ADF&G SONAR · COUNTS REFRESHED OCTOBER 24, 2026

KASILOF RIVER
FISH COUNT

SOCKEYE SONAR COUNTS • ESCAPEMENT GOAL • RUN TIMING

THE QUICK ANSWER

HOW MANY SOCKEYE WENT UP THE KASILOF IN 2026?

1,055,565 sockeye salmon passed the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) Kasilof River sonar in 2026, with the biggest day on July 24 at 145,582 fish. That is about 3.3 times the upper end of the river's 140,000–320,000 escapement goal and 11% above the 6-year average.

SEASON TOTAL

1,055,565

sockeye, 2026

PEAK DAY

145,582

July 24

MIDPOINT

July 20

half the run past the sonar

COUNTING DAYS

54

06/15 to 08/07

Source: ADF&G Fish Counts, Kasilof River sockeye. Counts refresh automatically each time this site is built. Page last updated October 23, 2026.

DAILY COUNTS

WHAT DID THE 2026 KASILOF RUN LOOK LIKE DAY BY DAY?

Every daily sonar count from June 15 to August 7, with the running season total. The run passed the bottom of the escapement goal (140,000) on June 25 and the top (320,000) on July 6.

Kasilof River sockeye, 2026. 54 days of counts. Peak 145,582 on 07/24. Season total 1,055,565. 0 0 73k 528k 146k 1.1M 06/15: 4,785 fish 06/16: 7,085 fish 06/17: 9,540 fish 06/18: 14,046 fish 06/19: 17,369 fish 06/20: 22,302 fish 06/21: 16,908 fish 06/22: 12,891 fish 06/23: 12,739 fish 06/24: 20,535 fish 06/25: 13,713 fish 06/26: 15,311 fish 06/27: 17,918 fish 06/28: 20,445 fish 06/29: 17,491 fish 06/30: 10,463 fish 07/01: 15,184 fish 07/02: 18,596 fish 07/03: 20,307 fish 07/04: 14,864 fish 07/05: 10,783 fish 07/06: 11,063 fish 07/07: 15,162 fish 07/08: 21,377 fish 07/09: 12,753 fish 07/10: 11,257 fish 07/11: 12,765 fish 07/12: 11,378 fish 07/13: 11,412 fish 07/14: 12,819 fish 07/15: 7,644 fish 07/16: 11,041 fish 07/17: 20,480 fish 07/18: 27,650 fish 07/19: 21,682 fish 07/20: 17,564 fish 07/21: 12,634 fish 07/22: 6,840 fish 07/23: 88,830 fish 07/24: 145,582 fish 07/25: 95,400 fish 07/26: 33,056 fish 07/27: 15,995 fish 07/28: 11,752 fish 07/29: 12,087 fish 07/30: 9,745 fish 07/31: 10,243 fish 08/01: 9,191 fish 08/02: 14,511 fish 08/03: 13,999 fish 08/04: 12,654 fish 08/05: 9,187 fish 08/06: 8,242 fish 08/07: 6,295 fish 06/15 06/22 06/29 07/06 07/13 07/20 07/27 08/03 08/07 DAILY SEASON TO DATE
Bars are daily counts (left axis); the line is the running season total (right axis). The solid bar is the peak day.

BIGGEST DAYS OF 2026

DATE SOCKEYE SEASON TO DATE
07/24 145,582 793,208
07/25 95,400 888,608
07/23 88,830 647,626
07/26 33,056 921,664
07/18 27,650 500,076
06/20 22,302 75,127
07/19 21,682 521,758

FINAL DAYS OF COUNTING

DATE SOCKEYE SEASON TO DATE
08/07 6,295 1,055,565
08/06 8,242 1,049,270
08/05 9,187 1,041,028
08/04 12,654 1,031,841
08/03 13,999 1,019,187
08/02 14,511 1,005,188
08/01 9,191 990,677

MULTI-YEAR COMPARISON

HOW DOES 2026 COMPARE TO PAST KASILOF RUNS?

The 6-year average is 954,740 sockeye. Every season in this span finished above the 320,000-fish top of the biological escapement goal.

YEAR SEASON TOTAL PEAK DAY PEAK COUNT
2026 1,055,565 07/24 145,582
2025 1,198,423 07/16 44,544
2024 1,048,092 07/17 99,436
2023 932,896 07/16 59,742
2022 971,604 07/20 125,628
2021 521,859 07/20 24,773

Season totals from the ADF&G Fish Counts database. ADF&G converts older Bendix sonar counts to DIDSON-equivalent units so years can be compared.

MANAGEMENT

WHAT IS THE KASILOF RIVER ESCAPEMENT GOAL?

ADF&G manages Kasilof River sockeye to a biological escapement goal of 140,000–320,000 fish and an optimal escapement goal of 140,000–370,000, both measured at the sonar.

MEASURE FISH
Biological escapement goal (BEG)140,000–320,000
Optimal escapement goal (OEG)140,000–370,000
ADF&G 2026 preseason total-run forecast (harvest plus escapement)about 1,460,000
2026 sonar count1,055,565

When the count is running ahead of the goal, ADF&G typically liberalizes the sport and personal-use fisheries. In 2026, with 117,665 sockeye past the sonar by June 23, it raised the sport bag limit to six a day under emergency order 2-RS-1-31-26. Sources: ADF&G Kasilof count page, ADF&G 2026 Upper Cook Inlet outlook.

THE CALENDAR

WHEN DOES THE KASILOF SOCKEYE RUN PEAK?

Mid-July, usually a little ahead of the Kenai. ADF&G puts the 20-year average midpoint of Kasilof sockeye passage (2005–2024) at July 17; in 2026, half the run had passed by July 20.

ADF&G's run-timing chart lists Kasilof sockeye as available June through August, and the sonar starts earlier than the Kenai's: the 2026 count began June 15 and ended August 7. Peak days in recent seasons have fallen between July 16 and July 24. For every species and river, see our Alaska salmon run timing chart.

Sources: ADF&G 2025 Upper Cook Inlet season summary, ADF&G Kenai Peninsula run timing.

HOW IT IS COUNTED

WHERE IS THE KASILOF SONAR AND HOW DOES IT COUNT FISH?

The ADF&G sonar sits about 8 river miles above the mouth, just upstream of the Sterling Highway bridge. Sockeye reach it 12 to 36 hours after leaving Cook Inlet, so the daily count is a near real-time read on fish entering the river. A fish wheel samples the run each day so pink, coho and chum salmon can be separated out of the total.

ADF&G posts counts daily during the season on its Fish Counts site. Compare it with the Kenai River fish count and the Russian River weir count; the three runs do not always move together.

2026 REGULATIONS

WHAT WERE THE 2026 KASILOF RIVER RULES?

FISHERY 2026 RULE ORDER
Sockeye 6 per day, 12 in possession (16 in. or longer); no more than 2 may be coho. June 26 – Dec 31. 2-RS-1-31-26
King salmon Hatchery kings only (1 per day, 20 in. or longer) May 1 – June 30; wild kings may not be kept or removed from the water. Unbaited single hook only, May 1 – Aug 15. 2-KS-1-18-26

Regulations change in season. Check the ADF&G Northern Kenai emergency orders before you fish. More on the river itself on our Kasilof River fishing page.

YOUR HOME BASE

WHERE CAN YOU STAY NEAR THE KASILOF?

Marlow's on the Kenai is a family-run lodge on the middle Kenai River in Sterling, Alaska, about 30 minutes from the Kasilof. It has four riverfront cabins with kitchens, private docks and a fish cleaning station, so you can fish the Kasilof run and come back to the water every night.

FAQ

KASILOF RIVER FISH COUNT QUESTIONS

WHAT IS THE KASILOF RIVER FISH COUNT FOR 2026?

1,055,565 sockeye salmon passed the ADF&G Kasilof River sonar in 2026, counted daily from June 15 to August 7. The biggest single day was July 24, with 145,582 fish.

WHAT IS THE KASILOF RIVER SOCKEYE ESCAPEMENT GOAL?

ADF&G manages Kasilof sockeye to a biological escapement goal (BEG) of 140,000–320,000 fish, with an optimal escapement goal (OEG) of 140,000–370,000. The 2026 count of 1,055,565 was about 3.3 times the upper end of the BEG.

WHEN DOES THE KASILOF SOCKEYE RUN PEAK?

ADF&G lists Kasilof sockeye as available June through August. Half the 2026 run had passed the sonar by July 20; ADF&G puts the 20-year average midpoint (2005–2024) at July 17.

WHERE IS THE KASILOF RIVER SONAR?

About 8 river miles up from the mouth, just upstream of the Sterling Highway bridge. ADF&G says sockeye reach the site 12 to 36 hours after leaving Cook Inlet, and a fish wheel is used to separate sockeye from pink, coho and chum salmon in the count.

HOW DOES THE 2026 KASILOF COUNT COMPARE TO PAST YEARS?

It finished 11% above the 6-year average of 954,740. The largest season in that span was 2025 at 1,198,423 and the smallest was 2021 at 521,859.

WHAT WAS THE KASILOF RIVER SOCKEYE LIMIT IN 2026?

ADF&G raised it by emergency order 2-RS-1-31-26 to six sockeye (16 inches or longer) per day and twelve in possession, of which no more than two may be coho, effective June 26 through December 31, 2026. Always check current emergency orders before you fish.

HOW FAR IS THE KASILOF RIVER FROM MARLOW’S ON THE KENAI?

About 30 minutes. Marlow's is a family-run lodge on the middle Kenai River in Sterling, Alaska, with four riverfront cabins with kitchens, private docks and a fish cleaning station. Call 907-341-4966.

Related: Kenai River fish counts · Russian River fish count · Alaska salmon run timing

START PLANNING

FISH THE KASILOF RUN
FROM A RIVERFRONT CABIN

Call the lodge or check dates online to plan your trip around the run.

CALL 907-341-4966 CHECK AVAILABILITY