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Middle Kenai River

The rule for this water, with the receipt.

Special regulations modifying the Kenai River area defaults, as the 2026 book words them

Kenai River area County · River · AK

Has its own special rules
How to read this page:Official text quoted regulationParsed fields from the ruleDerived calculated from rulesContext conditions, not a ruleAdvice our suggestion

The rules for this water, verbatimOfficial text

Straight from AK's official regulations. Rules in force today lead; out-of-season rows are dimmed. Nothing is paraphrased. Not legal advice: verify the posted rules at the water.

Whole water
  • June 11-April 30: Fishing is open for all species unless otherwise noted below or in special regulations.
  • May 1-June 10: Closed to all sport fishing.
  • King Salmon
    Closed to king salmon fishing.
  • Chum, Coho, Pink, & Sockeye Salmon (Combo)
    Coho salmon: See below for bag and possession limits.
  • Chum, Coho, Pink, & Sockeye Salmon (Combo)
    July 1-Oct. 31: Open to coho salmon fishing.
  • Chum, Coho, Pink, & Sockeye Salmon (Combo)
    A coho salmon 16 inches or longer that is removed from the water must be retained and becomes part of the bag limit of the person who originally hooked the fish. You must not remove a coho salmon 16 inches or longer from the water before releasing it.
  • Chum, Coho, Pink, & Sockeye Salmon (Combo)
    July 1-Aug. 31: 2 per day, 2 in possession in combination with chum and sockeye limits below.
  • Chum, Coho, Pink, & Sockeye Salmon (Combo)
    Sept. 1-Oct. 31: 3 per day, 3 in possession in combination with chum and sockeye limits below.
  • Chum, Coho, Pink, & Sockeye Salmon (Combo)
    Chum, pink, & sockeye salmon:
  • Chum, Coho, Pink, & Sockeye Salmon (Combo)
    June 11-April 30: Open to chum, pink, and sockeye salmon fishing.
  • Chum, Coho, Pink, & Sockeye Salmon (Combo)
    16 inches or longer:
  • Chum, Coho, Pink, & Sockeye Salmon (Combo)
    Pink salmon: 6 per day, 6 in possession.
  • Chum, Coho, Pink, & Sockeye Salmon (Combo)
    Chum and sockeye salmon (combo):
  • Chum, Coho, Pink, & Sockeye Salmon (Combo)
    June 11-Aug. 31: 3 per day, 6 in possession, only 2 per day, 2 in possession may be coho salmon.
  • Chum, Coho, Pink, & Sockeye Salmon (Combo)
    Sept. 1-Oct. 31: 3 per day, 6 in possession, all 3 may be coho salmon.
  • Chum, Coho, Pink, & Sockeye Salmon (Combo)
    Less than 16 inches (combo): 10 per day, 10 in possession.
  • Rainbow/Steelhead Trout (Combo)
    1 per day, 1 in possession, must be less than 16 inches long.
  • Arctic Char/Dolly Varden (Combo)
    1 per day, 1 in possession, must be less than 16 inches long.
  • Arctic Char/Dolly Varden (Combo)
    In lakes and all flowing waters: 2 per day, 2 in possession, no size limit.
  • Lake Trout
    20 inches or longer: 2 per day, 2 in possession.
  • Lake Trout
    Less than 20 inches: 10 per day, 10 in possession.
  • Northern Pike - Invasive Species
    Live Release Prohibited. If you catch a northern pike anywhere on the Kenai Peninsula, please keep it and bring it to the nearest ADF&G office.
  • Arctic Grayling
    5 per day, 5 in possession, no size limit.
  • Other Finfish
    No limit.
  • Other Finfish
    Only one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure or fly is allowed year-round. The gap between point and shank must be ⅜ inch or less.
  • Other Finfish
    In flowing waters: Beads fished ahead of flies, lures, or bare hooks must be fixed within 2 inches of the hook or be free sliding on the line or leader.
  • Other Finfish
    July 1-August 15: Special bank access regulations on the Kenai River apply. See pages 49-51 for public access points and riverbank closures on the Kenai River.
  • Other Finfish
    Salmon may only be landed with the aid of a landing net or by hand. No gaffs are allowed.
  • Other Finfish
    See page 52 for boat and motor restrictions.
  • Other Finfish
    Fishing from a vessel on the Kenai River when the anchor is dragging is prohibited. If an anchor should fail to hold the vessel in a fixed position, fishing must immediately stop until the anchor is pulled or reset to hold the vessel in a fixed position.
  • Other Finfish
    Between markers located at the outlet of Kenai Lake downstream to river mile 80.7, a person may not sport fish from a vessel during motor use or after a motor has been used to propel that vessel on that same day. 3/8” 0” 3/4” Measurements are accurate as printed in this book. A section of the Kenai River upstream from ADF&G markers located downstream of the Kenai-Russian Ferry crossing, to ADF&G markers about 300 yards upstream of the public boat launch at Sportsman’s Landing. This section includes the waters around the upstream end of the island in front of the Russian River mouth. The section also includes the Russian River, from its mouth upstream about 100 yards to ADF&G markers:
  • Other Finfish
    May 1-July 14: Closed to all sport fishing.
  • Other Finfish
    July 15-August 20: Only artificial flies are allowed in these waters. See description in map above.
  • Sockeye Or Coho Salmon
    July 15-August 20: Open to sockeye and coho salmon fishing.
  • Sockeye Or Coho Salmon
    16 inches or longer: 3 per day, 6 in possession, only 1 per day, 1 in possession may be a coho salmon.
  • Sockeye Or Coho Salmon
    Less than 16 inches: 10 per day, 10 in possession.
  • Sockeye Or Coho Salmon
    August 21-July 14: Closed to sockeye salmon fishing.
  • Coho Salmon
    August 21-October 31: Open to coho salmon fishing.
  • Coho Salmon
    16 inches or longer: 1 per day, 1 in possession.
  • Coho Salmon
    Less than 16 inches: 10 per day, 10 in possession.
  • Coho Salmon
    November 1-July 14: Closed to coho salmon fishing.
  • Sockeye Salmon
    June 11-August 20: Open to sockeye salmon fishing.
  • Sockeye Salmon
    16 inches or longer: 3 per day, 6 in possession.
  • Sockeye Salmon
    Less than 16 inches: 10 per day, 10 in possession.
  • Sockeye Salmon
    August 21-June 10: Closed to sockeye salmon fishing.
  • Coho Salmon
    July 1-October 31: Open to coho salmon fishing.
  • Coho Salmon
    16 inches or longer: 1 per day, 1 in possession.
  • Coho Salmon
    July 1-August 20: When sockeye and coho salmon can be retained, the coho limit is not in addition to the sockeye salmon limit.
  • Coho Salmon
    For example, an angler may keep 2 sockeye salmon and 1 coho salmon per day.
  • Coho Salmon
    Less than 16 inches: 10 per day, 10 in possession, in combination.
  • Coho Salmon
    June 11-August 20: Only artificial flies are allowed in these waters. See description in map above.
  • Coho Salmon
    May 1-June 10: Closed to all sport fishing.
  • Coho Salmon
    See general regulations on page 53 for this area.
  • Coho Salmon
    See general regulations on page 53 for this area.
  • Coho Salmon
    A person may not sport fish from a vessel during motor use or after a motor has been used to propel that vessel on that same day. See map on page 53.
  • Coho Salmon
    One unweighted, single-hook, unbaited fly with gap between point and shank of 3/8" or less is allowed.
  • Coho Salmon
    If weights are used, they must be at least 18 inches ahead of the fly.

Kenai River area (Southcentral Region) rules (base layer)

Area waters: The mainstem Kenai River from its mouth, denoted by a line from the green light tower on the north shore and an ADF&G marker on the south shore, upstream to and including Skilak Lake, except within a ½ mile radius of the upper Kenai River inlet. See page 53 for Middle Kenai River regulations.

ADF&G 2026 Southcentral book - Kenai River · Captured in the state's own words; checked against the source July 4, 2026.

How this answer was assembled

  1. StatewideStatewide river rules are the base layer: default season, gear, bait, and limits.
  2. This waterSpecial rules written for this exact water replace the statewide defaults where they speak.
  3. Emergency orderEmergency orders in effect today override everything else. They sync quietly when the phone has coverage and never lock you out of the app.

Where this stretch begins and ends

Loading map…

The drawn shape is the named water, matched from the official list against OpenStreetMap and accepted only because the name resolved to a single feature in this water's county.

Different sections of this water can have different rules. The exact section boundaries are not marked on the map yet; each rule above describes in plain words where it starts and ends, and that written description is the authoritative boundary. Map boundaries come water by water, never as a guess.

At the water nowContext

Tonight
46°F
Partly Cloudy
Wind 0 to 5 mph · 8% precip
Wednesday
76°F
Sunny
Wind 0 to 5 mph · 9% precip
Wednesday Night
52°F
Partly Cloudy
Wind 0 to 5 mph · 1% precip

Streamflow: 8,420 cfs at kenai r at cooper landing ak (2026-07-28 23:00)

Forecast: National Weather Service. Flow: nearest active USGS gauge in this water's area, which may sit on a different reach. Conditions are context, not rules.

What are you fishing for here?Advice

Pick from the species named in Middle Kenai River's rules. Setups are checked against the gear rules in force today, and your picks are remembered on this device only. These are rule-aware suggestions, not a claim about what is biting; advice, not law, and the rules above govern.

Receipts

Alaska statewide sport fishing rules
Statewide
ADF&G 2026 sport fishing regulations (regional summary books)
Checked against this official source on July 3, 2026.
Kenai River area (Southcentral Region) rules (base layer)
Statewide
ADF&G 2026 Southcentral book - Kenai River
Checked against this official source on July 4, 2026.
Special rules - Middle Kenai River
This water
ADF&G 2026 Southcentral book - Kenai River: Middle Kenai River
Checked against this official source on July 4, 2026.
These rules matched the official source when we last checked (July 4, 2026). If a future check ever disagrees, this page gets flagged automatically. How we check our data

Local services near Middle Kenai River

Tackle shops, guides, and boat launches that serve this water will appear here - a separate lane below the rules, so a local business can reach you without ever getting between you and the regulation.

Run a shop or guide service on Middle Kenai River? Get listed.