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Fish & Game allows bait for early run Kenai kings

The early king salmon run on the Kenai River has come in well within recently approved management goals.

With more than 6,000 large kings counted and the run about three-quarters finished, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has decided to allow bait for sportfishers below Slikok Creek, from the mouth of the river to the markers approximately 300 yards below the creek. The department’s projection is for a total run of about 7,700 fish. Fishing above Slikok is still restricted to a single, unbaited hook and retention only of kings measuring less than 36 inches.

In other areas, fishing remains strong for reds on the Russian River. An escapement of more than 13,000 had been estimated for the season so far as of Wednesday. Water levels were reported at a little over 10.5 inches. Sockeye counts on the Kasilof River are at almost 40,000 with a lot of fishing left there.

Down on the Anchor River, they’ve counted about 3,700 kings. In the Ninilchik River, 373 king salmon have been counted so far, with bigger pulses of hatchery kings peppering that return in recent days.