Part of the Kenai River will be reopened for boating Wednesday from 6 am to 6 pm, after recent rain dampened fire activity and lowered the potential for conflict between boaters and local residents who were staging for possible evacuation.
The river will be open to boaters from the Cooper Landing state boat launch to Sportsman’s Landing.
The river will remain closed to boating from Sportsman’s Landing to Skilak Lake to reduce traffic on roads and make it easier to quickly deploy firefighters and resources in fighting wildfires on the Kenai Peninsula, officials said.
For the section of the river that is open, drift boats are popular, as are rafts with rowing frames. Lure fishing for rainbow trout is catch-and-release on the upper Kenai. The fish haven’t seen a lure for two weeks during the fire, and are eating salmon roe; the three flies that will likely work will be any egg pattern, egg-sucking leech, and flesh flies, according to Must Read Alaska’s sportfishing adviser.
The Cooper Landing School will also be open on Wednesday, Sept. 4.
Fire danger has decreased over much of the Kenai Peninsula, but residents and visitors should remain aware and prepared for changing conditions. For statewide fire information, visit the AICC website at https://fire.ak.blm.gov/ or http://www.akfireinfo.com.
