Fish the Kenai/Russian River, Cooper Landing

What: One of the most popular areas to fish in the state given the massive salmon runs that comes through here.

When to go: Accessed in the summer months between May and September. There are various sites, blogs, and facebook groups that track the salmon count coming through, so it’s best to time your trips when the runs are doing well.

How to get there: https://goo.gl/maps/qZfDnwYxwywsVUvT8

Tips:

• There are many spots to access the Russian river. One of the most popular is to go to the Russian River parking area and walking down to the confluence of the russian and kenai rivers. When counts are high, this area can get a bit insane with lines to park and people shoulder to shoulder in the river. Note that you can keep walking up river, but the areas close to the falls are off limits.
• The kenai river can be accessed really anywhere on the river; some people like to fish from the back of a raft, while some like to fish off the shoreline in spots like Bings landing.
• For those of you not as comfortable with handling your fish, there are all sorts of fileting, cleaning, packing services in Cooper landing.
• As with any fishing trip, you must have your license on your person at all times.