Guided fishing for King Salmon begins in early May and extends through the month of July.  Our primary Kenai Peninsula King Salmon Fisheries include the Kenai and the Kasilof Rivers.  Both rivers have early and late runs of king salmon.  The early runs are essentially May and June and the late run includes July. We also offer fly out king salmon fishing to the west side of Cook Inlet and the Chuitna River from June 15 - July 1.

Kenai River King Salmon: Early Run

The early run of Kenai Kings begins in early May and peaks in the first two weeks of June. In 1985, this run produced the largest king salmon ever caught at 97 lbs! The early run has an average return of 16,000 fish and regulations require all early run Kenai kings between 44 and 55 inches be released. Limit is one fish per day, two per year.

Cost:  $175 per person, Half Day:  6 hours (guide, all gear and power boat)
$225 per person, Full Day:  8-10 hours (guide, all gear and power boat)
Season:  May 1 - June 30

Kasilof River King Salmon: Early Run

The early run of Kasilof King salmon is a mix of both hatchery and wild fish. This run is most productive between May 15 and June 15. Only hatchery king salmon can be retained during this early run and the limit is one fish per day and three fish per year.

Cost:   $225 per person, Full Day:  8-10 hours (guide, all gear and power boat)
Season:  May 1 - June 30

Chuitna Helicopter King Fishing

This is a combination float plane and helicopter trip to a remote river on the West Side of Cook Inlet. This is a short but potent run of large kings that begins June 15 and ends July 1. Fishing is done from the shore and the limit is one fish per day.  See our article describing this fabulous fishery.

Cost:  $525 per person, Full Day:  8-10 hours (guide, floatplane and helicopter transportation, all gear, 2 person minimum)
Season:  June 15 - July 1

Kenai River King Salmon: Late Run

The late run of Kenai Kings begins July 1 and peaks in the last two weeks of the month. The average size of these kings is an impressive 35-40 lbs. The late run has an average return of 35,000 fish. Limit is one fish per day, two per year. This is the most popular time to fish for Kenai kings so expect added pressure but also very productive fishing.

Cost: $175 per person, Half Day:  6 hours (guide, all gear and power boat)
$225 per person, Full Day:  8-10 hours (guide, all gear and power boat)
Season:  July 1 - July 31

Kasilof River King Salmon: Late Run

The late run of Kasilof King salmon is often overlooked by the more popular late run of king salmon on the Kenai. July king fishing on the Kasilof is extremely productive and like late run kings on the Kenai, the average size of the fish is quite large. The limit is one fish per day and three fish per year.

Cost:  $225 per person, Full Day:  8-10 hours (guide, all gear and drift boat)
Season:  July 1 - July 31

Detailed Fishing Information