This year we had our first family reunion at the cabins. Those people planning to have a family reunion in Alaska we can accommodate. We can sleep 24 comfortably. Our larger cabins, the Denali cabin and the Foraker cabin can sleep 6 people per cabin and the Chisik, Kalgin and Cape Kasilof cabins can sleep 4 people per cabin. So if you are planning a family reunion let us help facilitate the special event.

Nate

For those of you planning a vacation or trip to Alaska, let us help. If you have questions about our cabin rentals, Alaska or fishing call or email us. We are currently booking for the 2009 season.

I posted some new pictures in our online Alaska photo gallery. I updated pictures of our new cabins the Denali and Foraker cabin rentals.

Nate

Our first guests have shown up for the summer season on May 20th. I enjoy this family business because of the people I get to met. I spend all winter communicating with guest via email or phone and finally I get a chance to put a face and name together. Not only that but I am convinced no other Alaska cabin rental, motel, hotel or B&B can claim to have the best clients. I am always amazed at how great our guests are.

We have had a few moose in the yard. A week ago we had a cow (female) and her two newly born calves. Of course my camera was not handy and I haven’t seen her or the calves in the yard since. I hope to see them and take a picture to post on the site.

Take care and enjoy your summer wherever you are.

Nate

I will be taking more pictures of our two new cabin rentals the Denali and Foraker Cabins next weekend.  My wife did get this picture inside the cabin.  We were working on installing the spiral stairs.  Pictured are my two helpers.

Thanks,

Nate

Just wanted to let everyone know that the Denali Cabin and the Foraker Cabin have the sheet rock, mud & texture done.  The cabins have been painted as well.  We will start flooring and  installing the kitchen cabinets next.  I will upload pictures on my next update that I post. 

The weather was warming up, snow melting (gone in most places) and the past 3 days we started getting more snow.  It looks like the early summer is not going to happen.

 I am very anxious for the summer to get here.  For now I will continue to hibernate.

Thanks,

 Nate

I just wanted to let everyone know that the Denali Cabin Rental and the Foraker Cabin Rental are being plumbed for a washer and dryer in the cabin.  This will allow guest to take care of personal laundry.

Thanks,

Nate

Here at Alaskan Sunset Cabins we work close with Reubin Payne to ensure our cabin rental guest have a great time fishing. Reubin was kind enough to send me a copy of last years newletter which gave great insight to the sport fishing season on the Kenai Peninsula.

Enjoy!

Nate

Greetings from the Beautiful Kenai Peninsula in Alaska.

Every winter, as I write this newsletter, I am reminded of the past season’s new and repeat guests, the many stories and smiles shared! Thank you to all of you that fished with the Alaskan Widespread Fishing “family” this year. I would also like to give my sincere thanks to my guides and sub-contractors for your loyalty, professionalism and extra effort on and off the water. Thank you Pop, Brand-Dog, Butt Chaser, Badger, Loomis, Avery, Mindy, Matt, Ed, Dr. Fee Good, and Rod! You are a huge part of this business and “family.”

Spring Fling Salmon/Halibut Combos The Season is Short But Sweet!

May of 2006 found me chasing kings and halibut back out on the Cook Inlet for my 15th straight season. The king salmon stage and school throughout the shallows, feeding heavily before their annual migration into the many streams and rivers that terminate in the Cook Inlet. As these salmon travel towards their native birthplace, we intercept them by trolling cut plug herring or large, inline spinners, often in water less than 25 feet deep. The strikes are sudden and savage; the runs are fast and ferocious with sudden angle and direction changes. A hot, saltwater king can make even the most veteran anglers weak in the knees. After chasing king salmon for several hours, we point the bow west and head out to the deeper water in pursuit of the world’s largest flatfish, the Pacific halibut! Much of the spring and early summer halibut fishing is done in waters under 100 feet, just 3 to 5 miles offshore. This makes for shorter boat rides providing more fishing time! These freezer-filling behemoths are delicious, tender, and tasty. A halibut fishing adventure is a must for visiting anglers!

Kasilof Kings June’s Flood of Chrome!

In late May, the Kasilof River experiences a trickle of “fresh from the ocean” king salmon. As June arrives, this trickle becomes a torrent as thousands of king salmon push into this small and shallow, drift boat only, waterway! The Kasilof experience is an action-packed trip involving back trolling plugs and backbouncing salmon eggs for chromebright kings with terrible attitudes. Landing one of these shiny freight trains requires anglers to be alert, aware, and on top of their game. A savvy king will slack line you, cut back on your gear or bust you off in the rocks given half a chance. The Kasilof is the best salmon game in town for anglers that are visiting the Kenai Peninsula in early to mid June.

Kenai River Salmon A Breed All Their Own!

What makes the Kenai River special??? Perhaps it’s the fact that the world record king salmon was hauled from her glacial blue waters. Or maybe she is special because 7 of the 10 largest king salmon ever caught on hook and line came from her powerful currents. Anyone who has ever fished for Kenai River king salmon will tell you that this is unlike any fishery in the world. The chance at a world record chinook salmon with each drift, separates the Kenai River from all other rivers on the planet! The Kenai is special for her history as a big fish producer and for her future as the most likely location for the new world record to be landed. The Kenai king salmon fishery is separated into two distinct runs. The first run begins in early May; in fact, the world record was a May fish. These first-run fish can be enormous kings that are generally tributary spawners. Through testnetting and sonar counting, Alaska Fish and Game estimated the 2006 first run of king salmon to be 23,328 fish. These numbers were significantly higher than first run averages for the last decade. The second run of king salmon occurs in the month of July. This is the month of large numbers. The 2006 Alaska Fish and Game sonar estimate for the second run was slightly under 30,000 kings in the river. The 2nd run officially kicks off July 1st and runs until the last day of July. This is our busiest time of the year so please book your July king fishing early! Thank you to all of the anglers that choose to release these very special Kenai kings back into the river to continue this strain of the world’s largest king salmon. Alaskan Widespread Fishing continues to promote catch and release and to participate in the “Release a Hawg, Take Home a Trophy” program. This program provides $800 to all anglers that choose to release king salmon over 50 inches during the month of July (please see our website for details). Our Kenai River king salmon run continues to provide anglers with world-class fishing year after year!

Sockeye Salmon-Fillet and Release Fishing!

The 2006 sockeye salmon run started out with a very shaky debut. The sonar counts for these salmon were very low in early to mid July. Many anglers wondered if the sockeyes, also known as reds, were late coming in 06 or if these fish got lost and were skipping a year? As the month of July progressed, the sockeye numbers continued to rise to average. By late July, the numbers were skyrocketing. The tough fishing that we had early in the month was forgotten by the end of July. The Kenai River sockeye sonar count for 2006 was over 1,430,000 reds. Starting July 24th we had 10 straight days with over fifty thousand fish a day entering the river. The river was teeming with salmon as wave after wave of reds stormed up the river. The Kenai River red is very large for the species with fish averaging between 8 and 10 pounds. The flesh is bright red, rich, flaky and delicious! The limit starts at 3 fish per day and by late July the limit is generally 6 fish per person, per day. A few hours chasing reds can fill the freezer for months! And after landing our limit of sockeyes, we typically switch gears and target trophy rainbow trout, Dolly Varden char, and silver salmon for a Kenai River combo that can create memories for a lifetime. If you enjoy catching chrome-bright, reelsmoking, tail-walking, speeding bullets, then a Kenai River sockeye slam-fest may be an exciting addition to your Alaskan fishing adventure!

Want to Catch the Biggest Rainbow of Your Life?

One of the Kenai River’s best-kept secrets is her amazing rainbow trout and Dolly Varden fishing. The season kicks off in early June with the “bows” just coming off of their spawning beds and feeding heavily to replace the stores of fat used during the spawning season. This fishery starts out strong and only gets better as the summer progresses and millions of salmon drop billions of pure protein rich salmon eggs. The rainbows and Dollies gorge themselves on the eggs and flesh of the Kenai River’s massive run of salmon! The fishing takes place in the middle section of the Kenai River with much of the drift fishing done within the boundaries of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. We use lightweight G-Loomis spinning rods and fly rods in the 6 to 8 weight class. Average trout are 2-5 pounds with some hawgs pushing the scales at weights up to 13-16 pounds. The trout fishing will run from early June until late October. We generally combine these trout trips with sockeye salmon or silver salmon fishing based on angler desires. This is action fishing in a beautiful setting, perfect for kids and adults alike!

Fall Silver Fishing -Fish On!!!

In early August, the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers experience the annual run of coho or silver salmon. Our Kasilof River and Kenai River silvers average 9-12 pounds, August thru mid September, with some pigs pushing 20 pounds showing up late September thru the month of October. We generally target these fish with fly rods and flashy patterns, casting spinners with light spinning rods and/or bouncing salmon roe on the bottom of slack water holes. No matter what type of technique you choose to use, these bad boys will hit you like you owe them money!!

Fantastic Float Plane Fishing!

Alaskan Widespread Fishing Adventures will continue to guide remote fly-in fishing and bear-viewing trips throughout Kodiak Island and the Alaska Peninsula. These scenic flights will put you in one of several remote river systems teeming with salmon and trout. Be sure to bring a camera, as bearviewing opportunities are very common. These day trips are a must for any angler’s customized package! The scenery, quality of fishing, and abundant wildlife often make it the highlight of
our visitor’s Alaskan experience.

Land a Trip in 2007!

Thank you once again to all of you that have helped make Alaskan Widespread Fishing Adventures such a success! Never has our motto of “come as a client leave as a friend”been more realized. I will continue to donate my funds, time, and energy to the Make-A-Wish foundation, The Kenai River Professional Guide Association, Wildlife For Tomorrow and The Kenai River Sport Fishing Association. I appreciate all of those potential clients who are considering booking a trip with Alaskan Widespread Fishing Adventures. I can provide referrals, if you would like to speak with someone from your area that has fished with me and can share some of their experiences with you. Please don’t hesitate to call me if you have any questions or if I can help you plan your Alaskan fishing adventure. I look forward to hearing from you in the near future.

Tight lines and good times,

Reubin Payne
www.widespreadfishing.com

I stopped working to take a picture and share it with all of you.  This is from inside the Foraker cabin.  The view is of Cook Inlet.  As you can see we have very little snow right now.  The forcast is calling for a foot in the next day or so.

Nate

We spent 3 days sheet rocking the Foraker cabin. The sheet rock is done. Next we will sheet rock the Denali cabin. Currently we are on target to completing the cabins. We are actually a little ahead of schedule.

Nate

If you are looking at coming to Alaska during the month of July, remember not only are the salmon here in large numbers but so are the tourist. Our cabins will fill up for the month of July in December and January. I am sure other accommodations, car rentals, charters, etc. are booking like crazy this time of the year as well. So keep this in mind and book early enough to ensure a headache free and hassle free trip planning experience.

Nate