state.ak.us.
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