Ok so here’s so live current conditions from Tuesday, June 3rd 2025, one week before the Upper Kenai River opens for fishing.
Discharge measured at the Kenai Lake bridge is 3,710 cubic feet per second. About the same as last year but not really on what I would consider a steady rise in gauge height. 2024 had a significant snowpack that fed the drainage for a good part of the summer while a considerable portion of the snowpack from this past winter is already melted or just plain didn’t build up. I am expecting it to remain low for the opener, not my favorite but oh well!
Water temperature has been ranging from 42 to 44 degrees for the last week. Great temps for trout spawning and salmon migrations. The size of the Upper Kenai River will regulate the water temperature and prevents rapid rises or drops in temperature barring any large scale natural event like a glacial outburst. I’m sure all fish species appreciate the steady temps. I have seen the Upper Kenai near 60 degrees on several occasions and that is not a good thing. Trout become sluggish and concentrated and salmon will not move much or at all beyond the cold depths of Skilak Lake. It’s not going to change much this week so current conditions are just right.
Weather pattern has been a good mix of sunny days and some cloudy days with today being quite rainy and winds 15-20 mph. I’ll take the cloudy and rainy but the wind adds a degree of difficulty I could live without. The wind can have its advantages and I’d rather have that than bluebird skies to be honest. There’s a chance of sun coming later this week but who knows, take it as it comes and show up prepared for all conditions. Last years opener was a downstream gale with rain and a laughable day at best. I don’t do a ton of boat fishing so it didn’t really affect my trip but the bank spots were at a premium and folks were holding tight. I got a lot of spots but have had to get a little choosy of these wild days on account of all the beetle kill spruce along the river. There has been extensive die off and on the really windy days you can hear the trees snapping like toothpicks! Don’t get caught under those on a day like today!
Keeping it short I will predict low and very clear river conditions, decent salmon migration early and late in the day and an ok trout bite. Should be some active fish out in some faster current and I will personally be avoiding slower shallow side braids that will most likely be holding the spawning rainbows. Sure don’t like seeing those beds get trampled and the already tired trout getting worked over. They are hardy and have already been spwaning for a month and half at least but they could use a little more time to guard those eggs and recover from the strain of constant housekeeping and avoiding the eagles. Hopefully we will have some Dolly Varden in the river for the opener but their spring patterns are unpredictable at best. Whatever the conditions present is fine by me and I can’t wait to get started! Hope to see you out there but mostly at the boat ramp!
Stay tuned for more in season updates!
