By Nick Varney

Special to the Homer Independent Press

Anyone with the observation skills of a myopic mole has probably realized by now that the coho run in the Fishing Lagoon is close to being a fleeting memory.

Yes, there will still be small schools of stragglers wandering into the pond to be morphed into carry-outs by lurking seals or beaten, bashed and ripped by the fanatic practitioners of floss snagging.

These dedicated devotees of sleaze-casting are amazing to watch as they hone their ability to haul fish in sideways, backward, sideways or half-dead with broken gear dragging behind them. Luckily, they are disappearing as fast as the silver run.

On an up note, the subsistence nets went in during the week with some pretty fair results for those who knew what they were doing.

A rumor has it that an over-enthusiastic newbie discovered that wrestling a highly annoyed coho from a net while standing in waist-deep water was not a well-thought-out approach. Hilarious to her tutor, but not so much to the novice whose waders were full of glacier-fed water while she was in a death match with something closely related to a trout. The fish ultimately escaped the eager volunteer’s grip but met its demise when a scurrilous seal swept in to nail it as it hightailed away from the net.

The rookie was last spotted sloshing toward her Forester, mumbling epithets that would have set off church alarms around the city if she hadn’t been whispering.

Time now for the weekly fishing report for Aug. 17.

Freshwater fishing

Good news. You can finally expect respectable fishing for dollies and silvers in the lower sections of the lower Kenai Peninsula roadside streams.

While beads and small spinners fascinate the dollies, cured salmon roe clusters suspended under a float work best for coho, but spinners, spoons, plugs and flies will attract strikes. Try fishing the early morning hours or at the streams’ mouths during the incoming tide for your best shot at them.

The upstream sections of the lower Kenai Peninsula roadside streams are open to sport fishing except salmon. Expect only fair fishing for the dollies up there given the low counts.

Saltwater fishing

Kachemak Bay/Cook Inlet

Halibut

Halibut fishing is looking good for next week.

Anglers are reporting success throughout Kachemak Bay and Cook Inlet.

If fishing is slow, try drifting to search new areas for concentrations of fish.

Herring is the most utilized bait, but don’t hesitate to try octopus, pollock and salmon heads.

King and coho salmon

King and silver fishing remained fair last week.

Both the kings and silvers are scattered throughout Kachemak Bay but offshore locations have been producing the best catches.

Anglers may fish north of Bluff Point for kings now.

Per usual, small troll herring or spoons behind a flasher is the “go to” setup, but hootchies and tube flies will also work.

Lingcod

Marine weather is looking favorable enough this coming week to make it out to the outer coast to fish for lingcod along the coast from the Chugach Islands to Gore Point. Expect fair fishing.

Surf fishing

Whiskey Gulch and Deep Creek are still fine options for nailing halibut from shore.

Don’t forget about fishing off the tip of the Homer Spit because it can be grab bag angling for fish that taste good, fight well, look like a Stephen King’s nightmare or taste like paste with a dash of drool mixed with a side of week-old sushi kissed by the sun.

Emergency Orders

King Salmon Restrictions in Cook Inlet Salt Waters

Rockfish Restrictions in North Gulf Coast and Cook Inlet

Cook Inlet and North Gulf Coast Sport and Personal Use Razor Clam Permit Now Required

Until next week…

Nick can be reached at ncvarney@gmail.com if you have any tips, tales or know the whereabouts of the rookie who did battle with the coho. There’s just got to be more to that story.