Combat Fishing for Salmon

Leslie, July 20, Soldotna & Kenai
Klondike RV Park

Kenai and Soldotna are famous for salmon fishing.  We don’t fish, but we like to eat fish (and to watch the fisher-people in action). 

In Soldotna people combat fish along the Kenai River. 



Currently they’re fishing for King, Silver, and Red Salmon.

In Kenai they engage in dipnet fishing.  Dipnet fishing is limited to Alaskan residents.  Each family is limited to 25 dipnet salmon for the first family member plus 10 for each additional family member.  They cannot dipnet fish in the river, but must catch the fish before they return to the river. 

A dipnet is a large net on a long pole. 



The fishers stand in the surf and wait for a fish to swim into their net.  As you can imagine, the water is extremely cold!  Most people wear hip waders and rain jackets although some wore wet suits. 



When a fish swims into the net, the fisher drags the pole onto the beach.  The fish is killed by clubbing it with a short club that looks like a small baseball bat. 

Lots of people were camping on the beach.




For many Alaskans, dipnet fishing provides an important source of food for the entire year.