Area Sport Fishing Reports
Northern Kenai

Recent News Releases for Northern Kenai

Fire Activity Closure: The Kenai River Special Management Area between Cooper Landing state boat launch to Skilak Lake is closed to all boating activity due to the Swan Lake Fire.
Fire Activity Closure: Jim’s Landing, Sportsman’s Landing, Russian River Ferry service, and Russian River Campground including Russian River public use cabins, Skilak Lake Road, other public use cabins, and adjacent recreational trails in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and Chugach National Forest areas are closed due to the Swan Lake Fire.
For travel and highway closure information, please visit the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities Traveler 511 information webpage.
Rainbow trout sport fishing on the Middle Kenai River is good to excellent. Rainbow trout and Dolly Varden sport fishing on clearwater tributaries of the Kenai River have been improving as salmon begin to spawn.
Coho salmon sport fishing on the Lower and Middle Kenai River mainstem is slow to fair. Anglers are reminded the bag and possession limits for coho salmon are in combination with sockeye salmon. The bag and possession limit is 2 per day and 2 in possession.
Swanson River coho salmon fishing should improve over the coming weeks.
Coho salmon fishing on the Kasilof River is fair.

The deadline to report on your Upper Cook Inlet Personal Use permit was Thursday, August 15, 2019, for the Kasilof River gillnet, Kasilof and Kenai rivers dipnet, and Fish Creek dipnet fisheries. Participants are reminded they are required to report their harvests even if they did not fish, or if they fished but caught nothing.

There are plenty of local lakes that provide a nice and quiet fishing opportunity in the Soldotna, Kenai, Kasilof, Cooper Landing, and Moose Pass area.
Lake fishing for rainbow trout, Arctic char, Arctic grayling, and land locked salmon is excellent. Try fishing with dry or wet flies such as an egg sucking leech, bead head nymph or mosquito pattern, small spoons and spinners size #0 or #2, or small bait under a bobber.

Please review the Emergency Orders and News Releases below in their entirety before heading out on your next fishing trip.

Emergency Order 2-RS-1-42-19 increases the bag and possession limit for salmon, 16 inches or longer, other than king salmon and coho salmon, from three per day, six in possession, to six per day, twelve in possession, in the Kenai River from its mouth upstream to an ADF&G regulatory marker located at the outlet of Skilak Lake. No more than two salmon 16 inches or longer per day and in possession may be coho salmon.
Emergency Order 2-RS-1-37-19 increase the bag and possession limit for sockeye salmon 16 inches or longer from three fish per day to six fish per day and twelve in possession in all portions of the Kasilof River open to salmon fishing. No more than two salmon per day and two in possession may be coho salmon.
Emergency Order 2-NP-1-04-19 prohibits the retention of any species of fish in East Mackey, West Mackey, Sevena, Union, and Derks lakes.
Emergency Order 2-DV-1-03-19 prohibits the retention of Arctic char/Dolly Varden in Stormy Lake.

For additional information, please contact the Soldotna Area Office at (907) 262-9368.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game