By Dante Petri | Peninsula Clarion

A generally warm spring has peeled back the ice on the river and opened up the landings, allowing both shore anglers and boaters to access the Kenai’s teal blue waters surrounded by still snowy mountains.

Robert Begich, the area sportfish management biologist for the Department of Fish and Game in Soldotna said that while he’d been getting good reports from the Kenai, he had yet to hear anything from the Kasilof River to the south.

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The 17th Annual Homer Winter King Salmon Derby is a bit of a misnomer this year, the event will be held on the first day of spring.

That’s fitting according to the tournament’s coordinator, Paula Frisinger.

“It’s a spring breakup time thing,” she said, explaining the event has become something of a tradition for diehard anglers looking to beat the winter blues and get a line in the water.

On Tuesday Frisinger said a little over 100 people had entered the tournament, which starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

Competitors will cruise the waters of Kachemak Bay, trolling for feeder kings that reside in the area feasting and fattening themselves.

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Warm weather and low snowfall this winter is helping to make this one of the best years for ice fishing seen here a while.

Scott Miller, of Soldotna Trustworthy Hardware and Fishing, said their annual ice-fishing derby is set to break a participation record this year.

The 13-year-old, month-long event has attracted over 1,200 entrants so far this year, and with more than a week to go, Miller said he expects to see another 100 to 200 people get in on the action before the end of February.

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