Opening day for the upper Kenai River is June 11th. Fishing for trout early season can be very good. Russian river Sockeyes are heading in as well. Sockeye numbers tend to increase each day until about the 27th then the first run begins to taper off.
The Kenai River is forecasted to see 200,000 more fish than the 20-year average, according to Fish and Game’s release, with a run forecast of approximately 3.8 million sockeye salmon. Fish and Game puts the forecast at a range of 3.1 to 4.5 million. The 20-year average is 3.6 million.
Fish and Game forecasts escapement goals for the Kenai River to be between 1 and 1.3 million fish. Kenai River late-run sockeye salmon enter the lower Kenai in early July, peak in late July, and are generally complete by early to mid-August. Most fish arrive during the last two weeks of July. The peak of the run generally lasts 7-10 days, and at the peak of a good run, it is not uncommon to see sonar estimates of greater than 20,000 fish per day. Average total return of Kenai River late-run sockeye salmon is about 1 million sockeye (including harvested fish).These fish are headed for many streams throughout the area, as well as the Russian River, the mainstem of the upper Kenai River, Kenai Lake and Quartz creek
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