Latest Saltery Creek sockeye count: 2,766 on Aug 14, 2026 (ADF&G, preliminary). 2026 season count: 23,034 fish (Jun 17 – Aug 14).
- Latest daily count
- 2,766
- Aug 14, 2026
up 1,034 vs Aug 13 - 2026 season total
- 23,034
- Jun 17 – Aug 14
2025 to the same date: 48,550 - vs 3-year average
- 43%
- of the 2023–2025 average to Aug 14 (53,833)
- Peak day
- 2,766
- Aug 14, 2026
- 7-day total
- 7,726
- Aug 8 – Aug 14
up 129% vs the 7 days before
Within the goal range
ADF&G BEG goal: 15,000–35,000
2026 passage: 23,034 fish counted through Aug 14. Passage is the fish counted at the site (preliminary), not final escapement.
- 2026
- 2023–2025 average
- BEG goal
- Daily count
Chart data (weekly running totals)
| Date | 2026 running total | 2023–2025 average running total |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 16 | 0 | 2 |
| Jun 23 | 298 | 322 |
| Jun 30 | 1,307 | 1,022 |
| Jul 7 | 3,364 | 4,798 |
| Jul 14 | 5,770 | 10,512 |
| Jul 21 | 6,861 | 23,250 |
| Jul 28 | 10,066 | 33,749 |
| Aug 4 | 14,831 | 45,860 |
| Aug 11 | 17,902 | 51,821 |
| Aug 14 | 23,034 | 53,833 |
| Aug 16 | after the latest count | 54,199 |
| Date | Fish counted | Change vs prior count | Season total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 5 | 222 | +141 | 15,053 |
| Aug 6 | 19 | −203 | 15,072 |
| Aug 7 | 236 | +217 | 15,308 |
| Aug 8 | 61 | −175 | 15,369 |
| Aug 9 | 1,576 | +1,515 | 16,945 |
| Aug 10 | 566 | −1,010 | 17,511 |
| Aug 11 | 391 | −175 | 17,902 |
| Aug 12 | 634 | +243 | 18,536 |
| Aug 13 | 1,732 | +1,098 | 20,268 |
| Aug 14Peak | 2,766 | +1,034 | 23,034 |
| 2026 season total | 23,034 | ||
| 2023–2025 average to the same date | 53,833 | ||
Source: ADF&G daily fish counts, preliminary; ADF&G can revise them. Days with no count above zero are skipped.
Saltery Creek Sockeye Salmon Fish Counts
Real-time and historical weir counts tracking Sockeye (Red) salmon on Saltery Creek—a productive Kodiak Island fishery known for strong runs and liberalized bag limits.
Understanding Saltery Creek Sockeye Runs
Saltery Creek drains into Saltery Cove on the southeast side of Kodiak Island. ADF&G monitors sockeye salmon escapement at a weir on the creek as fish migrate upstream to Saltery Lake. The run often exceeds its escapement goal, which can trigger liberalized bag limits during strong runs.
🐟 Sockeye Run (Mid-June – Mid-August)
Sockeye salmon typically begin arriving in mid-June, with the biggest days usually from mid-July to mid-August (between July 9 and August 15 in 2017–2026). The weir operates from approximately June 15 through August 15.
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About Saltery Creek Sockeye Salmon Fishing
Saltery Creek is located on the southeast coast of Kodiak Island, draining into Saltery Cove approximately 35 miles south of Kodiak city. The creek and its source lake—Saltery Lake—support one of Kodiak's most productive and accessible sockeye salmon runs, often exceeding the escapement goal and offering excellent fishing opportunities.
Run Timing & Peak Fishing
Sockeye salmon begin entering Saltery Creek in mid-June, with the run building through the month. The peak fishing period occurs from early July through mid-August, with mid-July typically offering the best action. The weir operates from approximately June 15 through August 15, providing accurate daily counts throughout the run.
Escapement Goals & Strong Returns
The Biological Escapement Goal (BEG) for Saltery Creek sockeye salmon is 15,000 to 35,000 fish. Recent weir counts:
• 2026: 23,034 sockeye salmon (preliminary; within the goal)
• 2025: 48,550 sockeye salmon
• 2024: 66,110 sockeye salmon (strong run)
• 2023: 47,936 sockeye salmon
• 2022: 25,615 sockeye salmon (within the goal)
When runs exceed escapement goals, ADF&G typically issues emergency orders to liberalize bag limits, allowing anglers to harvest more fish.
Fishing Regulations
Standard sport fishing regulations for Saltery Creek allow:
• Standard Bag Limit: 5 salmon per day (other than King salmon), only 2 of which may be coho
• Liberalized Bag Limit: 10 salmon per day when escapement goals are exceeded
• Possession Limit: Varies with bag limit
• Species: Sockeye and other salmon species (no King salmon retention)
In 2024 and 2025, ADF&G increased limits to 10 fish per day from July 11 due to strong returns. The 2026 run was smaller: ADF&G cut the sockeye limit to 2 per day on July 30, then restored it to 5 on August 13 once the goal was reached. Always check current emergency orders before fishing.
Access & Getting There
Saltery Creek can be reached by several methods:
• Road Access: A rough 4WD road from Kodiak city (approximately 35 miles, 1.5+ hours)
• Floatplane: Charter service from Kodiak to Saltery Lake
• Guided Trips: Several Kodiak outfitters offer guided transportation and fishing trips (approximately 10 hours)
The road can be challenging, so many anglers opt for guided trips which include boat transportation to fishing spots, equipment, and local knowledge.
Why Fish Saltery Creek?
• Strong Runs: Exceeded the escapement goal in 2023, 2024 and 2025
• Liberalized Limits: Often allows 10 fish/day harvest during peak season
• Kodiak Accessibility: Can be reached by road (4WD) unlike many Kodiak streams
• Quality Fish: Kodiak sockeye are renowned for their size and flavor
• Less Pressure: More remote than mainland fisheries
Other Species
While sockeye are the primary target, Saltery Creek and the surrounding Kodiak waters offer additional fishing opportunities:
• Pink Salmon: Strong runs in even years (July-August)
• Coho (Silver) Salmon: Late August through September
• Dolly Varden: Present throughout the system
• Steelhead: Fall and spring runs in some Kodiak streams
Tracking Saltery Creek Sockeye fish counts helps anglers time their trips for peak fishing and monitor when liberalized limits are likely to take effect, maximizing harvest opportunities on this productive Kodiak Island fishery.
Saltery Creek sockeye count: common questions
Plain answers on how the count works, what past seasons looked like and how the weir sets the bag limit at Saltery Cove. This season's numbers are in the season recap and live 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 Saltery Creek fish count?
It is ADF&G's daily count of sockeye salmon, also called red salmon, passing its weir in the Saltery Cove drainage on Kodiak. The sockeye are bound for Saltery Lake. Each day's count is added to a running total for the season, which ADF&G compares with the escapement goal.
Where are the fish counted?
At an ADF&G weir in the Saltery Cove drainage. ADF&G's announcements call it the Saltery River weir or the Saltery Cove weir, and its goal is for sockeye going into Saltery Lake.
When do Saltery Creek sockeye run?
From mid-June into mid-August. From 2013 to 2026 counting started between June 12 and June 18 and ended in early to mid-August. From 2022 to 2026 the run reached its halfway point at the weir between July 16 and July 29, and the biggest single day came between July 9 and August 14:
- 2022: July 9
- 2023: August 12
- 2024: July 17
- 2025: July 22
- 2026: August 14
How many Saltery Creek sockeye were counted in 2026?
ADF&G's preliminary 2026 count was 23,034 sockeye, from June 17 to August 14. That is inside the escapement goal of 15,000 to 35,000, but it is the lowest count since 2019. The biggest day was August 14, the last day of counting, at 2,766 fish.
Why was the bag limit cut in 2026?
The run was small. ADF&G said that through July 26 only 7,454 sockeye had passed the weir, when about 58% of the run has historically gone by, and that at current harvest levels the run was not expected to meet the goal. It also said the water level in the drainage was exceptionally low. So it cut the sockeye limit to 2 per day and 2 in possession from July 30. By August 10 the count reached 17,511, past the low end of the goal, and ADF&G restored the limit to 5 from August 13.
What is the record Saltery Creek sockeye count?
The highest season total in ADF&G's online Saltery data is 77,186 sockeye in 1993. The data covers 1993 to 2003 and 2008 to 2026. Since 2008 the highest total is 66,110 in 2024. The biggest single day in the data is 8,557 fish on July 7, 1993; since 2008 it is 6,737 on July 17, 2024.
What were the Saltery Creek sockeye counts in past years?
Season counts at the weir, from ADF&G's online data:
- 2026: 23,034 (preliminary)
- 2025: 48,550
- 2024: 66,110
- 2023: 47,936
- 2022: 25,615
- 2021: 64,602
- 2020: 24,987
- 2019: 22,183
- 2018: 22,845
- 2017: 39,315
Over the five seasons from 2022 to 2026 the count averaged about 42,200 sockeye a year.
What is the escapement goal for Saltery Creek sockeye?
15,000 to 35,000 sockeye, which ADF&G lists as a biological escapement goal. Escapement is the number of fish that get past the fisheries to spawn. ADF&G says the goal has been exceeded in most of the last 10 years. The weir count has not dropped below 15,000 in any season in the online data; the lowest was 22,183 in 2019.
How do the counts affect the bag limit?
They set it in season. ADF&G's 2026 standard limit was 5 salmon other than king salmon, any mix of sockeye, chum or pink, with no more than 2 coho. In strong years ADF&G raises it by emergency order. In both 2024 and 2025 it raised the limit to 10 salmon from July 11 through December 31, all of which could be sockeye, after early counts showed the run would top the goal. In weak years it can cut the limit, as it did in 2026. Check ADF&G's sport fishing regulations and current emergency orders before you fish. This page is not a regulations source.
How early can ADF&G tell if the run is strong?
Often by early July. ADF&G raised the 2024 limit when 6,115 sockeye had passed by July 7, a date by which about 13% of the run has typically gone by, and the 2025 limit when 7,123 had passed by July 9, about 15% of a typical run. In 2025 ADF&G said the run was tracking nearly identical to 2024.
How does today's count compare with the average?
Check the season recap and chart above. They show the daily count and the running total for the season, with 3-year and 5-year averages and the goal range. Single days swing a lot, so compare the running total with the average for the same date. Current-year counts are preliminary and can be revised. On ADF&G's own table, days with no count show as a dash.
Where does the data come from?
The counts in the chart and the past-season totals above come from ADF&G's public sockeye count for Saltery Creek. We republish them with averages so the trend is easier to read. The limits and run-timing figures come from ADF&G's Kodiak area emergency order announcements for 2024, 2025 and 2026.
How do I get alerts when new counts post?
In the Alaska FishTopia app, favorite the Saltery Creek count 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 other Kodiak and 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.