Kenai Peninsula Fishing Adventures

Many of Bear Paw Adventure’s guests visit the Kenai Peninsula to fish and halibut or salmon fishing is often on the top of their bucket list. If you fish for halibut on  a charter vessel, you will be able to keep two fish per day, although the second fish is limited to no more than 28-inches.  No halibut charter fishing is allowed on Wednesdays, and you are allowed a total of 4 charter-caught halibut per year.  Salmon bag limits depend on the species and, in some cases, also by where the fish are caught, but daily limits of 1 king, 3 reds and 2 silvers are perhaps typical.

Sport fishing reports for areas of Alaska can be found on the Alaska Fish and Game Website. Select the “Homer/Lower Kenai” area and then select the “month” of your travel.

Fishing Options

Bear Paw Adventure provides free professional advice about these local fishing options:

• Saltwater Charters for halibut, salmon, cod or rockfish
• Guided Freshwater Fishing on the rivers for salmon, trout, dolly varden and grayling
• Guided Fly Out Trips for salmon, trout, grayling, char and northern pike
• Unguided Fishing on your own or with a riverbank guide on the local rivers and lakes or at the fishing hole
• Clamming for razor clams

Alaska Fishing License

You will need a fishing license, and if you fish for king salmon, you will also need a king salmon stamp. Good News! Children under the age of 16 are not required to have a license. Several license options are available for you.

You can buy your license online before your trip, but unless you plan to buy an annual license, it is probably best to wait until you get to the Kenai Peninsula so that you can be sure that the dates on your license include the days you fish. A 1-day license, for example, is for a specific calendar date. You can purchase your license at several stores in Anchor Point and nearby Homer.

Visit the Alaska Fish and Game website for details.

Taking Care of Your Fish

If you fish with a charter operator, your charter fee will include cleaning your fish in preparation for packaging and freezing. If you fish on your own, you can either fillet your fish yourself or take them to the processor. Guests at Bear Paw Adventure are welcome to use Bear Paw’s fish cleaning table for this purpose.

Local fish processing services are available to vacuum pack and freeze your cleaned fillets. The cost for this service is about $1.05/lb. You can also package the fillets yourself, and freeze them in the freezer section of the refrigerator in your vacation home at Bear Paw Adventure. By far, the fillets will keep better in your home freezer with vacuum packing. If you pack your fish yourself, use freezer bags and take care to squeeze all of the air out of each bag.

For your return home, you can pack your frozen fish in an ice chest or in a “wet lock box” (that you can purchase locally) and then check it in on your flight as baggage. Baggage fees may apply and be sure to keep the box weight under your airlines weight limit, usually 50 lbs to avoid overweight charges. Another option is to have the fish processor pack your fish for you in their fish box. You can ship your frozen fish home by Fed Ex, at a costs of about $200 for a 50 lb box.

Fishing - Freshwater Charters

Kenai Peninsula Rivers offer a variety of fish species, with salmon being perhaps the most popular. Big, first-run king salmon on the Kenai River is an Alaskan classic. Salmon runs in the fresh water occur periodically throughout the summer and fall, with typical appearances as shown below. See the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Run Timing Charts for more details and timing for other species.

• King salmon – May through July (an early run and a late run)
• Sockeye salmon – June through August
• Coho salmon – late July through September
• Pink salmon – July through Sept, peaks in August

Kenai Fish Sizes:

• Chinook (king) Salmon: Avg. size: 40 lbs
• Coho (silver) Salmon: Avg. size 12 lbs
• Sockeye red) Salmon: Avg Size 8 lbs
• Rainbow Trout: Avg size: 22 inches
• Dolly Varden (Char): Avg size 20 inches

Power boat, guided fishing is available on the Lower Kenai River and drift boat fishing can be chartered on the Upper Kenai River and on the Kasilof. Full-day trips ($195 – $295/person) are available.

Check the Alaska Fish & Game Regulations before fishing

Fishing - Unguided

Fishing the rivers and lakes on the Alaska Kenai Peninsula is a popular sport and a great way to enjoy the Alaska outdoors. Anglers will find easy access to salmon runs on the Anchor, Kenai, Russian, and Kasilof Rivers, Deep Creek and the Homer Spit fishing hole.

Please carefully read the Alaska fish and game regulations that apply to the Kenai Peninsula and to the specific area you plan to fish. The regulations commonly include restrictions on the use of bait, type of hook and weight, legal species and size, days when fishing is allowed, bag limits, etc. Also be aware that the Alaska Department of Fish and Game may issue emergency closures that take affect with little notice. You will also find a lot of useful information including a link to Emergency Orders at Lower Cook Inlet Management Area – Fishing Information.

Wade Fishing on the Kenai Peninsula

Fishing on your own on the Kenai Peninsula Rivers is generally wade fishing, requiring a good pair of chest waders. Be careful of the fast moving currents and stay in shallow water so that the current can’t take you off your feet.

Anchor River Fishing

The Anchor River, accessed at Anchor Point, is one of the Kenai Peninsula’s popular fishing rivers. You will reach this river in just minutes from your lodging at Bear Paw Adventure.

The Anchor, downstream of the Old Sterling Highway Bridge, is open weekends and Wednesday’s for king salmon, starting the weekend before Memorial Day weekend, for a total of 5 weekends. (Note that this schedule is subject to change.)

The Anchor River is open for other species during those time periods and July 1 to October 31. Silver salmon fishing in the Anchor is usually excellent and starts with the run in late July and continues through mid-September. The best fishing is usually early morning.

Because red salmon (sockeye) spawn only in river systems that include a lake, the Anchor River does not have a red salmon run. Dolly Varden can be found in the Anchor River in early July through October. Check the Alaska fish and game regulations for restrictions related to these fisheries.

Steelhead fishing in the Anchor River begins in early August and peaks in mid- to late-September. This is catch-and-release fishing and you are not permitted to take the fish out of the water and must handle the fish carefully.

Click here for Run Timing for Kenai, Soldotna, Anchor Point Areas. (Information summarized from Alaska Fish and Game Run Timing Publication.)

Guided Bank Fishing

An excellent way to accelerate your learning curve and catch more fish when wade-fishing the Kenai Peninsula Rivers is to engage a professional guide. This service is available at Anchor Point.