The Kenai still has good sockeye fishing as hundreds of thousands of them push upriver. Fresh fish can be caught below the Russian River (the Upper Kenai) and throughout the middle Kenai (below Skilak Lake). Rainbow and Dolly Varden fishing is also picking up throughout the Kenai system. Leech patterns and Dolly Llamas have been working well for rainbows. Beads are working in some of the Kenai's smaller tributaries.

Silver and humpy fishing at Ship and Bird creeks has improved this week. Try fishing a No. 3 or No. 4 Vibrax, or drift some cured roe under a bobber in Ship Creek.

Ocean fishing is still very good, with lots of halibut being caught.

Alaska Troutfitters in Cooper Landing reports the Upper Kenai trout fishing is improving daily as sockeyes caught by salmon anglers are filleted and their carcasses tossed back into the river to become food for rainbows and dollies. The trout are taking flesh flies more aggressively, so fling a micro flesh fly out there and hold on.

The kings are building nests and will soon start dropping eggs in the deeper water mid-river, so expect the bead bite to begin soon.

Sockeye anglers, remember that the fish move in schools, so if you aren't seeing any at a given moment, be patient and another group is likely come though within an hour or two.

Youth-only fisheries

The Fish and Game department has announced two youth-only fisheries for this weekend:

• A first-time youth-only sport fishery at Fish Creek will open Saturday and Sunday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Anglers 15 and younger may fish for all species, except king salmon, from the Fish and Game markers at the mouth of Fish Creek upstream to a marker a quarter-mile upstream of Knik-Goose Bay Road. All other sport fishing regulations remain in effect for Fish Creek. The daily bag and possession limit is three salmon; only two a day may be silver salmon. The weekends-only fishery for all anglers will open Saturday, Aug. 13.

• In Homer, a portion of the Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon on the Spit will open for fishing to anglers 15 and younger this Saturday from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. The youth-only sport fishing area will be posted. The remainder of the Fishing Lagoon will be open for fishing to anglers of all ages. All other sport fishing regulations remain in effect for the lagoon. Fishing rods will be available for kids to check out and use. The department says the best chance to hook silvers should start at 5:30 p.m. on the incoming tide.

Anchor River access

A new Kenai Peninsula land deal guarantees public access to a popular fishing area near the mouth of the Anchor River, according to a joint announcement by the Nature Conservancy of Alaska and the Department of Natural Resources.

This month The Nature Conservancy transferred 75 acres at the mouth of the Anchor to the state natural resources department for the benefit of long-term habitat management. The area -- known as the Jacobs and Mutch properties -- has a devoted following among king salmon and steelhead anglers in Southcentral Alaska, and that lower river is a vital rearing area for the fish.

"This move is absolutely the right thing to do," said Lynn Whitmore, a longtime Anchor Point angler. "This is truly a special river, a special piece of land, and a special place to fish for kings. Fishermen are happy to see it publicly owned and protected from here on."

Since purchasing the land in 2009, the conservancy and other conservation partners have worked with the state to secure private and federal funds with which the state could acquire the parcels.

While the privately owned area was previously accessible, public access was never guaranteed. Now the land will be managed for habitat and public recreation.

"The mouth of the Anchor River has been a treasured fishing hot spot for decades, and has served as vital rearing habitat for salmon and steelhead for thousands of years," said Randy Hagenstein, director of The Nature Conservancy in Alaska. "Public ownership of this land will guarantee access for all Alaskans for decades to come."

The Daily News fishing report is published each Thursday. For the latest and most comprehensive information every day, check the links on adn.com/outdoors/sportfishing. In addition to reports from Department of Fish and Game biologists across the state, you will find lots of photos in the Nice Catch galleries, links to current weather, river and stream flows, tide charts, fish counts, salmon run timing, fishing derbies across the state and how-to videos. You can also buy a fishing license online, check the regulations, read a blog with the latest fishery closures and emergency orders, and sign up for our fishing newsletter email.