UPDATED SEPTEMBER 10, 2026

KENAI RIVER
FISH COUNTS

Official ADF&G sonar counts for the Kenai River in 2026, what is running right now, and how the season plays out month by month.

1,111,781 late-run sockeye passed the Kenai River sonar in 2026. The biggest day was 07/24, when 171,844 fish moved through in twenty-four hours. ADF&G finished counting for the year on 08/10.

SEASON TOTAL

1,111,781

sockeye, 2026

PEAK DAY

171,844

on 07/24

FINAL COUNT

8,227

on 08/10

KASILOF

1,055,565

sockeye, 2026

Source: Alaska Department of Fish and Game sonar, Mile 19 of the Kenai River. Counts refresh automatically from the ADF&G Fish Counts database.

The 2026 Kenai sockeye run, day by day

Every daily sonar count from 07/01 to 08/10, with the running season total. The run builds through mid-July, peaks in the last ten days of the month, and tapers into August.

Kenai River late-run sockeye, 2026. 41 days of counts. Peak 171,844 on 07/24. Season total 1,111,781. 0 0 86k 556k 172k 1.1M 07/01: 5,417 fish 07/02: 3,598 fish 07/03: 7,651 fish 07/04: 10,893 fish 07/05: 7,729 fish 07/06: 5,024 fish 07/07: 6,708 fish 07/08: 9,028 fish 07/09: 12,048 fish 07/10: 11,080 fish 07/11: 10,139 fish 07/12: 8,277 fish 07/13: 9,637 fish 07/14: 13,100 fish 07/15: 9,366 fish 07/16: 9,705 fish 07/17: 14,545 fish 07/18: 15,995 fish 07/19: 23,584 fish 07/20: 17,231 fish 07/21: 18,040 fish 07/22: 11,603 fish 07/23: 26,784 fish 07/24: 171,844 fish 07/25: 159,801 fish 07/26: 153,910 fish 07/27: 97,202 fish 07/28: 60,835 fish 07/29: 31,082 fish 07/30: 28,134 fish 07/31: 13,504 fish 08/01: 12,172 fish 08/02: 9,608 fish 08/03: 24,614 fish 08/04: 19,817 fish 08/05: 12,289 fish 08/06: 12,187 fish 08/07: 10,275 fish 08/08: 12,217 fish 08/09: 6,881 fish 08/10: 8,227 fish 07/01 07/08 07/15 07/22 07/29 08/05 08/10 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.

Kasilof River sockeye, 2026

The Kasilof starts counting two weeks earlier and runs its own sonar. It is the drift-only river 30 to 40 minutes from the lodge.

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.

Final 2026 daily counts

DATE SOCKEYE SEASON TO DATE
08/10 8,227 1,111,781
08/09 6,881 1,103,554
08/08 12,217 1,096,673
08/07 10,275 1,084,456
08/06 12,187 1,074,181
08/05 12,289 1,061,994
08/04 19,817 1,049,705
08/03 24,614 1,029,888
08/02 9,608 1,005,274
08/01 12,172 995,666

BIGGEST DAYS OF 2026

07/24
171,844
07/25
159,801
07/26
153,910
07/27
97,202
07/28
60,835

How 2026 compares to the last 6 years

The 2026 Kenai sockeye run finished 51% below the 6-year average of 2,280,803 fish, making it the weakest run in that span. The Kasilof told a different story the same season, finishing 11% above its own average — worth knowing when you are deciding which river to fish.

2021
2,441,825
2022
1,567,750
2023
2,351,020
2024
1,926,350
2025
4,286,091
2026
1,111,781

Total late-run sockeye past the ADF&G Mile 19 sonar, by season. Peak day has landed between July 17 and August 2 in every year on record, which is why the last ten days of July are the safest window to book.

Russian River sockeye counts, 2026

ADF&G runs a weir on the Russian River, the clear-water tributary that joins the Kenai at Cooper Landing, 45 minutes from the lodge. It gets two distinct sockeye runs: an early run in June and a late run from mid-July into August. The weir count is the number to watch before a Russian River day trip.

EARLY RUN

47,093

sockeye through the weir, 2026

Peak day 07/03 with 3,275 fish. 4% below the 6-year average of 48,969.

LATE RUN

56,206

sockeye through the weir, 2026

Peak day 08/03 with 3,514 fish. 44% below the 6-year average of 100,306.

Second-run silvers and trophy trout are the story right now

September is the best month of the year for two things on the middle Kenai: second-run silver salmon, which run bigger than the August fish at 10 to 14 pounds and peak around mid-month, and trophy rainbow trout, which feed hard on salmon eggs and flesh through October. The sockeye sonar has finished for the year, and the river is quieter than at any point since June.

OPEN AND FISHING

  • Silver salmon (coho) — second run, bigger fish, peaking mid-September
  • Rainbow trout and Dolly Varden — the best weeks of the year, catch-and-release only
  • Ocean halibut and cod out of Ninilchik and Homer — running through the end of September

CLOSED OR RESTRICTED

  • Kenai River king salmon — closed under ADF&G emergency order for the 2026 season

Latest Kenai River fishing reports

Dated reports from the lodge. The counts above update themselves; these add what we are seeing on the water.

JULY 11, 2026

Kenai River Fishing Report: Mid-July 2026

Live Kenai River conditions for mid-July 2026. Sockeye counts are climbing toward peak, and one riverfront cabin just opened for July 16-31.

MAY 10, 2026

Kenai River King Salmon Restrictions 2026

Current 2026 ADF&G Kenai River king salmon regulations and emergency orders. What anglers need to know about sportfishing kings on the Kenai this season.

APRIL 20, 2026

Kenai River Fishing Report: Pre-Season 2026 Outlook

2026 Kenai River fishing report: king salmon emergency orders, sockeye run forecast, early-season river conditions, and what anglers should book now for summer.

Kenai River season, month by month

MAY

Season opener. Cold, quiet water. Early rainbow trout and Dolly Varden, plus the first ocean halibut charters out of Ninilchik.

JUNE

Early-run sockeye reach the river and king salmon historically arrive, though kings are restricted or closed in recent seasons. Check current emergency orders.

JULY

Late-run sockeye, and by far the biggest counting days of the year. In 2026 the peak landed on 07/24 with 171,844 fish through the sonar in a single day.

AUGUST

First-run silver salmon peak through the last two weeks, averaging 6 to 10 pounds. Halibut charters continue out of Ninilchik, Homer, and Seward.

SEPTEMBER

Second silver run peaks mid-month with bigger fish, 10 to 14 pounds. Best trophy rainbow trout fishing of the year as trout feed aggressively on salmon eggs.

OCTOBER

Final stretch. Quiet river, late silvers, and trophy trout for anglers who want the place close to themselves.

For the full breakdown see our month-by-month season guide, the silver salmon timing guide, and our king salmon restrictions explainer.

How sockeye fishing on the Kenai actually works

The technique is called flipping. You drift a weighted setup through schools of moving fish and set the hook when the line ticks. It is repetitive, it is effective, and first-timers pick it up in an afternoon. Kids do it. Grandparents do it. Everybody fills a cooler.

Limits stay generous during a strong run. ADF&G has set the mainstem sockeye limit as high as six per day during a heavy July push. Those orders shift with run strength, so confirm the current limit and the latest emergency order before you fish.

Staying on the river means gear, waders, and access are handled, so you fish from arrival to departure. More detail on our sockeye salmon page and our guided fishing trips.

Kenai River fish counts — common questions

WHAT IS THE KENAI RIVER SOCKEYE COUNT FOR 2026?

1,111,781 late-run sockeye passed the ADF&G sonar at Mile 19 of the Kenai River in 2026. The single biggest day was 07/24, when 171,844 fish were counted. ADF&G counts daily from July 1 until the run tapers in August; the 2026 count closed on 08/10.

WHEN DOES THE KENAI RIVER SOCKEYE RUN PEAK?

The late-run sockeye peak on the Kenai lands in the last week of July almost every year. In 2026 the top four days were 07/24, 07/25, 07/26, 07/27, topping out at 171,844 fish in one day. The run builds through the first three weeks of July and tapers through early August.

ARE KENAI RIVER KING SALMON OPEN IN 2026?

No. Kenai River king salmon are closed for the 2026 season under Alaska Department of Fish and Game emergency orders. The sonar counted only 1,499 Chinook for the year, which is why the restrictions are in place. Anglers wanting a large Alaska fish are fishing Cook Inlet halibut charters out of Ninilchik, Homer, or Seward instead.

WAS THE 2026 KENAI RIVER SOCKEYE RUN GOOD?

It ran well below average. The 2026 late-run total of 1,111,781 sockeye was 51% below the 6-year average of 2,280,803, making it the weakest run since 2021. For comparison, 2025 produced 4,286,091.

WHERE DO THE OFFICIAL KENAI RIVER FISH COUNTS COME FROM?

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game operates a sonar station at Mile 19 of the Kenai River that counts late-run sockeye daily from July 1. That sonar is the official count, and ADF&G publishes both the daily figure and the cumulative season total. Any Kenai River fish count you see quoted traces back to that station.

HOW DOES THE KASILOF RIVER COMPARE TO THE KENAI?

The Kasilof runs its own sonar and its own sockeye run, and the two rivers do not always move together. In 2026 the Kasilof counted 1,055,565 sockeye against the Kenai's 1,111,781 — the Kasilof finishing 11% above its own average while the Kenai finished 51% below its own. That is worth checking before you pick a river. The Kasilof is a quieter, drift-only fishery about 30 to 40 minutes from the lodge.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO FISH THE KENAI RIVER?

It depends on the target. Mid-to-late July is peak sockeye and the highest fish density of the year. Late August through mid-September is silver salmon. September is the best trophy rainbow trout fishing on the river. May and October are the quietest months with the least crowding.

WHERE CAN I STAY ON THE KENAI RIVER DURING THE RUN?

Marlow's on the Kenai is a family-run lodge in Sterling, Alaska with four riverfront cabins and private fishing docks on the productive middle river. Guests fish directly from the property or book guided river and ocean trips. Call +1 907-341-4966 for current availability.

FISH IT FROM THE BANK

STAY ON THE RIVER YOU ARE READING ABOUT

Marlow’s on the Kenai sits on the productive middle river in Sterling, Alaska, with four riverfront cabins and private fishing docks. Fish from the property or let us line up guided river and ocean days around whatever is running.

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