Kenai chamber launches September silver salmon derby

The Kenai Chamber of Commerce is launching a new silver salmon derby on the river this September…making the most of a challenging season shaping up on the river. The derby will be the full length of the river and run Sept. 6-18 with adult and youth categories.

All of Alaska’s silver salmon fisheries suffered from low, late runs last year. Seward’s Silver Salmon Derby in August, in particular, suffered from the poor returns to Resurrection Bay.

The Kenai continues to draw some of the biggest silvers in Alaska each fall from September through November, many pushing 15 pounds or more.

By September the commercial fishers will be out of the water, so maybe there will be a few silvers left to reach Kenai anglers. There’ll also be less pressure on the river, with a lot of us looking for moose and caribou to fill the freezer by then.