Kenai River
Silver Salmon Fishing Trips
We offer half and full day fishing trips as well as private charters. We can take a maximum of five anglers per boat but unless the entire party is together, we typically limit capacity to four people per boat. For those wanting additional privacy or for those wanting to fly fish, we highly recommend considering the private boat option.
For those wanting the challenge of fishing for one of Alaska most cherished and sought after game fish, silver fishing is an excellent choice. Their hard fighting nature and willingness to strike a wide variety of baits and lures make them a favorite among locals as well as anglers across the globe.
Early Run – August
The Kenai River sees two distinct runs of silver salmon (coho), an early and a late run. The early run begins to arrive in late July /early August with the peak of the return occurring in the last two weeks of August. Early run Kenai silvers are generally headed for the farther reaches of the Kenai system including the upper Kenai near Cooper Landing and many of the mountain tributaries such as the Russian and Quartz Creek.
The early run silvers on the Kenai average 8-10 lbs. and move through the lower portion of the Kenai in rapid order. They do slow down and stage temporarily in the section of the Kenai below Skilak Lake before moving on to their final destinations higher in the Kenai drainage.
Late Run – September / October / November
The late run of Kenai Silvers arrives in the first week of September and continues well into the months of October, November and beyond.
The peak of the second run normally occurs in late September and early October. Late run Kenai Silvers are larger in size than the early run silvers, averaging 10-12 lbs. The late run silvers are known to be more main-stem spawners and most will spawn in the waters below Skilak Lake.
Kenai Silver Fishing Rates
August / September / October
Kenai Half Day – $295pp
Up to 5 hours
Kenai Full Day – $350pp
Up to 8 hours
Where We Fish For Kenai River Silver Salmon
We fish for Kenai Silvers throughout the lower 50 miles of the Kenai River. Some of the best silver fishing occurs within the tidal reaches of the lower Kenai River. Silver salmon are especially aggressive when they enter from salt water to fresh and anchoring in a strategic travelling lane and presenting diving lures as well as bouncing salmon eggs is highly effective. As the silvers travel farther up the river they do tend to separate into smaller groups, and it sometime takes covering more water to find them. Silvers do slow down and congregate in the waters below Skilak Lake and this is a great place to present lures and flies to silvers within the breathtaking backdrop of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.
Things To Know About Kenai Silver Salmon:
*Spawning Season: Kenai Silver or Coho Salmon return from the ocean and enter the river from late July through November and beyond.
*Redd Construction and Egg Deposition: Females silvers dig nests (redds) and deposit between 2,400 and 4,500 eggs, which are fertilized by the male’s milt as they’re laid.
*Development: Kenai Silver eggs develop over winter and hatch in early spring. The embryos use their yolk sacs while still in the gravel until emerging as fry in May or June.
*Juvenile Migration and Rearing: Young Kenai River Silvers or Coho spend an average of one year in fresh water after emerging from the gravel and feed on aquatic insects and even the eggs deposited by spawning adults. They then undergo a series of changes known as “smoltification” which prepares them to transition from fresh to salt water.
*Time at Sea: Most Kenai Silvers or Coho salmon spend around 18 months at sea, growing to full adult size.
*Marine Diet: At sea, their diet shifts mainly to various bait fish such as herring, sand lance, smelt and squid.
How We Fish for Silver Salmon on the Kenai River
We fish for Kenai Silvers using a variety of methods with the most popular being backtrolling diving lures such as Mag Lips and Kwik Fish, fishing cured salmon eggs on the bottom, and casting and retrieving spinners and jigs. Fishing cured salmon eggs under a bobber is also very effective.
If fly fishing, swinging flies into holding schools of fish is a great way to entice these aggressive salmon and we can do this with both single hand fly rods as well as double hand / spey set ups. Fly rod in the 7-8 wt. range seems to be the ideal size for Alaska silver salmon fishing on the Kenai. Floating lines with interchangeable weighted tips work well for presenting flies on the Kenai.
Kenai River Silver Salmon Limits
The limit for silvers on the Kenai is two fish July 1 – August 31 and three fish from September 1 – November 30.
Silver (Coho) fishing is closed above Bing’s Landing starting on November 1.
The use of bait is prohibited for the entire season above the Moose River in Sterling. If you do not intend to keep a silver salmon on the Kenai River, it is not allowed to be removed from the water.
FAQ’s About Silver Salmon Fishing
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More Information on Kenai River Salmon Fishing
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