Alaska residents flocking to the Kenai Peninsula for the day or the weekend should be aware of the fishing rod loaner program. Through the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the program offers fishing rods to lend out to anglers for free of charge, depending on local fishing opportunities, fishing conditions, and availability as they are first come first served.
Colton Lipka, Area Management Biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game tells KSRM:
“We’ve actually gone through phases. We had our rod loaner program out of this office for many years and then we discontinued it and actually got this program reinstated this last year so we have rods available for salmon fishing, ice fishing, and lake fishing. Prospective anglers that want to come in, come into our office, here. You fill out a quick form with the basics and we’ll check out the rods, they go fish, they bring back the rods, they fill out a quick survey and then the process is complete. We do provide the complete package as far as rod, reel, tackle. If the kind of fishing that they want to do involves bait, we’re not supplying bait, so they’d have to go do that themselves, but in general, we also give a quick education and statement about whichever fishing they’re trying to target so we can try to make them as successful as possible. If we see this program take off, then we can increase that to provide more.”
Requirements include having a current sport fishing license for Alaska residents 18 years of age or older. It’s the borrower’s responsibility to ensure that all parties using State of Alaska equipment have a current valid Alaska sport fishing license if they are required by law to purchase one. Also, it’s the borrower’s responsibility to ensure they are familiar with the fishing regulations and emergency orders that apply to their fishing destination.
Borrowers may check out no more than three fishing rods at a time and they may only check out the same type of equipment twice per year.
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