Latest Anchor River king count: 1 on Aug 27, 2026 (ADF&G, preliminary). 2026 season count: 3,431 fish (May 16 – Aug 27).
- Latest daily count
- 1
- Aug 27, 2026
no change vs Aug 24 - 2026 season total
- 3,431
- May 16 – Aug 27
2025 to the same date: 4,040 - vs 3-year average
- 106%
- of the 2023–2025 average to Aug 27 (3,239)
- Peak day
- 229
- Jun 14, 2026
- 7-day total
- 3
- Aug 21 – Aug 27 (3 days counted)
up 200% vs the 7 days before
Within the goal range
ADF&G SEG goal: 3,200–6,400
2026 passage: 3,431 fish counted through Aug 27. Passage is the fish counted at the site (preliminary), not final escapement.
- 2026
- 2023–2025 average
- SEG goal
- Daily count
Chart data (weekly running totals)
| Date | 2026 running total | 2023–2025 average running total |
|---|---|---|
| May 15 | 0 | 3 |
| May 22 | 8 | 53 |
| May 29 | 65 | 140 |
| Jun 5 | 501 | 326 |
| Jun 12 | 992 | 641 |
| Jun 19 | 1,778 | 1,067 |
| Jun 26 | 2,272 | 1,576 |
| Jul 3 | 2,487 | 1,873 |
| Jul 10 | 2,864 | 2,348 |
| Jul 17 | 3,166 | 2,831 |
| Jul 24 | 3,322 | 2,969 |
| Jul 31 | 3,395 | 3,077 |
| Aug 7 | 3,426 | 3,164 |
| Aug 14 | 3,427 | 3,216 |
| Aug 21 | 3,428 | 3,237 |
| Aug 27 | 3,431 | 3,239 |
| Date | Fish counted | Change vs prior count | Season total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1 | 12 | +7 | 3,407 |
| Aug 2 | 6 | −6 | 3,413 |
| Aug 3 | 7 | +1 | 3,420 |
| Aug 4 | 5 | −2 | 3,425 |
| Aug 7 | 1 | −4 | 3,426 |
| Aug 9 | 1 | 0 | 3,427 |
| Aug 15 | 1 | 0 | 3,428 |
| Aug 23 | 1 | 0 | 3,429 |
| Aug 24 | 1 | 0 | 3,430 |
| Aug 27 | 1 | 0 | 3,431 |
| 2026 season total | 3,431 | ||
| 2023–2025 average to the same date | 3,239 | ||
Source: ADF&G daily fish counts, preliminary; ADF&G can revise them. Days with no count above zero are skipped.
Anchor River King Salmon Fish Counts
Daily and historical weir counts tracking Chinook (King) salmon on the Anchor River—a popular lower Kenai Peninsula fishery managed jointly with Deep Creek and Ninilchik River.
Understanding Anchor River Chinook Runs
The Anchor River is located on the lower Kenai Peninsula near the community of Anchor Point. Starting in 2024, ADF&G has counted king salmon at a single site at river mile 1.7, using an underwater video system in a floating weir, or ARIS sonar during high flows. The Anchor River is managed under a joint management plan with Deep Creek and Ninilchik River.
👑 King Salmon Run (Mid-May – Early August)
ADF&G says the run begins in mid-May and lasts through early August. Historically half the run had passed by June 10; in recent years that date has moved to the third week of June to early July. The fishery opens only when ADF&G projects the run will reach the goal.
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About Anchor River King Salmon Fishing
The Anchor River is one of three lower Kenai Peninsula streams (along with Deep Creek and Ninilchik River) managed under a joint King salmon management plan. Located approximately 15 miles north of Homer near the community of Anchor Point, this small coastal stream offers road-accessible King salmon fishing for anglers willing to navigate the limited opening schedule.
Weir Monitoring
Chinook salmon escapement has been monitored using weirs since 2003. Starting in 2024, counting has happened at a single site at river mile 1.7: an underwater video system in a floating resistance board weir records motion-detected fish passage 24 hours a day, and ARIS sonar is used during high flows. Earlier seasons used separate weirs on the North and South Forks.
Run Timing & Best Fishing
Anchor River Chinook arrive from mid-May, and the run lasts through early August. Historical escapement has ranged widely—from a low of 2,338 fish in 2023 to a high of 12,016 fish in 2004. The 2025 count was 4,040 and the preliminary 2026 count was 3,431, both within the escapement goal range.
Fishing Regulations
The Anchor River King salmon fishery operates under strict regulations due to conservation concerns:
• Openings: Set by emergency order under the Anchor River, Deep Creek, and Ninilchik River king salmon sport fishery management plan. If the in-season projection is above the lower end of the SEG but under 4,800 fish, the plan calls for catch-and-release only, with one unbaited, single-hook artificial lure
• 2026: Closed preseason, then open for catch-and-release on June 13–15 and June 17 after ADF&G projected an escapement of about 3,800 fish
• Annual Limit: Kings 20 inches or longer count toward a combined annual limit of 5 from Cook Inlet salt waters, West Cook Inlet, the Susitna River drainage, Knik Arm, the Anchorage Bowl, the Kenai River and the Kenai Peninsula
2025 Season Update
The 2025 inriver sport fishery was closed preseason based on the management plan due to a forecast below the escapement goal. An emergency order later restricted gear to single-hook artificial lures only and prohibited bait from July 16-31 to reduce incidental catch of King salmon while anglers targeted other species. This highlights the importance of checking current emergency orders before fishing. In 2026 the river was again closed preseason, then opened for catch-and-release king fishing on four days in June once the in-season projection reached about 3,800 fish.
Access & Location
The Anchor River offers excellent road access:
• Location: Near Anchor Point, approximately 15 miles north of Homer on the Sterling Highway
• Access Points: Multiple pullouts and campgrounds along the lower river
• Sport Fishery Zone: From the mouth to ADF&G markers about 200 yards upstream of the Old Sterling Highway Bridge
Conservation Status
The Anchor River Chinook population has experienced significant variability, with some years falling below the Sustainable Escapement Goal of 3,200-6,400 fish. ADF&G closely monitors the run and implements inseason restrictions when necessary to ensure long-term sustainability. The joint management plan with Deep Creek and Ninilchik River provides flexibility to respond to in-season run assessments.
Tracking Anchor River King Salmon fish counts helps anglers understand run timing and strength, while the escapement data supports science-based management decisions essential for maintaining this valued fishery for future generations.
Anchor River king salmon count: common questions
Plain answers on how the king count works, what past seasons looked like and what the numbers mean for fishing. This season's numbers are in the count card and chart above. The figures below come from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and were checked on October 21, 2026.
What is the Anchor River fish count?
It is ADF&G's daily count of king salmon, also called Chinook, swimming up the Anchor River near Anchor Point on the lower Kenai Peninsula. Each day's count is added to a running total for the season, and ADF&G uses the count to project the run, which decides whether the river opens to king fishing.
How and where are Anchor River kings counted?
At a single site at river mile 1.7, starting in 2024. When the water allows, an underwater video system inside a floating resistance board weir records fish passage 24 hours a day, triggered by motion. During high flows ADF&G uses ARIS sonar instead. In earlier years ADF&G counted kings on the North and South forks, and it has monitored the kings with weirs since 2003.
How do I check the Anchor River king count today?
Look at the count card at the top of this page. It shows the latest daily count ADF&G has posted, the season total so far and how it compares with recent seasons. ADF&G treats counts for the current year as preliminary, so a number can change after it first appears.
When does the king run peak?
Later than it used to. ADF&G's count page says kings enter the river from mid-May through early August, and that the date by which half the run has passed has slipped from about June 10 in the past to somewhere between the third week of June and early July lately. In ADF&G's data the halfway date fell between June 19 and July 6 in each of the last five seasons, and the biggest single day came between June 14 and July 17.
How many Anchor River kings were counted in 2026?
ADF&G's preliminary 2026 count was 3,431 kings, from May 16 to the last count on August 27. That is within the escapement goal of 3,200 to 6,400. The run reached its halfway point on June 19, and the biggest day was June 14, at 229 fish.
What were the Anchor River king counts in past years?
Season totals from ADF&G's count data:
- 2026: 3,431 (preliminary)
- 2025: 4,040
- 2024: 3,329
- 2023: 2,338
- 2022: 3,092
- 2021: 4,285
- 2020: 3,715
- 2019: 5,639
- 2018: 3,049
- 2017: 5,796
Over the five seasons from 2022 to 2026 the count averaged about 3,250 kings a year. ADF&G changed counting sites in 2024, from the two forks to one site lower on the river.
What is the record count?
ADF&G says escapements since 2003 have ranged from a low of 2,338 in 2023 to a high of 12,016 in 2004. The three biggest seasons in its online data, 2004, 2005 and 2015, all topped 10,000 kings. Every season from 2020 through 2026 was under 5,000.
What is the escapement goal?
ADF&G's current sustainable escapement goal is 3,200 to 6,400 kings. Measured against that goal, the count was below 3,200 in 2022 and 2023 and inside the range in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Is the Anchor River open to king fishing?
Only when the run is strong enough. Under the Anchor River, Deep Creek and Ninilchik River king salmon sport fishery management plan, the Anchor and Deep Creek close before the season when the Anchor forecast is below the goal. If ADF&G's in-season projection is above the bottom of the goal but under 4,800 fish, the plan allows catch-and-release only, with one unbaited, single-hook artificial lure. Check ADF&G's current sport fishing regulations and emergency orders before you fish. This page is not a regulations source.
What happened in the 2026 season?
The Anchor River and Deep Creek were closed to all sport fishing before the season, from May 16. In June ADF&G projected an escapement of about 3,800 kings, opened the Anchor to catch-and-release king fishing on June 13 through 15 and on June 17, and reopened both streams to fishing for other species on July 1. The final preliminary count was 3,431.
What happened in the 2025 season?
ADF&G's 2025 forecast was 2,931 kings, below the goal, so the Anchor and Deep Creek were closed to all fishing from May 17 through July 15. The plan requires the king fisheries to close before the season when the forecast is below the goal. From July 16 through 31, only unbaited single-hook lures were allowed on the Anchor, Ninilchik, Deep Creek and Stariski Creek. The 2025 count ended at 4,040, within the goal.
Can I keep a king from the Anchor?
Not in recent seasons. In 2025 the river was closed to all fishing through July 15, and in 2026 king fishing was catch-and-release only. When kings can be kept, any king 20 inches or longer counts toward ADF&G's combined annual limit of 5 across Cook Inlet salt waters, the Kenai River, the Kenai Peninsula and other listed areas.
Where is the Anchor River sport fishery?
From the mouth upstream about 2 miles, to ADF&G markers about 200 yards above the Old Sterling Highway bridge. The counting site at river mile 1.7 is inside that stretch, so some fish are counted before they leave the fishing area.
Does the Anchor River count other fish?
ADF&G's Anchor River count page also offers coho, Dolly Varden and steelhead. ADF&G says coho were monitored in the late 1980s and from 2004 to 2011, with escapements from 2,409 to 20,187, and there is no coho goal. It also says steelhead have not been fully counted; see our Anchor River steelhead counts.
How is the Anchor River managed with the Ninilchik River?
The Anchor, Deep Creek and the Ninilchik are under one ADF&G management plan, but the Anchor and Ninilchik rivers each have their own escapement goal and their own count. See our Ninilchik River king salmon counts.
Where does the data come from?
The counts on this page and the past-season totals above come from ADF&G's public Anchor River king count. We republish them with averages so the trend is easier to read. The rules above come from ADF&G's regulation pages and emergency orders.
How do I get alerts when new counts post?
In the Alaska FishTopia app, favorite the Anchor River and you'll get a push alert when a new count posts. The alert gives the day's count and the season total so far, and says whether the run is ahead of, on or behind the typical pace for the date, based on the 3-year average. The app also covers the Ninilchik, Kenai, Kasilof and other Alaska counts, plus tides, marine weather, sport fishing regulations and AI fish ID. It comes with a 3-day free trial, then $9.99 a year. Get it on the App Store or Google Play.