The upper Kenai River in fall color near Cooper Landing

Alaska fish counts · Kenai Peninsula

Alaska Fish Counts: Kenai, Kasilof & Russian Rivers

Every salmon run near our cabins, counted one fish at a time by sonar and weir. Here is how the last season went, what an average one looks like, and when each river comes alive.

See the countsCheck dates

The 2026 season

Every count at a glance

Goal ranges as Alaska FishTopia prints them. Kings: closed most recent years; we fish them when open.

How many fish

The busiest day of each run

Fish past the counter on the run's busiest dayThe average peak day of each run, 2016–2025: a 7-day average, so single record days run higher.
  1. Kenai sockeye68,433
  2. Kasilof sockeye20,869
  3. Russian sockeye, late run2,819
  4. Russian sockeye, early run2,189
  5. Kenai kings, late run376
  6. Kenai kings, early run137
  7. Kasilof kings (weir)40

Counts: ADF&G preliminary daily counts as published by Alaska FishTopia; timing from the 2016–2025 seasons.

Show the numbers
Average fish counted on the peak day
RunAverage peak dayBusiest single day on record
Kenai sockeye68,433249,944 (Jul 27, 2025)
Kasilof sockeye20,869145,582 (Jul 24, 2026)
Russian sockeye, late run2,81910,621 (Aug 5, 2023)
Russian sockeye, early run2,1898,209 (Jun 12, 2019)
Kenai kings, late run3761,026 (Jul 24, 2015)
Kenai kings, early run137374 (Jun 14, 2017)
Kasilof kings (weir)40301 (Jul 7, 2016)
Sockeye counted per day, on an average summerEvery day from June 1 to September 10, averaged over the 2016–2025 seasons. Same scale for all three rivers.
  • Kenai sockeye
  • Kasilof sockeye
  • Russian sockeye (early + late run)
020k40k60k80kJun 1Jun 15Jul 1Jul 15Aug 1Aug 15Sep 1Russian late run counted from Jul 15Kenai sockeyeKasilof sockeyeRussian sockeye (early + late run)
020k40k60k80kJun 1Jul 1Aug 1Sep 1

Counts: ADF&G preliminary daily counts as published by Alaska FishTopia; timing from the 2016–2025 seasons. Average fish counted per day (7-day average).

Show the numbers
Sockeye counted per day, on an average summer
Week ofKenai sockeyeKasilof sockeyeRussian sockeye (early + late run)
Jun 1———
Jun 8——288
Jun 15—2,7781,515
Jun 22—6,4262,180
Jun 29—8,6771,708
Jul 613,49011,7991,167
Jul 1321,88711,757568
Jul 2060,11720,120971
Jul 2767,51515,5801,444
Aug 350,8069,2132,458
Aug 1033,4925,1172,544
Aug 1725,9842,0361,947
Aug 248,4226401,378
Aug 31——856
Sep 7——235

Run timing

Show up when the fish do

Each river and each run has its own timing. Kenai fishing runs on a different schedule from the Russian, which runs on a different schedule from the Kasilof, and while the difference may only be a week or two, it makes all the difference in the world. The most important part of catching fish during these runs is to show up when the fish do.

The whole season on one pageEvery counted salmon run near us, and every trip we book, from May through October. The thin lines mark our season: May 15 to October 1.
  • Usual counting season
  • Middle half of the run
  • Peak week
  • Halfway day
  • Our dates (not counted)
  • Our season: May 15–Oct 1
  • Best dates
  • Peak (our guides)
  • Closed most recent years
  • Kenai Kasilof Russian
  1. Salmon runs (counted)
  2. Kenai River sockeyePeak week Jul 23–Jul 29
  3. Kasilof River sockeyePeak week Jul 16–Jul 22
  4. Russian River sockeye, early runPeak week Jun 20–Jun 26
  5. Russian River sockeye, late runPeak week Aug 4–Aug 10
  6. Kenai kings, early runClosed most recent years; we fish them when open
  7. Kenai kings, late runClosed most recent years; we fish them when open
  8. Kasilof king count (Crooked Creek weir)Counted upstream at a tributary weir, so later than the fishing
  9. Our trips and dates
  10. Kenai River sockeye fishingAs early as July 1, usually from about July 8, sometimes to August 30: every year is different
  11. Kasilof River sockeye fishingJune 11 to as late as August 16
  12. Kasilof kings (when ADF&G opens them)May 15 to June 30; best May 15 to June 11
  13. Silver salmonAugust 1 to September 30: two runs, peaking around August 21 and September 21
  14. Trophy rainbow troutOpen from June 11; best August 8 to September 30, catch-and-release
  15. Kasilof steelheadFrom August 10, catch-and-release
  16. Pink salmon (even-numbered years)Late July to mid-September in 2028, 2030, 2032…
  17. Homer halibutMay 15 to September 30
  18. Bears
  19. Bears: Big River LakesFly-out bear viewing and fishing, June 10 to August 31
  20. Bears: Crescent LakeFly-out bear viewing and fishing, July 15 to September 30
  21. Bears: Brooks Falls, KatmaiFly-out, June 1 to September 17; bears at the falls best in July
  22. Wildlife and tours
  23. Kenai Fjords National Park cruiseGlaciers, whales and sea life out of Seward, mid-May to about September 20
  24. Glacier hiking, Exit GlacierGuided ice hiking near Seward, May 21 to September 15
  25. Glacier jet ski, Prince William SoundOut of Whittier, May to September, weather permitting
  26. Clam diggingClosed most years; when open, any -3 ft tide through September 30, by chartered boat across the bay

Counts: ADF&G preliminary daily counts as published by Alaska FishTopia; timing from the 2016–2025 seasons. Our dates: the seasons we book.

Show the numbers
The season at a glance
Run or tripSeasonPeak / bestHalfwaySource
Kenai River sockeyeJul 1–Aug 19Jul 23–Jul 29Jul 28ADF&G count
Kasilof River sockeyeJun 15–Aug 14Jul 16–Jul 22Jul 20ADF&G count
Russian River sockeye, early runJun 7–Jul 14Jun 20–Jun 26Jun 25ADF&G count
Russian River sockeye, late runJul 15–Sep 5Aug 4–Aug 10Aug 8ADF&G count
Kenai kings, early runMay 18–Jun 30Jun 9–Jun 15Jun 12Closed most recent years
Kenai kings, late runJul 1–Aug 20Jul 28–Aug 3Jul 27Closed most recent years
Kasilof king count (Crooked Creek weir)Jun 6–Aug 5Jul 4–Jul 10Jul 8ADF&G count
Kenai River sockeye fishingJul 1–Aug 30Jul 8–Aug 30—Our dates
Kasilof River sockeye fishingJun 11–Aug 16——Our dates
Kasilof kings (when ADF&G opens them)May 15–Jun 30May 15–Jun 11—Our dates
Silver salmonAug 1–Sep 30Aug 21, Sep 21—Our dates
Trophy rainbow troutJun 11–Sep 30Aug 8–Sep 30—Our dates
Kasilof steelheadAug 10–Sep 30——Our dates
Pink salmon (even-numbered years)Jul 25–Sep 15——Our dates
Homer halibutMay 15–Sep 30——Our dates
Bears: Big River LakesJun 10–Aug 31——Our dates
Bears: Crescent LakeJul 15–Sep 30——Our dates
Bears: Brooks Falls, KatmaiJun 1–Sep 17Jul 1–Jul 31—Our dates
Kenai Fjords National Park cruiseMay 15–Sep 20——Our dates
Glacier hiking, Exit GlacierMay 21–Sep 15——Our dates
Glacier jet ski, Prince William SoundMay 15–Sep 30——Our dates
Clam diggingMay 15–Sep 30——Our dates; closed most years

The whole season month by month: Alaska salmon run timing, May to October.

How they are counted

Sonar and weirs

The big glacial rivers, the Kenai and the Kasilof, are too wide and too murky to count by eye, so Fish and Game counts them with underwater sonar. The Russian River and Crooked Creek are small and clear, so their fish are counted at weirs, one at a time. The counts are preliminary in season and can be revised afterward. The Kenai sockeye sonar · the Kasilof sonar · the king sonar

Questions

Alaska fish count questions

Which Kenai Peninsula salmon runs are counted?

Kenai River late-run sockeye and both king runs (sonar), Kasilof River sockeye (sonar), Russian River early and late sockeye and its coho (weir), and Kasilof kings at the Crooked Creek weir. Kenai silvers and pinks aren't counted.

Where do these fish counts come from?

From Alaska Department of Fish and Game's preliminary daily counts, as published by Alaska FishTopia. The timing on these pages is the average of the 2016–2025 seasons.

Which river peaks first?

The Russian River's early run (peak week Jun 20–Jun 26), then the Kasilof (Jul 16–Jul 22), then the Kenai (Jul 23–Jul 29), with the Russian's late run in August (Aug 4–Aug 10).

Counts are Fish and Game's preliminary in-season numbers and can be revised. Fish and Game can change seasons and limits by emergency order: check the current regulations before you fish.

More fish counts

Every run we watch

Counts: ADF&G preliminary daily counts as published by Alaska FishTopia; timing from the 2016–2025 seasons. All counts on these pages come from Alaska FishTopia, which posts them daily in season; the Alaska FishTopia app sends count alerts to your phone.