Kenai Peninsula: Two Major Rivers Closed Through Mid-July

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game closed the Anchor River and Deep Creek to all sport fishing through **July 15, 2026**, and imposed gear restrictions through the end of July to protect late-timed king salmon runs. The closures affect two popular roadside streams on the Kenai Peninsula during the summer fishing season.

The closures mark the third consecutive year of aggressive restrictions on Kenai Peninsula king salmon fisheries. A May 2026 emergency order extended the Anchor River and Deep Creek closures through July 15, 2026, then restricted gear to one unbaited, single-hook, artificial lure in the Anchor River, Stariski Creek, and Deep Creek from July 16 through July 31 due to increasingly late king salmon run timing.

Freshwater Fishing

Michael Booz, Area Management Biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Homer, issued the May 22 fishing report detailing current conditions across the southern Kenai Peninsula and Lower Cook Inlet. The Ninilchik River opened to fishing for hatchery king salmon May 23 through 25, but anglers should expect slow fishing given low counts at the weir. The fishery is closed to the use of bait and multiple hooks this season; single-hook spinners and spoons are recommended.

The Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon in Homer has yet to see any king salmon arrivals, and Booz expects poor fishing through the weekend. The same holds for Seldovia Slough, where no king salmon have been reported yet.

Saltwater Fishing

Halibut fishing in Kachemak Bay and Cook Inlet is off to a slow start but should improve, with shallow water from Bluff Point to Anchor Point typically productive for larger fish this time of year. Booz noted that fishing around slack tide is the best time for targeting halibut so anglers can hold the bottom with less weight.

King salmon fishing south of Bluff Point has been poor so far this spring, though anglers are finding scattered fish throughout Kachemak Bay including Bluff Point, Bear Cove, and Eldred Passage. Small troll herring or spoons behind a flasher is the most popular setup.

Surf fishing on Cook Inlet beaches has been slow to fair, with anglers catching a variety of groundfish including halibut, sculpins, skates, sharks, flounders, and cod.

Emergency Orders

The department issued five emergency orders affecting the region. In addition to the Anchor River and Deep Creek closures, orders restrict king salmon fishing in Cook Inlet salt waters, reduce the Ninilchik River season and bag limit for hatchery king salmon, reduce rockfish bag limits to **two pelagic and one non-pelagic** with no retention of yelloweye from April 1 through June 30, and require a permit for razor clam harvest in Cook Inlet and North Gulf Coast areas.