dipnet opens july 10

and this is how a lot of us stock the freezer for the whole winter.

Starting Friday, the mouth of the Kenai River turns into one long line of families in waders, dip nets in hand. It's the personal-use fishery, and it's open to us as Alaska residents.

The season runs July 10th through the 31st, and you can be out there from six in the morning until eleven at night. One permit covers your whole household, so the more hands you bring, the more you carry home. You don't even need a boat, plenty of folks just walk out and dip right from the beach.

The state holds that July 10th opener on purpose, to let the late-run king salmon slip upriver first. In a normal year, Alaskans pull somewhere between 130,000 and more than half a million sockeye out of this one spot. The busiest days usually fall between the 16th and the 25th, so if you want a little elbow room, get down there early.

Bring a cooler, bring your license, and remember the city of Kenai keeps dumpsters and portable toilets on the north shore. On the south side you pack out what you pack in, because leaving trash there comes with a stiff fine.

Grab your permit and a resident sport fishing license before you head down Friday.