Fish 4 The Future

03/07/2023

It’s a bitter-sweet feeling, no doubt. We’ve been asking for conservation. We’ve been asking for “whatever it takes” to get this fishery to a state of sustainability. But the reality of it all has a somewhat unexpected aura of sadness to it.. There are still major factors to address (trawl fleet bycatch comes to mind), but we have to start with a long look in the mirror and do our part. That’s what this is about for me, and I truly hope it spurs additional measures outside of just sportfishing.

https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/fishing/2023/03/03/state-shutters-most-cook-inlet-king-salmon-fishing-this-summer-in-unprecented-array-of-emergency-closures/?fbclid=IwAR3BY0_RHt8a7o5CT7Mp-tSq34rPeQ3ECZIaVbNY_G9UTlJhiI79zfbGlsQ&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game announced preseason fishing limits and closures Thursday as chinook numbers continue to decline. The closure also triggers commercial setnet shutdowns.

10/30/2022

Spoooooky!

Halloween is Monday! Contact us if you're looking for a new costume or want visitor information about Soldotna! 🐟🎣 We love fun trends.

10/18/2022

Craig has a way of placing blame, which isn’t FFTF’s way… but if you can get past the tone and just consume the study and overall idea of another possible tool to simultaneously help our endangered salmon and a struggling sector of our local economy, this is an interesting topic.

More than 50 years after Alaska banned fish traps amid a popular belief they were man’s greatest threat to the survival of salmon, researchers studying salmon bycatch on the Columbia River ha…

10/09/2022

Good to see at least a few of these around this fall. Hoping for a miracle after yet another brutal run…

09/02/2022

https://aksportingjournal.com/kenai-river-king-salmon-escapement-goal-falls-short/

"Inseason assessment data suggest that the run was on-time and matched the historical mid-point of run timing on July 27. Sampling indicates 5-year fish (3 ocean) made up a larger proportion of the run than forecasted and the 6-year fish (4 ocean) were a smaller proportion than anticipated. Finalize...

08/31/2022

13,425

07/30/2022

Thoughts?

Cook Inlet set-netters are pursuing legal action against the state after fishing closures.

07/16/2022

And there it is…

07/12/2022

Another restriction drops due to low king salmon abundance. This time it’s the largest king salmon run on Earth… Big changes needed my friends. BIG changes.

07/09/2022

With king salmon numbers down across the state, many folks are choosing alternative fisheries and/or activities. To each their own, but let us know what you’re doing when you’re not king salmon fishing?

06/23/2022

The evolution of FFTT…

The state of the river(s) was a bit different when FFTF was formed several years ago. Catch & keep was the norm, and FFTF naysayers were primarily comprised of those folks who believed they should be able to harvest all the kings that they were lucky enough to catch. Whether you agree or not, there were 2 lines of thinking that fueled this rationale: Hook & line does not have a major impact, and comm fish were harvesting thousands of kings so sport anglers should have the right to harvest as well.

As a result of the continued degradation of the local king salmon runs, catch & release was back in the spotlight once again. This time, FFTF naysayers (many of the same folks) argued that since there are so few kings, no one should fish for them at all.

The major concerns that spawned (no pun intended) FFTF were the following:

1. As the quality & quantity of king salmon runs declined to historically low levels, regulatory actions and angler behavior was slow to respond. Harvest was the norm despite the rapidly deterioration of the fishery. FFTF aimed to evoke an appropriate response to the state of the fishery.
2. There was/is A LOT of misinformation out there that were/are misguiding angler behavior. This inaccurate info runs rampant amongst the casual angler, and it prevents progress in many ways. FFTF aimed to increase the community’s awareness of the issues, educate all user groups, and clear up misunderstandings by sharing real data and facts.
3. As catch and release slowly began to catch on, it was clear that stressing ethical catch & release techniques would become increasingly vital. FFTF aimed to promote ethical catch and release methods, and celebrated proper & successful catch and release events.

In summary, FFTF was designed as a vessel for education, self responsibility, and the promotion of ethical c&r methods.

And so, while much has changed & while FFTF has continued to evolve with the ever-changing state of the fishery; the principles that FFTF were founded on remain exactly the same!

06/14/2022

Here’s a gorgeous finned up hen from the ditch getting ready for a release by Bryan Kincy…Gills in the water, fish being comfortably supported, head into the current, waiting for the fish to kick away on its own…That’s how it’s done!