Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. 

All Upper Cook Inlet wild king salmon fisheries will be closed this year. The enhanced hatchery fisheries, which include the Ninilchik River, Kasilof River, Ship Creek, and the Nick Dudiak lagoon, will be open to king salmon fishing with restrictions.  In addition, limited saltwater king salmon fisheries will also be open for harvest as well. 

If you’re wonky about fish numbers, like I am, here are the forecasts for the Kenai River king salmon run. 

The early run (May/June) forecast calls for 2,325 salmon. The optimum escapement goal (OEG) is 3,900-6,600. 

The late run (July) forecast calls for 12,718 salmon. The optimum escapement goal (OEG) is 14,250-30,000 fish.

If there’s a positive takeaway from the 2026 Kenai River king salmon forecast, it’s that the numbers are improving. 

It begs the question, have we hit the bottom and are now in a recovery phase?

Time will tell.

Let’s move on to the good, errr, GREAT fish news. 

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is projecting a return of 7.6 million sockeye to Upper Cook Inlet. In their words, the run is “predicted to be excellent”.

Specifically, 4.45 million sockeye are forecasted to return to the Kenai River alone.

That’s a whole lot of fish.

It’s definitely a forecast that my doctor will approve of. During a routine physical last September, he told me to keep on doing whatever it is I’m doing.

I guess I’ll keep on not fishing for king salmon and keep netting over a thousand sockeye salmon in the summer….

See you next week.

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The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) has released a summary of the 2025 commercial fishing season in Upper Cook Inlet. 

The total harvest was 41% greater than the recent 20 year average. While king, pink, chum, and silver salmon numbers were down, red salmon numbers were up significantly. 

ADFG does not summarize the sport fishing season, but they do release sonar and weir counts for freshwater rivers and creeks. 

Here’s a review the Kenai River sonar numbers.

King Salmon

The early run king salmon forecast was 1,531 fish. The actual return was 2,541. This fell short of the  goal of 3,900 to 6,000 fish. If there’s good news about the early run of king salmon it’s that the trend is up. These are the best numbers since 2021.

It was better news for the late king run. The preseason forecast was 8,742 fish. The final number was 15,015 fish, which exceeded the recovery and optimum escapement goal. It’s the first time the goal has been reached since 2018.   

I unfortunately can not report on king fishermen success because the entire season was closed.

Red Salmon

The early red salmon run (Russian River), surprisingly,  has no forecast. It does however, have an escapement goal. The optimum run number is between 22,000 and 42,000 fish. The final count was 37,153 fish. Overall, the fishing was “just okay”.

The late red salmon run was spectacular. The forecast for the entire Upper Cook Inlet was 6.9 million fish. That number was exceeded half way through the season. When it was all said and done the final tally was 12.1 million fish.

Of the 12.1 million reds in Upper Cook Inlet, the Kenai River had 4.25 million fish cross the sonar. It was a record run that exceeded the top end of the goal by 2.5 million fish.

I can’t think of enough superlatives to describe how great the red salmon fishing was this year. As a rough estimate, in a 3-4 week period I cleaned around 850 fish. Considering we practiced quite a bit of catch and release fishing as well, I easily netted over 1,000 fish. Numbers my back surgeon would not be happy to hear of….

Silver Salmon

ADFG does not have a goal, nor do they count silver salmon in the Kenai River. 

The consensus from friends and other river guides is that 2025 was an average run of silvers. Considering how weak the run was the previous year, I was happy for an average run.

Outlook For 2026

I think 2026 is going to be a great year, but I’m clearly biased. In a couple of months, the fish scientists at ADFG will be releasing their salmon run forecast. As soon as they do, I’ll be reporting about it here.

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Lots of fish means lots of happy fisherman. It also makes for one happy and worn out guide.

Sunday started off with a bang. Tyler, Jacob, Terry, Faith, and Emily caught 30 salmon in about 3 hours. 

On Monday, I fished a large family so that meant two trips. The morning went well for Justin, Jennifer, Logan, Keeley, and Chase.

And, the afternoon was as good as the morning for Jason, Brenda, Ron, Myrna, Kaylor, and Keenan.

Tuesday was day 2 for Team Montana. With 67 red salmon in the freezer from day 1, the goal was to keep just 6, and release the rest. Justin, Logan, Kaylor, Jason, and Keenan kept me active all morning.

The second trip of the day for Team Montana had me active again. Ron, Myrna, Keeley, Keenan, and Logan also kept 6 and released fish until they had enough. 

On Wednesday, Ann, Corey, and Gus had no problems filling the stringers. It was nice to see Ann again. Two years ago she came to Alaska with my sister, along with three other friends. This trip was about family, and getting out of the heat in the lower 48.

On Thursday, Team Minnesota returned after a one year absence. They had little trouble remembering the Kenai red salmon flip. Great job, Dan, Mark, Paul, and Don.

The next day was an encore performance for Team Minnesota. The only thing different is we decided to target silvers early in the day (they cooperated) and then switch over to red salmon to fill out the limits. Paul and Dan are in the back, Mark and Don are in the front. What a way to end the fishing week.

The red salmon run is starting to slow down so I expect in the coming week to be fishing more for silver salmon. I look forward to the transition and the challenge.

Come back next week to see what this grand river that owes us nothing has given us.

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It was another crazy week of red salmon fishing.

I started the week fishing with Skyler, Al, Tara, and Tiki. Beautiful weather, great company, and lots of fish. What’s not to enjoy about that?
On Monday, I had wonderful morning getting to know Craig and Cathy. They are both successful tournament walleye anglers and it didn’t take me long to figure out why. They are patient and are eager to learn. 

Tuesday morning Chris, Martin, and Jake methodically worked their way to a limit. It’s always enjoyable for me to spend time on the river with this trio.

Tuesday afternoon was a lot of fun fishing long time Kenai River veterans Chuck, Griff, and Gary (not pictured is JoRay and Jerry). Normally these guys are chasing silver and pink salmon with me. This year they came earlier to try for reds instead. Definitely a different experience for them trying to catch salmon that are not willing biters.  

What a Wednesday. The fishing was steady, and the fish were large. Thanks Craig, Cathy, Jake, Martin, and Chris for a fun morning.

On Thursday, I had 4 brand new fisherman to break in. It didn’t take Dan, Ben, Eric, and Dan long to figure out how to catch a red salmon. Actually, they caught a lot of red salmon.

On Friday, the 4 of them continued where they left off. I asked Dan, Ben, Eric, and Dan to take a knee so it wouldn’t look like the photo from the day before. Thanks guys for choosing us for your Alaska fishing vacation. 

On Saturday, it was the Roeder’s in waders (yes, it rhymes). It was good to see old friends Gary and Jackie again. 

For the week ahead, I expect a transition in the run from red to silver salmon. Even though the red run is still going strong, a few anglers have targeted silvers and have had success. Soon, I’ll be out of the waders and back in the boat.

Come back next week to see what this grand river, that owes us nothing, has given us.

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Is there any water in the Kenai or is at all fish?

Great question. The following photos should give you the answer.

On Sunday I had a boat full of repeat guests/friends. It felt good to fish once again with George “This is My Last Trip” French, Chai, Justin, Riley and Jameson. It didn’t take long at all for everyone to get their limit.

Monday was Day 2 for George, Chai, Justin, Riley, and Jameson. Limits were had in short order. Two straight days of limits should last them until the next time they’re here.

As my dad would say, you gotta make hay when the sun is shining. Long time guests/friends Mike, Dick, Kim, and Jodie just happened to be relaxing at the cabins when I came in with a morning limit from Team Florida. They had the day off and wondered if I was willing to take a second trip. Why not? When the fish are in you gotta get ‘em while you can. We sure got ‘em.

On Tuesday, the Miller’s/Stacken’s insisted that Jane join us fishing. Thirty red salmon later, we were back at the dock.

Wednesday was Day 3 for the Miller’s/Stacken’s.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day on the river and the fishing continued to be hot.

Miller/ Stacken, Stacken/Miller, no matter how you slice it they sure know how to catch fish. Thursday was day 4 for the group. Their fish boxes are officially full to the top.

On Thursday, I had a second trip and it didn’t take Marianne, Jack, Peter, and Melinda long to catch their limit. This was their first trip to the Kenai. I don’t think it will be their last.

Friday was Matt’s birthday and it’s become a tradition to spend the day fishing the Kenai River. He was joined by his wife Kelly, and friends Rick, and Lori. We had an awesome, but wet day.

What a way to end the week. On Saturday I fished with old friends Mike and Nicole along with new friends Skyler and Al. They had zero problems catching their limits.

With an epic week now in the rearview, come back next week to see what this grand river, that owes us nothing, will give us.

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It was a steady week of catching, netting, and filleting.

I started the week out struggling to find schools of reds. We found a few, just not the right numbers. Mother/daughter Kelly and Stella pose with the days haul.

On Monday, the morning started off slow, but by afternoon Chris, Lance, Martin, and Chris found their groove.

On Tuesday, Chris continued where he left off and was on the fish immediately. Brandy hung in there and eventually caught her first salmon ever. The two of them enjoyed their time in Alaska so much that they booked fishing and cabins for next year. Thanks guys!

What a difference a day makes. On Wednesday, the river was full of fish. It was the first day of the year in which over 100,000 red salmon crossed the sonar counter. Cousin Sheila, her husband Spencer, their son’s Nik and Kris, along with cabin guest Jackson, had me back at the dock cleaning fish before lunch. It was a Jackson’s 16th birthday. What a way to celebrate.

On Thursday Spencer, Nik, and Kris were joined by Travis and Gina. Like the day before, there were a lot of fish moving through and the hot streak continued. Travis and Gina are from Minnesota and are avid hunters and fishers. When the trip was over, Travis and Gina told me I was the first guide they have ever hired. It’s an honor. 

On Friday, the hot fishing continued. Scott, Mason, Connor, Megan, and Lyndsey kept me hopping on the gravel bar netting their fish. It only took a couple of hours to get 30 salmon. 

Hard to believe it, but it was even better for the five of them on Saturday. When Megan got the last fish for the limit, Scott looked at his watch and said it took 51 minutes to catch 30 salmon. We spent the rest of the morning practicing catch and release, took a tour of the river, and watched a moose walk along the bank. What a great way to end the fishing week.

For the week ahead, I’m really crossing my fingers that the run hasn’t reached its peak. I’ve got a lot of long time friends/guests coming and I’d really like them to catch fish until they had their fill.

Come back next week to see what this grand river that owes nothing has given us.

The post Fishing Report Week Ending 7/20/25 appeared first on Beaver Creek Cabins.

As my mentor Jeff King would say, “Eatin’ is cheatin’ and sleep is the enemy. Welcome to the red season.”

It’s still a bit early in the run, but the number of fish moving through has been strong. That’s for both red and king salmon. Yes, even king salmon.

Because the historic peak of the run happens later in the month, the amount of people participating last week was quite low. I really enjoy fishing when this happens because I’m able to pick a reasonable start time and many grade A spots to fish are available.

The “quiet” on the river will change really fast. 

So, enough of the chit-chat. It’s time to roll the fish photos.

I started the week fishing Jim and his sons Dawson and Cole. Their timing was perfect to load up the stringers with limits. 

Seeing the smile on Cole’s face after he landed his first salmon is why I enjoy guiding so much. 

The following day I spent time on the water with Sam, Katie, Evo, and Leo. The goal was to unplug, relax, and absorb the surrounding environment. 

It didn’t take Leo long to start the day off with a nice salmon. It was his first fish in Alaska.

Shortly afterwards, older brother Evo caught his first fish in Alaska too.

They landed one more red salmon and lost a few as well. When I was cleaning the fish Katie said they wanted enough for a couple of fresh salmon dinners and the rest I could have. It was a very nice gesture, and I thank you for sharing.

The next day the decent fishing continued. It took Proxy Joe about an hour and a half to reel in his limit.

The Kenai River dipnetting season opened on July 10th. I usually don’t go early in the three week bonanza, but decided to go on July 11th for a shakedown cruise. I thought a few fish for us would be the goal. It was quite a bit more than a few fish. I would have to say it was the best early dipnet day that I’ve ever had.

For the week ahead I expect the fishing to be solid. There will be down times, that’s the nature of a run, but overall there should be a steady pulse of fish and fisherman.

See you next week.

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Let’s review the data.

The early red salmon run (Russian River) had an escapement goal of 22,000-42,000 fish. The final weir count was 34,677. This was an average run, but it felt worse than that. I know the days that I went fishing my timing was off and I struggled to catch many fish.

The late red salmon run had an escapement goal of 750,000-1,300,000. The final sonar count was 1,926,350.  That was way above the top end of the goal and the success rates definitely reflected the high sonar counts. 

The one takeaway I have about 2024 late red salmon run is the timing of it. The run was front heavy with huge numbers showing the third week of July. But, by early August the run slowed down quite a bit. That’s not what happened the previous 4 years. 

During that period the late run of red salmon continued until mid August.

So that meant this year we were back in the boat fishing for pink and silver salmon sooner than expected. 

What about next year?

The forecast for the 2025 Upper Cook Inlet red salmon run won’t be released until February.

I really anticipate a similar forecast to 2024. In other words, a bunch of reds will hit the river once again. How long the run will go is any one’s guess.

Come back next week I’ll recap the pink salmon run.

See you then.

The post 2024 Red Salmon Recap appeared first on Beaver Creek Cabins.

Day 1, Blinn Week 3. Larry, Steve, Jo Ray, and Josh. The extra fish is a bonus red salmon.

Day 2, Blinn Week 3. Robert started out with the first silver of the morning.

The second silver of Day 2 was caught by Larry. Unfortunately, that was it for the day.  Sorry, Taylor and Josh…

Day 3, Blinn Week 3.  Jo Ray, Robert, and Taylor.

Later that morning Steve caught this beauty. The lucky yellow rain pants came through once more.

I took Chuck and Kate out in the afternoon and it took Kate about 2 minutes to hook and reel in this beautiful silver salmon.

Day 4, Blinn Week 3.  Kate continued her hot hand and started the morning off with a nice red salmon. Steve followed Kate with a bright chrome silver (sorry Steve, no photo of you and your yellow rain pants).

We ended the day with this. From left to right are Richard, Chuck, and Kate.

Day 5, Blinn Week 3. This was the final day of three weeks of guiding the Blinn groups. Unfortunately, it was the slowest day of the entire month. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable spending time with Clint, Rick, Jesse, and Jeff. I’ll see you guys in a couple of years!

My final thoughts. Jane and I have had a busy three weeks with the Blinn crew and we’re always sad when it ends. The fishing, the conversations, the shared meals are all cherished. I often tell people when the Blinn crew takes over our place it’s like a family reunion that you want to go to. Not the family reunion you have to go to. We really missed seeing Gary this year, but we’re glad he will be coming our way next season. The makeup trip can’t come soon enough.

See you next week.

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Not this year.

It’s been a struggle to find good numbers of salmon all week. Rising and dirty water doesn’t help either.

I’ll start out the blog post with the first silver caught this year from the boat. I think Dennis and I were both surprised when it hit five minutes after the anchor was set. 

This was the last trip of the year wearing waders. From left to right are Frank, Dennis, Cindy and Steve with a mix of red, pink, and silver salmon. Not a bad way to end the bank fishing part of the season.

Frank proudly holding a nice early season silver salmon.

Cindy and Steve with a couple of hard earned silvers along with a couple of pink salmon.

How’s this for determination? Francis broke his leg at the end of June and wasn’t going to let it get in the way of fishing in Alaska. Francis and his extended family have been staying in the cabins the past two weeks and have been fishing every day. 

Even though he mostly sat in the boat trying to catch pink and silver salmon, Francis couldn’t help himself and decided to get on shore to try his hand at red salmon fishing. Even from a chair he still had the touch. Amazing.

I finished the week fishing Shane, and his sons Colton and Beckett. It was a wet August morning, but that didn’t interfere with them having fun. It was their first time fishing the Kenai River and I bet it won’t be their last.

The week ahead will be Blinn Week 1. Gary, unfortunately, will not be here. He had unexpected surgery on his hamstring and has a long rehab ahead of him. After 26 years of apprenticeship, Jo Ray will lead the group through three weeks of fishing on the Kenai Peninsula. I think he’ll do an excellent job.

Here’s one last photo I’ll share before I sign off. These guys have been hanging out around the cabins lately. I never get tired of caribou.

See you next week!

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