If there is one species of fish Alaska is known for, it’s our world-class, healthy populations of pacific salmon. The Kenai River is host to great Sockeye, King, Silver and Pink Salmon runs throughout the spring, summer and fall months.

Understanding up-to-the-minute run timing and fishing reports gives our guides an edge when pursuing migratory salmon on Alaska fishing charters on the Kenai River. We fish from mid-May all the way through the end of October for salmon using a variety of techniques such as fly fishing, spin fishing, back trolling, bobber fishing and more!

King salmon fishing on the Kenai River runs from mid-May through the end of July. If you’re here during this window, you’ll be fishing for your chance of landing one of the biggest chinook salmon in the world.

The Kenai still holds the world record of 97lbs 4 oz set by Les Anderson in 1985 for King salmon and the genetics of these 70, 80 and 90lb beasts still roam our waters.

Due to smaller runs and fish returning over the past 10 years, we are strictly catch and release only for Kenai Chinooks.

If you would like to harvest King Salmon, we do fish for Hatchery Kings on a more stable fishery on the Kasilof River.

We fish for Chinook Salmon on the Kasilof River during the same window using both fly fishing and conventional fishing techniques. - Fish here average 15-35 lbs but fish nearly 60-70lbs can be caught later in July.

Silvers salmon fishing in Alaska on the Kenai River generally occurs between August 1st - October 31st annually. When it comes to an aggressive, hard-fighting salmon, silvers are right at the top of the list.

Our silvers eagerly taking lures, flies & bait, they might be one of the most fun salmon to chase in this great state.

The Kenai River sees two distinct runs of silvers. Generally speaking, the early first run shows up around late-July to early-August with a few fish showing up.

As August rolls on, more and more fish make their way up the river. But it’s the second run of September that the action really heats up.

September and October are the months you have to be here for some non-stop silver salmon action. The second run of silvers generally has larger and more fish per tide averaging 8-20lbs each.

Pound for pound, Sockeye Salmon are the hardest fighting salmon in Alaska, by far. These 6-12 lb fish are powerful, fast and do not give up. The have been known to break rods, reels, bust knuckles and rip rods out of anglers hands.

Sockeye fishing usually occurs between June 1th - July 5th for the first run and then again from July 5th - the first week of August for the second run of fish.

Thousands of anglers set out to fish for Sockeye daily making them the most prized salmon on the Kenai River. They are super tasty, plentiful and odds of limiting are usually pretty god when they are running strong.

Sockeye or Red Salmon can be fished for with both fly fishing and conventional fishing techniques.

Pink Salmon or “Humpies/Humpback Salmon) are in the Kenai River on even-numbered years (2020, 2022, 2024, 2026, etc…

They flock to the Kenai in staggering numbers. on some days, you would swear that Pinks were lining the bottom of the river.

Humpies are very aggressive, will bite flies, lures, bait, etc… They are great for kids, new anglers or anyone looking for lots of hard-fighting action.

Though not as desirable for eating, Pinks caught in the tidal water or closer to the ocean are rather mild and great smoked.

The arrival of Pinks in even years also makes for electrifying trout fishing on the Kenai River in September as well, making this one of the best times to take a fishing trip to Alaska!