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Tustumena Lake to the Sterling Highway: drift-only kings and a quiet fall steelhead run. The river tops out around 10 ft. These contours are modeled — built from the real shoreline and the water's maximum depth — so read them as a guide, never as navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Traced from the shoreline, Kasilof River runs 173 acres with 19.4 miles of edge. The 10.5 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. Every acre of it sits shallower than ~15 ft: one big littoral zone, cover and forage throughout. The basin spans about 5.9 mi end to end and 1.3 mi across at its widest. You'll find it in Kenai Peninsula Borough. The nearest mapped water is Tustumena Lake, 14 mi to the southeast.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: chinook salmon in 1 to 10 ft. The depth story barely changes: 3 to 10 ft through summer, 3 to 10 ft in winter. The spot to know is Current seam (mile 0.5), a current seam in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for chinook salmon in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a flasher + fly (green/white) or a magnum spoon on downrigger gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Current seam (mile 0.5) (6 ft) | Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Current seam (mile 0.5) (6 ft) | Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Current seam (mile 0.5) (6 ft) | J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Current seam (mile 0.5) (6 ft) | Small spoon on a slow troll, Stickbait deep |
In spring, coho salmon run shallow here, mostly 1 to 10 ft. Summer keeps them at 3 to 10 ft, and they winter in 3 to 10 ft. Spring coho salmon concentrate at Current seam (mile 0.5), a prime-rated current seam around 6 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Current seam (mile 0.5) (6 ft) | Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver) |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Current seam (mile 0.5) (6 ft) | Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline |
| Fall | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Current seam (mile 0.5) (6 ft) | Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse) |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Current seam (mile 0.5) (6 ft) | Small spoon, slow troll |
Spring steelhead on Kasilof River hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 1 to 10 ft in summer, 3 to 10 ft once it turns cold. The chart's best answer is Current seam (mile 0.5) — current seam, 6 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with an orange dodger + fly high in the column or a thin spoon off boards.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Current seam (mile 0.5) (6 ft) | Small spoon or spinner at the mouths, Jig + waxworm under float |
| Summer | 1 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Current seam (mile 0.5) (6 ft) | Orange dodger + fly high in the column, Thin spoon off boards |
| Fall | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Current seam (mile 0.5) (6 ft) | Spinner (silver/blue), Casting spoon |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Current seam (mile 0.5) (6 ft) | Float jig (black/purple), Bead rig |
4 pieces of structure are mapped here — Outside-bend hole (mile 2.4), around 8 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game — Launch Ramps. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Alaska waters are set by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game — and special regulations can apply to Kasilof River specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Alaska fishing regulations →
Kasilof River is about 10 ft (3 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead on Kasilof River.
Current seam (mile 0.5) is the top-rated area: a current seam in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for steelhead in summer. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For chinook salmon, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Kasilof River is regulated by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Check the official Alaska regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Tustumena Lake 14 mi · Kenai River (Middle) 24 mi · Silver Lake 29 mi · Watson Lake 31 mi · Egumen Lake 32 mi · Skilak Lake 32 mi · Kelly Lake 33 mi · Engineer Lake 34 mi · Swan Lake 35 mi · Hidden Lake 36 mi · Jean Lake 39 mi · Paddle Lake 41 mi
See how Kasilof River stacks up: best chinook salmon lakes in Alaska · best coho salmon lakes in Alaska
More water nearby: Kenai Peninsula Borough fishing maps (23 charts). Browse all Alaska fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.