Despite relative low, early counts for the late run Kenai River king salmon fishery, king salmon fishing on the Kenai is open with king fishing above the ADF&G markers at Slikok Creek is still prohibited.
King salmon fishing opened July 1st with restrictions on hooks and a no bait mandate.
The Alaska Department of Fish & Game sonar shows 598 kings have escaped past the counter this season. The escapement posted is lower than the 820 kings recorded at this time in 2017, and lower than the 1,066 in 2016.
On the Kasilof River, king salmon fishing has been reported as fair according to ADF&G weekly report.
Sockeye Fishery
The sockeye fishery on the Upper Kenai and Russian rivers has been good to excellent, and bag limits were liberalized to try and limit over-escapement.
With 4,551 sockeye passing the Kenai River sonar on July 4th, the cumulative total for late run red salmon stands at 12,607 late run reds; behind the 2017 count of 20,544 by the same date last year.
Check regulations for bag limits for different areas.
Dipnet Fishery
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game reminds Alaska residents the Kenai River personal use dipnet fishery opens on July 10 and continues through July 31, 2018. However, because of anticipated low returns, the retention of king salmon in the Kenai River personal use fishery will be prohibited. Any king salmon caught incidentally may not be removed from the water and must be released immediately, unharmed.
Kasilof River dipnet fishery opened on June 25, and fishing has been reported as spotty with nearly 61,000 sockeye counted at the Kasilof River sonar through July 4th. That compares to nearly 84,000 in 2017 during the same time period.
To participate in the dipnet fisheries, a 2018 Upper Cook Inlet dipnet permit and a resident sport fishing license is required.
