The Best Fishing Spots in the Kenai & Soldotna Areas

Each head of house­hold is allowed to keep 25 sock­eye salmon per year, and every addi­tion­al mem­ber of the fam­i­ly is enti­tled to 10 fish.

One of the most pop­u­lar areas in the state for dip­net­ters to fish the Kenai Riv­er in the month of July. There’s a large paved park­ing area, and camp­ing is allowed July 10 — 31 dur­ing the sock­eye salmon run. Restrooms available.

Large park­ing area for over 200 vehi­cles and 4 boat ramps. Not a shore fish­ing area.

Locat­ed down Beaver Loop Road, just out­side of Kenai, Cun­ning­ham Park is a great, easy-access loca­tion for sock­eye and sil­ver salmon. The shore­line here is a mix of grav­el and mud, with the mud being more preva­lent below the tidal zone. That said, this spot is very tidal depen­dent, so you’ll have to con­tin­u­al­ly adjust your bait set­up as the water ris­es or falls.

Wad­ing access and boat launch. Grav­el park­ing area and boat launch are both avail­able for a fee. Check web­site for cur­rent rates. This is a small­er park­ing area than some near­by access points for the Kenai Riv­er. Depend­ing on the sea­son can fish for rain­bow trout, dol­ly var­den, salmon (King, Sock­eye, Coho). Check the ADF&G web­site for regulations.

Pop­u­lar loca­tion to fish the Kenai Riv­er from a raised plat­form along the water and to launch boats. Large park­ing area and boat launch are both avail­able for a fee. Check web­site for cur­rent rates. Vault toi­lets. Depend­ing on the sea­son can fish for rain­bow trout, dol­ly var­den, salmon (King, Sock­eye, Coho). Check the ADF&G web­site for regulations.

The most pop­u­lar camp­ground in Sol­dot­na with over 250 camp­sites in a large wood­ed area. And, it’s a fish­er­man’s dream for access­ing the boun­ty of the Kenai Riv­er. There are twen­ty-five sets of stairs to the riv­er, 2 fish­ing plat­forms that are 85 feet long (one is acces­si­ble), and 650 feet of ele­vat­ed boardwalk. 

Sol­dot­na Park, in down­town Sol­dot­na, offers all Kenai Riv­er species — but most peo­ple are here for the sock­eye. That means it can get crowd­ed dur­ing peak sock­eye sea­son, but it’s also a good place to learn how to fish for sock­eye. The com­bi­na­tion of easy acces­si­bil­i­ty, hard-packed grav­el and a shal­low grade make the fish­ing enjoyable.

This spot is par­tic­u­lar­ly good for any­one who’s mobil­i­ty impaired, since you access the riv­er by a flat, met­al board­walk — and the actu­al fish­ing area is also from the board­walk. This makes Moose Mead­ows one of a very few places where anglers can fish for sock­eye with­out hav­ing to be in the water — you can do excel­lent even from a wheel chair.

This spot in Ster­ling — at mile­post 82.3 at the Isaak Wal­ton Camp­ground — is where the Moose Riv­er meets the Kenai Riv­er, and the two rivers’ dif­fer­ing paces are dras­tic. The Moose Riv­er is very slow and wide, with almost no cur­rent — so much so that it feels more like a lake. The Kenai Riv­er, on the oth­er hand, flows fair­ly swift­ly in com­par­i­son, and the con­flu­ence can play strange tricks on your tackle.

Access point to fish the Kenai Riv­er between the Russ­ian Riv­er and Ski­lak Lake. Species found here include trout, dol­ly var­den, and salmon (kings, sock­eye, and sil­vers — depend­ing on time of year). There is a grav­el park­ing area and a boat launch point. Check with Alas­ka Depart­ment of Fish and Game for reg­u­la­tions and limits.

The trail is half a mile long and takes you through a mature birch for­est that is car­pet­ed with dev­il’s club and water­mel­on berry plants. It’s an easy walk­ing, ide­al for small chil­dren, and ends at a small camp­ing area on a slight bluff that over­looks Bish­op’s Beach and Bish­op Creek.

The Stormy Lake boat launch and day use area is locat­ed with­in the Cap­tain Cook State Recre­ation Area. Anglers can fish for rain­bow trout and Arc­tic Char in Stormy Lake. There’s a pic­nic shel­ter, water, and toi­lets avail­able on site.

Swan­son Riv­er Camp­ground, in the Kenai Nation­al Wildlife Refuge near Ster­ling, offers 3 wood­ed sites along the Swan­son Riv­er off Swan­son Riv­er Road. Man­aged by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser­vice, it fea­tures vault toi­lets, a boat launch, and riv­er access. This qui­et, prim­i­tive spot is ide­al for fish­ing rain­bow trout, Dol­ly Var­den, or sil­ver salmon, pad­dling, and enjoy­ing the wilderness.

Dol­ly Var­den Lake Camp­ground, in the Kenai Nation­al Wildlife Refuge near Ster­ling, offers 12 wood­ed sites with lake access off Swan­son Riv­er Road. Man­aged by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser­vice, it fea­tures vault toi­lets, a boat ramp, and a qui­et, prim­i­tive set­ting. Campers can fish for Dol­ly Var­den and rain­bow trout, pad­dle the lake, or enjoy the refuge’s serene wilder­ness near Sterling.

Fish Lake Camp­ground, along Swan Lake Road in the Kenai Nation­al Wildlife Refuge near Ster­ling, offers 2 wood­ed sites by Fish Lake. Man­aged by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser­vice, it fea­tures lake access, a vault toi­let, and fire rings for a min­i­mal­ist stay. This qui­et road­side retreat is per­fect for fish­ing stocked Arc­tic char, pad­dling, or enjoy­ing the refuge’s soli­tude, with Ster­ling nearby. 

Dur­ing the sum­mer months it’s a great spot for canoe­ing, kayak­ing, pad­dle board­ing, even pad­dle­board yoga. The cold­er months are just as live­ly as the warmer ones. There’s a skat­ing loop on the lake’s perime­ter, as well as sev­er­al skat­ing areas on the lake. The City offers free pub­lic skates Sat­ur­day after­noons, ice con­di­tions depen­dent, Decem­ber through February.

Pop­u­lar lake due to its close prox­im­i­ty to Sol­dot­na to fish for rain­bow trout and coho salmon. There’s also a boat launch, and on sun­ny sum­mer days locals will be kayak­ing, boat­ing, jet ski­ing, and tub­ing. There’s a paved park­ing area.

Day use area for fish­ing (stocked rain­bow trout and coho) and trail access, with pic­nic shel­ter and toi­lets. Access is just off the Ster­ling High­way and W Scout Lake Loop Road.

Kel­ly Lake Camp­ground, in the Kenai Nation­al Wildlife Refuge near Ster­ling, offers 4 open sites along the lake in a qui­et road­side set­ting. Man­aged by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser­vice, it fea­tures fire rings, lake access, and a sim­ple, prim­i­tive atmos­phere. Campers can fish for trout, pad­dle a kayak or canoe, and enjoy the peace­ful soli­tude of the refuge, with Ster­ling close by.

Engi­neer Lake Camp­ground, along Ski­lak Lake Road near Ster­ling, offers 3 wood­ed sites on qui­et Engi­neer Lake shores. Man­aged by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser­vice, it fea­tures vault toi­lets, fire pits, and lake access for a prim­i­tive stay. This seclud­ed retreat is ide­al for fish­ing Dol­ly Var­den and land­locked salmon, pad­dling, and enjoy­ing wilder­ness, with Ster­ling nearby.

Camp out at this qui­et, clear­wa­ter lake, along Ski­lak Lake Road in the Kenai Nation­al Wildlife Refuge, where glac­i­ers once stood over 2,000 feet tall. There’s oppor­tu­ni­ties for fish­ing (and a boat launch) and a pic­nic area along the shore. All camp­sites are avail­able on a first-come, first served basis.