The Kenai River is the longest river in the Kenai Peninsula of southcentral Alaska.
It runs 82 miles (132 km) westward from Kenai Lake in the Kenai Mountains, through the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and Skilak Lake to its outlet into the Cook Inlet of the Pacific Ocean near Kenai and Soldotna.
The Kenai River is the most popular sport fishing destination in Alaska, particularly for king salmon (Chinook salmon).
Each year there are two runs each of king salmon, coho salmon, sockeye salmon, plus a run of pink salmon every other year.
The world record king salmon, which weighed about 44 kg (97 lb), was caught in the Kenai River in 1985.
The Kenai is also the home of trophy size rainbow trout and Dolly Varden. Stretching to sizes over 76.2 cm (30 inches).[citation needed] Occasionally there will be reports of catching of Steelhead.
The king salmon fishery is not as prolific as in other Alaskan rivers, but the Kenai is known for its large fish. A typical king in the second run, beginning in mid-July, weighs 40–85 pounds (18–23 kg), with considerably larger specimens not uncommon. The Lower Kenai is well known for its run and sizes of its king salmon. In recent years, the king salmon fishery has been closed or heavily restricted due to low returns of fish.[8]
The coho salmon runs occur in early August and early October.[9] The September run is favored by local anglers due to the larger size of the silver salmon.
The sockeye salmon runs are in late-June (bluebacks) and early-August. Sockeyes are considered the premier salmon for eating, canning, and smoking.
The pink salmon run occurs in even numbered years only. These fish are considered pests by many anglers because they interfere with catching other species and because, by the time they reach inland freshwater, their meat may be soft and oily compared to other species. On a heavy day, even a casual fisher might catch several dozen of the species.
