2025: The Year in Review

As Alaska enters another winter season, it’s once again time to look back on the highs and lows of another incredible year of fishing on the Kenai Peninsula. 2025 marked our 34th year of guiding in Alaska, which means 2026 will be our 35th season on these waters. It’s hard to believe it’s been that many years—some days it feels like just yesterday I was a fresh college graduate looking for adventure in the Greatland. Time really does fly when you’re having fun, and each season seems to move faster than the last. Before spring arrives and the 2026 season kicks off, let’s take a moment to reflect on an unforgettable 2025.

Kasilof King Salmon – A Challenging but Memorable Start

Like many years before, our season began on the Kasilof River chasing the first returning king salmon. These predominantly hatchery-origin fish bound for Crooked Creek begin trickling in by mid-May and typically peak in the last days of May through the first week of June.

2025 followed that familiar pattern, though the fishing—while sprinkled with some strong days—was overall mediocre. In February, ADF&G announced a slate of king salmon restrictions: no bait, no retention of naturally produced Kasilof kings, and a continued two-fish daily limit for hatchery kings. As with most king returns across Southcentral, numbers simply haven’t rebounded yet, but we remain hopeful that future ocean conditions will help turn the tide.

Kasilof Sockeye – Early, Strong, and Consistent

By mid-June, we transitioned to sockeye trips on the Kasilof, floating from Tustumena Lake’s slack water to the Sterling Highway bridge. The 2025 sockeye run was early, strong, and remarkably consistent.

From mid-June through mid-July, there were very few days when we didn’t return with full limits—especially after the bag limit increased to six fish on June 25. Five hours was the perfect float: catch a limit on fly rods, clean fish, and head to the takeout. Day after day, morning after morning, our guides brought back happy anglers loaded with some of the world’s finest salmon.

Kenai River Sockeye – One for the Record Books

By mid-July, we shifted operations to the Kenai River—and we had no idea what was coming. The late-run sockeye return turned out to be one of the largest ever recorded.

Starting July 16, the river saw 34 straight days with more than 100,000 sockeye entering daily, with several days exceeding 200,000. By mid-August, the total run had hit 4.25 million fish.

Fishing was phenomenal. With multiple trips daily, we returned with an astounding number of sockeye for our guests—easily one of the most action-packed stretches we’ve ever experienced. Years like this remind us how blessed we are to share such a resource with visiting anglers from around the world.

Silvers Arrive Strong

Sockeye fishing remained excellent into mid-August, and on August 16—when bait became legal—we split trips between sockeye and silvers. By the third week of August, we had shifted almost entirely to silvers.

This year’s silver salmon run far outperformed last year’s, with solid fishing well into late September. Both early and late runs produced larger-than-average fish, and the overall numbers were outstanding.

Fall Trout Fishing – High Water, Hard Fighters

After an overall low-water summer, late-season conditions shifted abruptly as glacial lake releases and significant storms pushed river levels higher. This made trout fishing less predictable, with fish constantly on the move.

Still, we enjoyed many classic fall days. The upper Kenai above Skilak Lake fished especially well, as much of the enormous sockeye run spawned there. The river bottom was a blanket of salmon eggs for weeks—an all-you-can-eat buffet for hungry trout. Their aggressive strikes and round bellies spoke for themselves.

Steelhead – Good Early, Adequate Overall

Steelhead fishing on the Kenai Peninsula started strong early on, though overall returns seemed slightly lighter than in some peak years. Even so, the Kasilof, Deep Creek, and the Anchor River all saw good pushes of bright ocean-returning steelhead throughout September and October.

Fly-Out Adventures – Great Fishing, Even Better Weather

Fly-out fishing in 2025 was exceptional from start to finish. Salmon runs were strong across all destinations, bear viewing was excellent, and perhaps best of all, we enjoyed one of the best fly-out weather seasons we’ve ever seen.

Big River Lake produced strong sockeye numbers and lots of bears, while silver destinations such as the Kustatan, Chuit, and Crescent Lake all delivered above-average returns.

Saltwater Action – Big Halibut and Great Seas

Saltwater fishing out of Cook Inlet, Homer, and Seward was consistently productive, with many large halibut returning to the docks. Weather was again outstanding, resulting in very few cancellations. Our captains delivered excellent fishing for all our guests throughout the ocean season.

Kenai Kings – A Small Step Toward Recovery

While the early run of Kenai kings again failed to meet escapement goals, the late run did scrape over the minimum mark with 15,015 fish recorded through August 20.

The Late-Run Kenai Chinook has an Optimal Escapement Goal of 15,000–30,000, and remains a stock of concern. For recovery, the run must either:

• Meet/exceed 14,250 for three consecutive years with one year above 18,000, or

• Meet the minimum for four of six years, with at least one year above 18,000.

We still have a long road ahead before Kenai king fishing can reopen, but 2025 was a step in the right direction.

Looking Ahead to 2026 – A Busy Season Already

With 2025 now in the books, our sights are set firmly on the 2026 season. For reasons we can only guess—perhaps the buzz around the massive sockeye run—2026 is booking up unusually fast. If you’re considering fishing with us next year, especially if you need lodging, please reach out sooner rather than later so we can secure your dates.

Thank You

A huge thank you to our guides, staff, family, and all the wonderful guests who made 2025 such an overwhelming success. We appreciate every one of you and look forward to seeing you again soon on the magnificent Kenai River.