Estimated Seasonal Runs
Fishing varies throughout the season requiring us to cater our trips according to what is running at the time of booking. Below are some general timeframes of the seasonal variations, which of course are completely dependent on the fish.
June 11 to June 30: The upper Kenai River and trout fishing generally opens on June 11. The first run of Sockeye Salmon (Reds) is just getting ready to take off. Fishing for salmon is usually fair on opening day and just improves with each additional day! Salmon fishing generally holds strong though June 21. Fishing for Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden is usually excellent on opening day and then levels out to fair fishing for the remainder of the month.
July 1- July 15: Fishing this time of year generally focuses on Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden. The best trip option for big fish is the full day Kenai Canyon trip, but fish can be found on all of the trips in numbers sufficient to satisfy any angler.
July 15 – August 15: The second run of Sockeye Salmon begins around the middle of July and Salmon can be found in most locations of the Kenai River. If the second run of Sockeye Salmon is strong, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game will increase the bag limit from three fish to six fish per day. Imagine the fun in catching a limit of six explosive Sockeye Salmon and then taking them back home for your family and guests to enjoy. The fishing for Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden just gets better and better as the number of salmon in the river increases.
August 15 – September 30: This is the time of year that every Alaskan waits for during our long dark winters. The fishing is unbelievable! Sockeye Salmon are spawning in full force, the egg bite is on and fishing for Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden on the river is wide open. Numbers of 100 fish plus per day for a boat are not uncommon with many fish in the five pound plus range running from 24” – 30”. If you are looking for great action on the Kenai River with trophy Rainbow Trout as the target, this is the time of year you want to fish the Kenai. The fishing for Silver Salmon improves as the fishing for Sockeye Salmon declines. Silver Salmon are regularly targeted from the end of August thorough September.
October 1 – until? : It is getting cold in Alaska and the quality of the fishing all depends upon the river conditions. We will fish until it is too cold for you to enjoy yourself, so give us a call and lets go fishing!