Russian River Sockeye Fish Counts

The Russian River is one of the tributaries flowing into the Kenai River just below the town of Cooper Landing on the Upper Kenai River. The first run of sockeye that enter the Kenai River between May 15 and June 30 are primarily headed for the Russian River and other tributaries of the Kenai River.  

This means there are actually two opportunities to catch these sockeye salmon. The first opportunity is when they enter they Kenai River. The second opportunity is once they reach the Russian River.Most anglers choose to target them at the Russian where it’s more productive because once the sockeye salmon reach the Russian River the size of the river is much smaller and the fish are more concentrated.  Furthermore, the water is so clear you can actually see the fish in the water.

This fishery is managed as two independent runs by ADF&G which is why you can see two different escapement chart lines.

The Russian River sockeye run is similar to the Kenai River chinook run in that there are two independent runs of salmon.  An early run and a late run.

The peak time of the Russian River early run is from June 14 to July 8th and the minimum escapement goal is usually achieved by June 28.

The peak time of the late run of the Russian River is from July 28 to August 24 and the minimum escapement goal is usually achieved by Aug 11.

2019 was an amazing year with ADF&G raising the limit to 9 sockeye per person per day!