Alaska fishing report for the week of September 10, 2026. September is silver salmon month in Alaska, and this week the second run of coho on the Kenai is at its peak, with the Kasilof and the Anchor River close behind. In Southeast, the first fall steelhead have been reported in the rivers near Sitka and Ketchikan, and the halibut charters out of Homer and Seward are running their last trips of the season before the weather closes things down.
What’s Hitting
What’s hitting this week is silver salmon. The Kenai River from the mouth up through Soldotna has been producing fish from 8 to 15 pounds on the tide-driven pushes, and the Kasilof and the Anchor River have had good numbers on the morning tides. In Southeast, the coho are still in the salt around Sitka and Ketchikan and are moving into the rivers, and the first steelhead of the fall have been reported in the Situk and the rivers near Yakutat. Halibut are still on the banks out of Homer and Seward, with the charters reporting fish in the 20 to 60-pound range and the occasional larger fish. Rainbow trout on the upper Kenai and the Russian River are feeding on salmon eggs behind the spawning sockeye.
Lingcod and rockfish are steady on the pinnacles out of Seward and Sitka.
Where to Find Them
For silvers on the Kenai, the lower river from the mouth up to the Soldotna area on the incoming tide, and the holes near the Eagle Rock and the Pillars area. The Kasilof is best in the lower river at first light. Anchor River silvers are in the lower holes on the morning tides. In Southeast, the coho are in the salt near the river mouths around Sitka and are moving into the Ketchikan-area rivers. Halibut are on the banks in Kachemak Bay and outside Seward in 100 to 250 feet. Rainbows are on the upper Kenai from the Russian River confluence down through the Skilak area.
Tides & Conditions
The new moon this weekend brings big tides in Cook Inlet, which pushes strong waves of silvers into the Kenai and the Kasilof on the flood. Weather has been the usual September mix of rain and wind, with the halibut boats running on the calmer days. River temps are dropping into the upper 40s and low 50s, and the water clarity on the Kenai is fair with the glacial color. Seas out of Homer have been 3 to 6 feet on the windier days.
Tackle & Tactics
For silvers, a spinner, a spoon, or a jig tipped with a piece of salmon roe, or a cured egg cluster under a float in the holes. Fly anglers want a bright streamer on a sink-tip line. Steelhead in Southeast want a bead or an egg pattern drifted through the runs. Halibut want a circle hook with herring or octopus on a 2 to 3-pound weight on the banks. Rainbows on the upper Kenai are taking beads and flesh flies behind the spawning sockeye.
Local Intel This Week
Public ramps and access: on the Kenai, the Soldotna Centennial Park and the Kenai City Dock serve the lower river, and the Pillars boat launch is a good middle-river option. The Kasilof has a state launch at the Crooked Creek area. In Homer, the harbor ramp is the main launch for Kachemak Bay and the halibut grounds, and the Seward harbor ramp serves Resurrection Bay. Shore anglers have been catching silvers from the Kenai beaches near the mouth and the Anchor River mouth. Fish are concentrating in the lower rivers on the incoming tides and on the halibut banks in 100 to 250 feet. Check current Alaska Department of Fish and Game regulations before keeping fish — the Kenai silver limits and bait restrictions change during the season, the halibut charter rules under the federal program are complex, and steelhead are catch-and-release in most Southeast rivers.
This Week’s Tip
The Kenai silvers move upriver on the flood tide in waves, and they hold in the soft water on the edges of the current when they stop. Fish the seams and the eddies on the inside of the bends, not the main current, and be on the water two hours before the high tide when the fish are moving. The anglers who fish the middle of the river during the slack tide go home empty.
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