Troopers cite 19 anglers for fishing violations on Kenai, Kasilof

Alaska Wildlife Troopers cited 19 anglers on the Kenai and Kasilof rivers between July 22 and Aug. 9 for fishing violations, seizing 18 fish that were donated to charity, according to 11 dispatch reports posted by the Alaska Department of Public Safety.

Eighteen of the citations were for failing to release a snagged fish. The other, issued Aug. 9 on the Upper Kenai, was for using bait where only single-hook artificial lures are legal. Eighteen of the anglers were cited in Kenai River cases. One was cited in a Kasilof River case.

Most of those cited were visitors, from Hawaii, Wisconsin, Arizona, Minnesota, Montana, Utah, Oklahoma and Georgia. Alaska residents from Homer, Sterling, Eagle River and Anchorage were also cited.

One case on July 22 at Bings Landing began when troopers watched from across the river as an angler kept a sockeye hooked in the belly. A fishing guide ferried the troopers across to make contact.

The Kenai River Special Management Area states that snagging or attempting to snag any fish is illegal in all fresh waters of Alaska. The regulation behind it is 5 AAC 75.022(c). Bait and multiple hooks are prohibited from the river mouth to the Skilak Lake outlet through Aug. 15.

The Alaska Court System's fish and game bail schedule sets what a citation costs. Attempting to snag or failing to release a snagged fish in fresh water carries $100, plus $20 for each fish taken and $150 for each king salmon. Illegal gear in single-hook waters, which covers the bait case, carries $50. If a person charged appears in court and is found guilty, the schedule says the fine "may not exceed the bail amount," and seized fish and equipment may be forfeited under state law.

The dispatches have kept coming. The department posted six further Kenai River snagging entries on Aug. 11 and Aug. 12, after the period covered here.

Some anglers argue snagging is not always intentional. They say crowded, fast-moving river conditions can make a clean mouth hook-up difficult to achieve. The dispatches remain only the troopers' account, and the charges are accusations.