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Russian River Fisheries Location

The Kenai Peninsula has the honor of being Alaska's Recreational Playground when it comes to fishing and outdoors recreation. And although some excellent salmon run fisheries have now been established in the Upper Cook Inlet and Matanuska-Susitna Valley area, the Peninsula offers one thing most other areas don't quite measure up to.....LONGEVITY. For no where else in southcentral Alaska can you fish for salmon from mid-April to the 1st of October and not have one or more fisheries offering good to excellent opportunities.

The Russian River is one such Peninsula stream that has provided a food source for Alaskans for a thousand years. Archeological digs in the area of the Russian & Kenai rivers confluence show that native Alaskans used this ideal location for catching salmon for centuries. And as outsiders arrived and road access became available to this area, the newest residents of the state quickly embraced this region as one of Alaska's first Hot Spots on the recreation map.

The Russian River lies in the heart of the Kenai Peninsula, 111 road miles south of Anchorage and 40 miles east of Soldotna, in a scenic location set between two mountain ridges which contain the Kenai River drainage between Kenai & Skilak lakes. The highway has received extensive upgrades over the past several years and makes for a very pleasant drive no matter which direction you are coming from.

There are numerous streams along the way and opportunities to see wildlife such as bald eagles, moose and Dall sheep. And with the improvements at the Russian River area on its facilities and accommodations, it can easily support the huge numbers of anglers that descend upon this location from mid-June through August.

But hundreds of thousands of anglers over decades of time has taken its toll on the environment, which consequently could jeopardize the future of these outstanding sockeye salmon runs as well as other resident fish species in the area. So there have been several programs established to rehabilitate the environment along the river as well as educate users of the area.

Visitors to the Russian-Kenai River area will notice many streambank repair projects as well as areas which are currently off-limits to foot traffic while revegetation and stabilization efforts are underway. We strongly advise all users of this area to respect the existing protection zones and tread lightly on the land which is providing such an incredible resource. Your respect for the area will go a long way in preserving what we have for generations of anglers and visitors to come.

Page 1...Rushin' To The Russian - Intro

Page 2...Location & Access

Page 3...Camping & Day Use Facilities, Reservations

Page 4...Tackle, Techniques, Bag Limits & Safety Tips

Page 5...Setting Your Clock & Calendar

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