Kasilof River Sockeye Salmon Fish Counts
Best Fishing Times And Peak Dates
Spanning 18 miles from Tustumena Lake to Cook Inlet, the Kasilof River, often called the Kenai River’s little brother, lies just 12 miles away. Despite its smaller size, it boasts an abundant sockeye salmon population, vital to Alaska’s fisheries. Using sockeye salmon fish counts from the Kasilof River helps determine the best dates for targeting king salmon there.
In some years, the Kasilof River’s sockeye salmon have comprised about 55% of the area’s total commercial catch, peaking at 1.2 million. Over the past decade, it has averaged around 600,000 annually, supporting dipnet and set gillnet personal use fisheries. Notably, the Kasilof’s sockeye, slightly smaller than Kenai’s, average around 6 pounds, providing a rewarding fishing experience.
Motor-free, the Kasilof River offers a peaceful fishing setting, unlike the busier Kenai River. Anglers here target not just sockeye, but also king and silver salmon. The Kasilof’s serene and pristine setting, along with its abundant salmon runs, establishes it as a prime location. This river caters to anglers at all levels, from seasoned to beginners, offering an authentic Alaskan fishing experience.
Kasilof River Sockeye Salmon Fish Counts
The Kasilof River is one of the first rivers on the Kenai Peninsula to get its run of sockeye salmon. The only other river that gets sockeye earlier is the Russian River and this is only by approximately 1 week.
Around the middle of June we’ll see the first sockeye start to arrive at the Kasilof River. By June 22 each year we are seeing, on average about 5,000 fish daily, and the number will only continue to increase over the next several weeks. The Kasilof river sockeye salmon run will continue all the way to August 20th when counting will stop.
The peak of the run will happen approximately the third week of July or around July 20th. There have been some staggering numbers for the peak day each year. In 2022, the single biggest day of Kasilof river sockeye entering the river was 125, 628 fish! While this number is a bit of an outlier, seeing more than 50,000 a day enter the river is not uncommon. Fishing in conditions like that is something you go home and dream about!
Around the 3rd week of August the Kasilof River sockeye salmon run will start to decline. When it does, it shuts off pretty quickly. But, there is a silver lining. As the sockeye run comes to an end, the Kasilof River silver salmon run starts to get into full swing. Along with this, the trout fishing becomes excellent and a great run of fall steelhead return to the Kasilof each year.
Kasilof River Sockeye Salmon Escapements
In recent years, the Kasilof River has seen strong sockeye salmon runs. This is in part, oddly enough, due to restrictions on Kenai River king salmon fishing. These restrictions also extend to commercial fishing near the Kasilof, aiming to protect king salmon. Consequently, when commercial fishing for sockeye is halted to safeguard kings, it results in a significant increase of sockeye in the Kasilof. This influx contributes to the large daily numbers and higher average escapement of Kasilof River sockeye salmon.
The Kasilof River aims for a minimum of 160,000 and an optimum of 390,000 sockeye salmon for escapement. Remarkably, over the last three years, the minimum goal was met by July 7th. With over 50,000 fish entering daily, it takes roughly 13 days to reach the optimum goal. Intriguingly, even by July 20th, the peak day for sockeye salmon influx, exemplified by 2022’s record of 125,628 on July 20th, isn’t reached.
Once the sockeye salmon minimum escapement goal is met, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game typically raises the daily limit. While the usual limit is 3 per person per day, it often increases to 6 once the minimum is achieved. There have even been instances where the limit has escalated to 9 sockeye salmon per person per day.
Best fishing Dates For Alaska's Most Popular Rivers & Species
See the table below for Alaska’s most popular rivers and species. For more specific information on each river, click on the link to be taken to that pages specific review of the fish counts.
| River | Species | Dates | Peak Dates |
| Kenai River | King Salmon Early Run | 5/15 – 6/30 | 6/1 – 6/16 |
| King Salmon Late Run | 7/1 – 8/15 | 7/11 – 7/31 | |
| Sockeye Salmon Run | 7/1 – 8/20 | 7/11 – 8/19 | |
| Silver Salmon Early Run | 8/1 – 8/30 | 8/11 – 8/25 | |
| Silver Salmon Late Run | 9/1 – 9/30 | 9/11 – 9/25 | |
| Kasilof River | King Salmon Early Run | 5/15 – 6/30 | 5/28 – 6/19 |
| King Salmon Late Run | 7/1 – 8/15 | 7/11 – 7/31 | |
| Sockeye Salmon Run | 6/11 – 8/20 | 6/22 – 8/11 | |
| Russian River | Sockeye Salmon Early Run | 6/4 – 7/14 | 6/14 – 7/8 |
| Sockeye Salmon Late Run | 7/15 – 9/10 | 7/28 – 8/24 | |
| Silver Salmon Late Run | 8/1- 9/10 | 8/27 – 9/9 | |
| Copper River | Sockeye Salmon | 5/8 – 7/28 | 5/29 – 7/19 |
| Anchor River | King Salmon | 5/5 – 8/31 | 5/30 – 7/22 |
| Ninilchik River | King Salmon | 5/21 – 8/21 | 6/28 – 7/24 |
| Deshka River | King Salmon | 5/19 – 8/27 | 6/11 – 6/29 |
| Nushagak River | King Salmon | 6/6 – 8/17 | 6/14 – 7/11 |
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