King Salmon Fishing Trips on The Kasilof River
We offer half and full day early run Kasilof River king salmon fishing trips on the Lower Kasilof in May and June. Currently this hatchery return remains the only open freshwater king salmon fishery in all of South Central Alaska. The late run of Kasilof King salmon (July) has been restricted or closed for much of the past decade.
Kasilof King Salmon Run Timing
The Kasilof gets a combined return of both early run hatchery and naturally produced kings that are largely returning to Crooked Creek, a small tributary just above tidal reach. We fish the section of the Kasilof (roughly 8 miles) from just above Crooked Creek to within a couple of miles of the ocean (Cook Inlet). This hatchery return normally peaks in the last couple days of May into the first week to ten days of June.
The late run of Kasilof kings is entirely wild and largey spawns from Tustumena Lake down to the Sterling Highway. This run begins arriving in mid to late June and peaks in the last couple weeks of July into first week of August.
Where we fish for Kasilof King Salmon
All king salmon fishing on the Kasilof River takes place on the lower section of the river, specifically from the Sterling Highway Bridge downstream to just above tidewater. This stretch contains several well-established holes and runs where newly arriving kings stage after entering on the daily tides.
Timing these tidal movements is critical on the Kasilof, as the most consistent king fishing occurs during very specific portions of each tide.
How we fish for Kasilof King Salmon
Guided Salmon fishing from a drift boat for Kasilof Kings is a very challenging but even more rewarding fishing experience. While there are always days where fishing seems easy at time, the majority of the Kasilof King fishing involves searching and waiting for that perfect moment to occur.
By far the most effective and popular method for our King Salmon fishing trips on the Kasilof is backtrolling or sending out diving lugs or cured salmon eggs with divers in front of the boat. Presented effectively this spread of lures will illicit some super memorable strikes as large kings are capable of very hard take downs. Another very effective method is to bounce eggs below or just in front of the boat with lead. Bobber fishing with eggs or soft beads is another exciting way to catch these very impressive early run Kasilof King Salmon.
Kasilof King Rates
May / June / July
Kasilof Half Day – $295pp
Up to 5 hours
Kasilof Full Day – $350pp
Up to 8 hours
Things To Know About King Salmon On The Kasilof River:
*The Crooked Creek Hatchery, established in the mid-1970s, was instrumental in enhancing sport fishing opportunities and our Kasilof River King trips by producing early-run Chinook salmon. The inaugural significant adult return of these salmon occurred in 1978. Although the hatchery no longer functions as an incubating or rearing facility, its role in salmon enhancement continues. Currently, eggs are collected from ocean-age-2 and older adult Chinook salmon returning to the Crooked Creek Facility and are transported to the William Jack Hernandez Sport Fish Hatchery for rearing to the smolt stage. In early June, these smolt are moved back to the Crooked Creek Facility, where they undergo a 7 to 10-day imprinting period in concrete raceways before being released into Crooked Creek.
*Since 2014, approximately 140,500 smolt have been stocked yearly and will continue to be stocked annually into Crooked Creek.
*Late Run Kasilof Kings are main stem spawners and rival the size of the legendary Kenai Kings. Fish well over 80 lbs. have been recorded on the Kasilof and fish in the 40-50 lb. range are not uncommon.
Kasilof River Limits For King Salmon
Unless changed by emergency order, The Kasilof River opens to fishing for early run king salmon with bait on May 16 and the limit is two hatchery fish per person daily and/or one hatchery fish and one wild fish Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Saturdays. The limit changes on July 1 to one king salmon per day either natural or hatchery produced, and the season closes on August 1.
*It is important to note that the period of low abundance the Kenai River early and late run is experiencing does and has affected management of the Kasilof, as well as our Kasilof King Salmon charters. Closures and restriction on the Kenai in recent season have led to no bait restrictions on the early run of hatchery Kasilof Kings and the July fishery was closed last season to all fishing and will likely remain closed until Kenai stocks show signs of recovery.
The Kasilof River, despite all the restrictions and area wide closures, does remain one of the most viable places in late May and early June to catch a king salmon. The early run does receive several thousand hatchery and naturally produced king salmon returning to Crooked Creek and we do have consistent success even without using bait. These fish arriving off the Cook Inlet tides are chrome bright and fight extremely hard the lower water conditions of the Kasilof. This is always one of our favorite early season fisheries with some very amazing fish to encounter all from the peace and solitude of the drift boat.
FAQ’s About Kasilof King Salmon Fishing
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More Information About King Salmon Fishing on the Kasilof
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