News of huge spikes in run counts on both rivers Wednesday and Thursday drew hordes of salmon-seekers to these systems. Unfortunately, the anglers seemed to outnumber the fish.

On the Kasilof Wednesday, more than 92,000 fish shot up the river. By Saturday less than 10,000 had entered.

For my part Saturday, I spent three hours in the rain at the Kasilof and caught, get this, zero fish. I saw only 30 or so reds caught the entire time I was there.

The commercial fleet, as usual, was blamed by many for the slow fishing. But this time of year anglers should remember to time their dip netting trips with both the tides and commercial fishing pressure in mind.

Halibut

Fishing for halibut has been excellent in both the Homer area and off the beaches of Anchor Point and Deep Creek the past couple of weeks, with limits being taken regularly.

Plenty of large halibut are being caught, as well as the occasional barn door trophy halibut.

Richard Brown, from Waynesville, Mont. jumped into the lead in the July standings of the Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby with a 334.4-pound fish he caught on the M/V Outer Coast.

Anglers have been finding halibut in nearshore waters and as far offshore as 25 to 30 miles and in depths from 40 to 300 feet.

Don Hanks from Sparks, Nev., still leads the overall derby with the 352.6-pound fish he caught late last month.

Silvers

The early run silver salmon are in at the Homer Spit Fishing Hole. Silver fishing has picked up this week and should be excellent for the rest of the month. Twice the usual number of early-run silvers were stocked in the Fishing Hole so this return could be a big one.

The daily bag and possession limit for silver salmon is 6 in the Fishing Hole. Outside the lagoon area, the daily bag and possession limit is 3.

Best results involve drifting salmon eggs near the inlet channel of the Fishing Hole, on the flooding and ebbing tides.

Snagging is allowed inside Kachemak Bay except for the Fishing Hole area, which does not open to snagging until mid- to late September.

Dolly Varden

The Anchor River, Deep Creek and Ninilchik River are low and warm and fishing has been slow as a result. But dollies are starting to enter the rivers in increasing numbers.

The Dolly Varden bag limit is two per day and two in possession.

The Anchor and Ninilchik rivers and Deep Creek are open to sport fishing from their mouths upstream approximately two miles to ADF&G markers.

King salmon fishing is closed in all three streams. King salmon 20 inches or longer may not be retained or removed from the water and must be released immediately.

Tight lines.