On the west side of Cook Inlet the Management Area is comprised of freshwater drainages from the West Forelands south to Spring Point which is just north of Chinitna Bay. This area is administered from the Soldotna Office of the Department of Fish and Game. Larger communities located within the KPMA include Kenai and Soldotna. Smaller communities are Hope, Cooper Landing, Moose Pass and Sterling. This management area is linked to the state's highway system via the Sterling and Seward Highways which provide sport anglers access to many of the area's major fisheries.
Anglers can target four species of North Pacific salmon, pink, coho, sockeye and chinook.
Fisheries for these species occur primarily in fresh and to a lesser degree in saltwater. Anglers can also target salmon stocked into various landlocked lakes. Popular fisheries also occur on the area's anadromous stocks of Dolly Varden, steelhead trout, and smelt. Resident stocks of rainbow trout and lake trout also support popular sport fisheries. Less popular fisheries occur on resident stocks of Arctic grayling and northern pike.