Alaska's Kenai Fishing Season Information
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| Fish Type |
May |
June |
July |
August |
September |
| King Salmon |
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| Silver Salmon |
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| *Pink Salmon |
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| Red Salmon |
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| Halibut |
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Excellent |
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Good |
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Slow |
| * All pinks will enter the Kenai on even years only. |
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King Salmon:
The Kenai is home to the world's largest salmon with the record weighing in at 97.4 lbs. Perhaps you will be the one to break the 100 lb. record. The King Salmon Derby in local Soldotna provides the chance to win a $50,000 first prize for landing the next world record.
The Kenai River sonar fish count shows that between 50,000 to 80,000 Kings pass through in July during the second run. Late May and June show a slightly smaller run. The King bag limit is one per day or two for the season on the Kenai. You can catch more Kings from other rivers in Alaska.
Silver Salmon:
Silver Salmon is considered the "residents choice" and is known for its fighting spirit. A Silver averages from 10-15 lbs. Their run usually starts the first of August. There is an annual Soldotna Silver Salmon Derby in mid-August, which runs for 10 days. The winner pockets $5,000. Daily prizes are also awarded to 1st through 3rd place. King of the River rated first and second place for five days in 1995. My clients landed 3 Silvers over 17 lbs each. The Derby record was 19 lbs. Silver salmon fishing tends to be more relaxing than fishing for Kings and the daily bag limit for Silvers now stands at 2.
Red Salmon:
These are reputed to be the best for eating and smoking. Sockeyes can weigh up to 12 lbs. Fish for these from mid-July to early August. You do not need a boat. Fish for Reds along the banks of the Kenai but bring waders. You can rent waders and poles locally. Or I can provide you with poles and assistance. In 1987 over 2 million Reds entered the river within two weeks. The yearly average during mid-July of Reds swimming into the Kenai ranges from 500,000 to 1.5 million and can last for several weeks. The daily bag limit for Sockeye Salmon now stands at 3 except for the Russian River where the daily limit at this time is 3.
Pink Salmon:
Also called the Humpback, these salmon make their annual run into lower Kenai with the heaviest runs during the even years. They weigh up to 10 lbs. and can be fished for, along with Silvers, during August. Pink Salmon give the angler plenty of action for their size. You can double your fishing pleasure by fishing for Pinks and Silvers at the same time. In August of 1996 a party of four from Connecticut landed 24 pinks in less than an hour and a half. The next best years for pinks will be 2008, 20010 and 2012. (The Pinks run only on even years.)
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