Combat Fishing and Dipnetting on the Kenai Peninsula
"Combat fishing" is the nickname for crowded, shoulder-to-shoulder sport fishing for sockeye salmon, best known at the confluence of the Kenai and Russian rivers near Cooper Landing. Anyone with a valid sport fishing license can take part. Dipnetting is different: it is a personal-use fishery open only to Alaska residents, who use large hand-held nets at the mouths of the Kenai and Kasilof rivers under a household permit. Nonresidents cannot dipnet.
Combat fishing for sockeye
Sockeye salmon rarely bite lures, so anglers use a drifting technique, often called "flipping" or "flossing": a short leader with a weighted fly or bare hook is swung through the current close to shore, where sockeye travel upstream. As fish swim with their mouths open, the line can pass through the mouth and the hook sets in the jaw. In fresh water, salmon must be hooked in the mouth to be kept; snagged fish must be released immediately.
Where it happens
- Russian River and its confluence with the upper Kenai, primarily during the early sockeye run in June and early July. Portions of the Russian are fly-fishing-only waters with specific gear rules during the season.
- Banks of the middle and lower Kenai around Soldotna and Sterling during the late run in July.
Etiquette that keeps the peace
- Fish in line with the people beside you and cast the same direction they do.
- When you hook a fish, call "fish on" so neighbors can reel in and give you room.
- Step back out of the line to land, dispatch and string your fish, then rejoin.
- Do not crowd in between anglers who are already spaced out.
- Keep the bank intact: use stairs, boardwalks and designated access points, and stay out of areas posted closed for habitat restoration.
Bears at the Russian River
Brown and black bears feed on the same salmon you are catching, and they regularly walk the riverbanks. Carry bear spray where you can reach it, keep fish close to you rather than leaving them on a stringer unattended, and never leave fish, food or packs behind. The long-running local practice for cleaning fish here is "stop, chop and throw": stop to clean fish only at designated areas, chop carcasses into small pieces, and throw them into fast-moving current so they do not attract bears to the bank. If a bear approaches, give it the river.
Personal-use dipnetting: Alaska residents only
The Kenai River personal-use fishery is one of the largest and most social fishing events in the state. Thousands of Alaska households gather at the river mouth in the city of Kenai each July to fill freezers with sockeye. The Kasilof River has a similar fishery that has historically opened earlier in summer.
Who can participate
- Only Alaska residents may participate. Residency for fishing purposes generally requires that you have lived in Alaska for the previous 12 months and intend to remain.
- Participants of license age need a valid Alaska resident sport fishing license.
- Each household needs a personal-use permit from ADF&G before fishing. The permit sets a household limit based on the number of household members.
Key rules (confirm every year)
Dates, hours, household limits and gear rules are set in regulation and can be changed by emergency order. Historically, the rules have included:
- A dipnet hoop no larger than five feet in diameter.
- Recording each fish on the permit immediately, before leaving the fishing site, and before concealing the fish.
- Marking personal-use salmon by clipping both tips of the tail fin, which identifies them as non-commercial fish.
- Specific rules for king salmon caught incidentally, which have changed in recent years as king conservation tightened.
- Returning the permit or reporting harvest online by the deadline, even if you did not fish.
The City of Kenai manages access to North Beach and South Beach at the river mouth and charges fees for parking and camping during the fishery. Check the city's information before you go.
Gear checklist for dipnetting
- Legal dipnet with a sturdy handle
- Chest waders with a wading belt, and warm layers underneath
- A fish bonker, a sharp knife and scissors for tail clipping
- Coolers with plenty of ice, and a plan for cleaning and processing
- Your license, the household permit and a pen
- Tide tables; fish move in with the tide
- Rain gear, sunscreen, bug spray and drinking water
Safety at the river mouth
The water is cold and silty, and the current and tides at the mouth are strong. Do not wade deeper than you can safely stand with a net full of fish pulling at you. Wear a wading belt so your waders cannot fill quickly if you fall. Elsewhere in upper Cook Inlet, glacial mudflats can trap people like quicksand; never walk out onto mudflats.
Other personal-use fisheries
Alaska residents also dipnet on the Copper River near Chitina, a very different fishery with fast, dangerous water. It requires its own permit and has its own rules.
Not a resident? You still have great options
Visitors can fish for the same sockeye with rod and reel from the banks of the Kenai and Russian rivers, hire a guide to learn the technique, or watch the dipnet scene at the river mouth. Bring your sport fishing license and follow the bag limits for the section you are fishing.