Fish counts · Kenai River
Kenai River Silver Salmon Fish Counts
There is no silver salmon count on the Kenai. Here is why, what we use instead, and when to come for two runs of the most acrobatic salmon in the river.
The short version
Kenai silvers at a glance
- Aug 1–Sep 30our silver salmon trips
- ~Aug 21first run peaks
- ~Sep 21second run peaks
- No counton the Kenai itself
- 959Russian River coho at the weir, average (2016–2025)
- Aug 27–Sep 2Russian River coho peak week
Why no count
Why we can't count Kenai silvers
Fish counts aren't there to help anglers catch fish. They are there to manage the fishery: to know how many fish make it upstream to spawn, the "escapement". If the count can't be accurate, it isn't worth running, and counting Kenai silvers accurately is close to impossible.
Silvers start entering the Kenai in the last week of July, and we usually catch our first few while we're still fishing sockeye. That is exactly when the sockeye run is at its peak: on an average year the sonar counts tens of thousands of sockeye a day into August, and still thousands a day at the end of the month. In even-numbered years (2028, 2030, 2032…) pink salmon come in even greater numbers. A silver is a few pounds bigger than a sockeye or a pink, but on a sonar screen a small silver and a big sockeye look the same.
- Kenai sockeye
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
| Week of | Kenai sockeye |
|---|---|
| Jul 20 | 60,117 |
| Jul 27 | 67,515 |
| Aug 3 | 50,806 |
| Aug 10 | 33,492 |
| Aug 17 | 25,984 |
| Aug 24 | 8,422 |
| Aug 31 | — |
| Sep 7 | — |
When to come
Two runs of silvers
What we do know, from fishing this river every day: there are two runs. The first shows in early August and peaks around August 21. The second enters in late August and builds through September, peaking around September 21, and these are some of the strongest silvers of the year. Silvers jump, run and fight like fish twice their size.
Silver limits on the Kenai are usually combined with sockeye limits and change by date, so check the current regulations before you fish.
- 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
- Salmon runs (counted)
- Kenai River sockeyePeak week Jul 23–Jul 29
- Kasilof River sockeyePeak week Jul 16–Jul 22
- Russian River sockeye, early runPeak week Jun 20–Jun 26
- Russian River sockeye, late runPeak week Aug 4–Aug 10
- Kenai kings, early runClosed most recent years; we fish them when open
- Kenai kings, late runClosed most recent years; we fish them when open
- Kasilof king count (Crooked Creek weir)Counted upstream at a tributary weir, so later than the fishing
- Our trips and dates
- Kenai River sockeye fishingAs early as July 1, usually from about July 8, sometimes to August 30: every year is different
- Kasilof River sockeye fishingJune 11 to as late as August 16
- Kasilof kings (when ADF&G opens them)May 15 to June 30; best May 15 to June 11
- Silver salmonAugust 1 to September 30: two runs, peaking around August 21 and September 21
- Trophy rainbow troutOpen from June 11; best August 8 to September 30, catch-and-release
- Kasilof steelheadFrom August 10, catch-and-release
- Pink salmon (even-numbered years)Late July to mid-September in 2028, 2030, 2032…
- Homer halibutMay 15 to September 30
- Bears
- Bears: Big River LakesFly-out bear viewing and fishing, June 10 to August 31
- Bears: Crescent LakeFly-out bear viewing and fishing, July 15 to September 30
- Bears: Brooks Falls, KatmaiFly-out, June 1 to September 17; bears at the falls best in July
- Wildlife and tours
- Kenai Fjords National Park cruiseGlaciers, whales and sea life out of Seward, mid-May to about September 20
- Glacier hiking, Exit GlacierGuided ice hiking near Seward, May 21 to September 15
- Glacier jet ski, Prince William SoundOut of Whittier, May to September, weather permitting
- 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
| Run or trip | Season | Peak / best | Halfway | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenai River sockeye | Jul 1–Aug 19 | Jul 23–Jul 29 | Jul 28 | ADF&G count |
| Kasilof River sockeye | Jun 15–Aug 14 | Jul 16–Jul 22 | Jul 20 | ADF&G count |
| Russian River sockeye, early run | Jun 7–Jul 14 | Jun 20–Jun 26 | Jun 25 | ADF&G count |
| Russian River sockeye, late run | Jul 15–Sep 5 | Aug 4–Aug 10 | Aug 8 | ADF&G count |
| Kenai kings, early run | May 18–Jun 30 | Jun 9–Jun 15 | Jun 12 | Closed most recent years |
| Kenai kings, late run | Jul 1–Aug 20 | Jul 28–Aug 3 | Jul 27 | Closed most recent years |
| Kasilof king count (Crooked Creek weir) | Jun 6–Aug 5 | Jul 4–Jul 10 | Jul 8 | ADF&G count |
| Kenai River sockeye fishing | Jul 1–Aug 30 | Jul 8–Aug 30 | — | Our dates |
| Kasilof River sockeye fishing | Jun 11–Aug 16 | — | — | Our dates |
| Kasilof kings (when ADF&G opens them) | May 15–Jun 30 | May 15–Jun 11 | — | Our dates |
| Silver salmon | Aug 1–Sep 30 | Aug 21, Sep 21 | — | Our dates |
| Trophy rainbow trout | Jun 11–Sep 30 | Aug 8–Sep 30 | — | Our dates |
| Kasilof steelhead | Aug 10–Sep 30 | — | — | Our dates |
| Pink salmon (even-numbered years) | Jul 25–Sep 15 | — | — | Our dates |
| Homer halibut | May 15–Sep 30 | — | — | Our dates |
| Bears: Big River Lakes | Jun 10–Aug 31 | — | — | Our dates |
| Bears: Crescent Lake | Jul 15–Sep 30 | — | — | Our dates |
| Bears: Brooks Falls, Katmai | Jun 1–Sep 17 | Jul 1–Jul 31 | — | Our dates |
| Kenai Fjords National Park cruise | May 15–Sep 20 | — | — | Our dates |
| Glacier hiking, Exit Glacier | May 21–Sep 15 | — | — | Our dates |
| Glacier jet ski, Prince William Sound | May 15–Sep 30 | — | — | Our dates |
| Clam digging | May 15–Sep 30 | — | — | Our dates; closed most years |
The one silver count nearby
Russian River coho at the weir
Fish and Game does count silvers on one upper Kenai tributary: the Russian River, at its weir. It is a small stock, an average of 959 a season, and it shows the timing of the fish bound for that one stream, not the size of the Kenai's runs. They peak at the weir Aug 27–Sep 2, after their long swim up the river.
- Russian River coho
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
| Week of | Russian River coho |
|---|---|
| Aug 1 | 0 |
| Aug 8 | 3 |
| Aug 15 | 12 |
| Aug 22 | 28 |
| Aug 29 | 51 |
| Sep 5 | 41 |
| Sep 12 | — |
Show the numbers
| Season | Fish counted | Against the ADF&G goal |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 423 | — |
| 2013 | 1,758 | — |
| 2014 | 2,990 | — |
| 2015 | 385 | — |
| 2016 | 503 | — |
| 2017 | 492 | — |
| 2018 | 1,936 | — |
| 2019 | 162 | — |
| 2020 | 1,768 | — |
| 2021 | 707 | — |
| 2022 | 1,668 | — |
| 2023 | 1,203 | — |
| 2024 | 270 | — |
| 2025 | 885 | — |
| 2026 | 746 | — |
Questions
Kenai River silver salmon questions
Is there a fish count for Kenai River silver salmon?
No. Silvers enter the Kenai while tens of thousands of sockeye a day, and in even-numbered years huge numbers of pinks, are passing the sonar, and a sonar echo can't reliably tell a small silver from a big sockeye. If the count can't be accurate, it isn't worth running.
When do silver salmon run on the Kenai River?
There are two runs. The first shows in early August and peaks around August 21; the second builds through September and peaks around September 21. Our silver trips run August 1 to September 30.
Are any silvers counted near the Kenai?
Yes, at the Russian River weir, on one upper Kenai tributary: an average of 959 a season over 2016–2025. It shows the timing of that one stock, not the size of the Kenai's runs.
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
- All Kenai Peninsula countsEvery counted run on one page
- Kenai River fish countsSockeye, kings and the Russian
- Kenai River sockeyeThe big July run
- Kasilof River sockeyeThe earlier run, next river south
- Russian River sockeyeEarly run in June, late run in August
- Kenai River kingsEarly and late runs
- Kenai River silversWhy there is no count, and when to come
- Salmon run timing, May to OctoberThe whole season, month by month
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.