Your day begins by meeting your guide in the morning at a defined location on the river of choice. All Kenai trips are done in a North River sled boat with 50hp Yamaha outboard motor. Kasilof trips for 2 are in a 17′ Umpqua Marine heated drift boat on some of the country’s most beautiful rivers. Everything you need is provided so just show up and go. Full day trips are 8+hrs covering between 5-10 miles of river. Just being on the river alone is a memorable experience for most.
Worried about the cold?…Drift boats are heated in the chilly season just for you.
Along the way we frequently encounter lots of wildlife including Bald Eagles, Moose, River Otter, occasionally a Brown Bear and of course BIG FISH so bring your camera!!
King salmon (Chinook) are just what their name states, King of the river! The world record King Salmon was caught on the Kenai River and still stands today. Although they are harder to entice, they give you a run for your money! fish are regularly caught 30-50lbs and you have a good shot at fish 65-75lbs on occasion!!
Kenai Regulations for King Salmon can change throughout the season so be prepared for the possibility of slot limits, catch and release or other restrictions based on in season run numbers. During normal regulations each angler can retain 1 King Salmon per day and a total of 2 per year. After retaining a king salmon on the Kenai River you can not fish from the guide boat any more that day….don’t worry though!! Plentiful Sockeye salmon are in the river at that time and we typically will fish for them as well on full day trips.
Silver Salmon (Coho) are one of my favorite species to fish for on the Kenai system they are very aggressive, acrobatic and great eating fish. They can be targeted with flies, spinners, roe and plugs. They’ll eat about everything but the kitchen sink! Most silvers average 8-12lbs but occasionally will get one 12-15lbs!
The Kenai River Silver Salmon limit during the month of August is 2 fish per angler per day. In September the limit is raised to 3 fish per angler per day. There is no total season limit for Silvers.
Sockeye Salmon (Reds) are the most sought after fish in the river for their mild tasting beautiful red meat. They are a blast to catch on a fly rod from the bank of the rushing river! They typically run in large schools very close to shore and when they are running thick it’s red hot action!! What a great way to fill your fish box for bbq’s at home!
The Kenai river Sockeye Salmon limit is 3 fish per angler per day with no annual limit. If the in season run number exceeds the escapement goal they will raise the limit to 6 fish per angler per day!!
Trophy Rainbow Trout on the Kenai River are among the biggest and healthiest in the world!! The Salmon stuffed waters of the Kenai River provide an abundance of food for these Rainbow Trout. Catching fish in the 24-27″ range is not uncommon during peak season and 30+ inch Rainbow Trout are caught and released every year on the Kenai River!! A combination of Fly fishing and Spin fishing is used to pursue these monster Rainbows while drifting the river in a roomy power boat.
At the end of the day, just sit back and relax, I will fillet and bag your fish if any are kept. (catch and release is an option and necessary for Rainbow Trout) We then travel back to the start location.