After several years of falling short of minimum escapement objectives, the 2025 late run of Kenai River king salmon narrowly met the recovery threshold of 14,250 large kings (greater than 34 inches). By the final day of counting, the cumulative sonar estimate stood at 15,015 fish. This benchmark was established under the Kenai River Late …
Summary of actions at the 2024 Upper Cook Inlet Board of Fisheries Meeting as it pertains to the sportfishing angler visiting the Kenai Peninsula for the next three seasons. The most significant action taken at Upper Cook Inlet Finfish Meeting: Feb 23-March 5, 2024 is in response to the stock of concern status for Kenai …
The triannual Board of Fisheries meeting for upper Cook Inlet took place in early February in Anchorage and the seven member board, many selected by newly elected governor Mike Dunleavy, voted in favor of several proposals that shifted fish away from commercial fisheries and into the rivers. As the economic value of the fish has …
Running a fishing business on the world famous Kenai River may seem like a dream job to some but those that have “lived this dream” know it’s not always about bent rods and screaming drags. Fact is even though we love to fish, during the peak of the season and the business, we really get …
There is certainly no doubt the Kenai is the world’s most famous salmon river, home to the largest kings on earth and the place of piscatorial dreams. Yet just 20 minutes down the Sterling highway is the Kasilof, a river slightly smaller than the Kenai, but equally rich in historic angling lore and yes, huge …
The 2018 season is well underway and just like every season it has exhibited its own unique personality. Perhaps the most noteworthy characteristic to the season has been the lack of warm weather, especially in mid to late May with temps still dipping into the thirties overnight and struggling to break into the sixties during the …
Prior to this past season, it had been several summers since I guided for kings on the Kenai. With low returns and restrictions, we largely refocused our efforts on the more abundant and predictable sockeye salmon. 2016 seemed to be a pivotal moment for the Kenai with improved king salmon returns not only here, but …
Here is another good read covering the latest information on king salmon management… https://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/new-tools-biologists-aim-avert-another-kenai-king-disaster
For those of you keeping up with the latest discussion regarding our king salmon returns, here is an excellent article that summarizes the Cook Inlet Task force meeting and proposals to date. It is important to remember that ultimately this all comes down to making sure we preserve what is arguably the most genetically unique king …
Are you interested in booking a drift boat fishing trip on the Kasilof River? Click here or call 1-800-622-1177! In the Shadow of Giants (This article was written by Kenai/Kasilof River guide Mark Glassmaker and was originally published in Fish Alaska magazine in July 2006.) The Kenai’s lesser known neighbor has a king-sized reputation …
