Kenai anglers won't get the extra coho they were expecting this fall

Kenai River anglers had been set to keep three coho salmon a day starting Sept. 1, the usual fall bump under the river's management plan. They won't. Fish and Game announced Thursday that the limit will stay at two fish through the end of November, calling it a precautionary move to make sure enough salmon make it upriver to spawn.

The reason is a weak silver run. The department points to signs of below-average coho abundance across Cook Inlet — soft catch rates and several of the major northern systems running light this year, even as some smaller streams do better. Rather than let the limit rise into the heart of fall silver season, when guides and shore anglers alike are out for coho, the state is holding it at the summer number.

The fishing itself stays open. Coho can still be taken on much of the river through November, with the upper stretch above Bing's Landing open through October. Managers have tightened coho fishing around Cook Inlet all summer, and in 2024 the department cut the Kenai limit all the way to one fish and restricted gear. Kenai River king fishing is closed for the season under a separate order.