Alaska Boat Rental and Guide Service has some of the best Kenai River fishing guides and Kasilof River fishing guides on the river. Many of us have been fishing these rivers since we were kids. We fish all 82 miles of the Kenai River and all 17 miles of the Kasilof River for Trophy King Salmon, Silver Salmon, Sockeye Salmon, and Trophy Rainbow Trout.
We live to fish these rivers and we could not be more fortunate to have such an amazing choice of fishing opportunities right in our backyard. Whether it’s your first time to Alaska, you are a first-time angler, or you’re an experienced professional, we are the Kasilof and Kenai River Fishing Guide Service you’re looking for. We provide first-class guided fishing on the Kenai River, Kasilof River, Anchor River, Ninilchik River, and will even do instruction on how to surf cast for halibut and salmon from the Kenai Peninsula beaches. Depending upon the time of year and season, we target king salmon, silver salmon, sockeye salmon, rainbow trout and steelhead.
We fish out of the towns of Soldotna, Kenai, Sterling, Kasilof, Anchor Point, Ninilchik, Cooper Landing, and Homer.
The Kenai Peninsula is home to some of the most famous rivers and fishing waters in the entire state. This includes the Kenai River, Kasilof River, Russian River and more. It also includes the fertile saltwater grounds of Resurrection Bay in Seward, Prince William Sound in Whittier, and Kachemak Bay in Homer – The halibut capital of the world.
We fish for every species of fish found in the rivers and streams of the Kenai Peninsula. Starting in May we will begin to target the early run of King salmon. As the summer progresses we will continue to fish for king salmon as we also target sockeye salmon. Finally as the summer moves into the first of August we’ll start to target silver salmon and give a lot more of our attention to the rainbow trout, and steelhead. Each species is targeted at different times and uses different techniques based on years of experience learning what works best and understanding the behavior and biology of these fish. Check out the information below to learn more about where, when, and how to target each of the different species of fish and what will be available during your time in Alaska.f
From May to October there is always something to fish for on the Kenai Peninsula. It’s one of the reasons why the Kenai Peninsula is the top Alaska destination year after year. And, if fishing is only part of your plans, the area offers a wide range of hiking, scenic wildlife tours, bear opportunities, and local entertainment events all summer long.
We offer guided fishing for every species of sport fish available in our Alaskan waters. Which species we target depends on the dates we are fishing as each different species of fish its own unique peak times. Several species of fish have multiple runs throughout the spring, summer, and fall and will peak more than once. Rest assured, we know each of these fisheries extremely well and will help put you on the best fishing experience possible. Check out the information below to learn more about what to expect from May through October.
If you are interested in salmon fishing, make sure to check out our Alaska FishCounts page to get a complete understanding of the best time to fish in Alaska. If you are going to be fishing on the Kenai Peninsula you’ll find specific information on:
There is even an app you can download to get real-time fish counts, fishing locations, fishing information and more called Alaska FishTopia.
We have some of the most accomplished fishing guides on the Kenai Peninsula. Kevin Chavira, Hunter Nash, Jim Voss, Nick Garret, & Creig Garrett have been fishing the Kenai River, Kasilof River, Russian River, and the entire Kenai Peninsula watershed for years. These are professional, courteous, sportsmen who are passionate about what they do and can’t wait to share it with you. At Alaska Boat Rental & Guide Service we don’t hire “one and done seasonal guides.” We hire guides that exhibit a passion for outdoor sportsmanship, professional attitude, unwavering ethics, and a well-rounded education.
Each one of them has been with us for years and we feel so fortunate that they’ll be with us for many years to come. Many are lifelong Alaskans whose families have been fishing these waters and living the Alaska life for generations. We’re extremely proud to have Nick’s son Creig joining us in 2021. While 2021 may have been his first year professionally guiding, Creig has been fishing the Kenai River with his dad since before he could walk.
For visitors and residents alike, keeping up with the fishing quality is on everyone’s mind all summer long. With personable, articulate, experienced Kenai River fishing guides that are on the river every day, all summer long, Alaska Boat Rental & Guide Service is often called upon by the Alaska TV news community to get their staff out on the water and experience the fishing conditions first hand.
Alaska Boat Rental & Guide Service helps two young men achieve the goal of catching the state fish in all fifty state with each catching a Trophy Kenai River King Salmon
Alaska Boat Rental & Guide Service puts news reporter, Patrick Enslow from Channel 2 Alaska’s News Source, on limits of Kenai River Silver Salmon
Alaska’s News Source hit the Kenai River with head guide, Kevin Chavira, right before the late sockeye salmon run started and it didn’t disappoint.
Alaska Boat Rental & Guide Service puts news reporter, Patrick Enslow from Channel 2 Alaska’s News Source, on limits of Kenai River Silver Salmon
When is the best time to fish the Kenai River? It turns out, that is a really complicated question! We’ll also mention the Kasilof River in the answer because these two rivers do a beautiful job of complimenting each other.
Some facts and datapoints:
The reason why the Kasilof River and Kenai River should be discussed together is because the Kasilof River salmon arrive just a couple weeks earlier than the Kenai River. So if we are willing to fish on whichever river is the best at the time it really creates a lot of opportunity for a great and long fishing season.
With all that in mind lets take a look at each river, and species of fish and we’ll provide the overall dates each river can be fished and when the absolute peak is for each of them.
| Available Dates | Peak Dates | |
|---|---|---|
| Kenai River Early-Run | 5/15 – 6/30 | 6/3 – 6/16 |
| Kenai River Late-Run | 7/1 – 7/31 | 7/11 – 7/31 |
| Kasilof River Early-Run | 5/15 – 6/30 | 6/1 – 6/19 |
| Kasilof River Late-Run | 7/1 – 7/31 | 7/11 – 7/31 |
| Available Dates | Peak Dates | |
|---|---|---|
| Kenai River Late-Run | 7/1 – 8/20 | 7/15 – 8/16 |
| Kasilof River | 6/15 – 8/20 | 6/27 – 8/9 |
| Russian River Early-Run | 6/11 – 7/14 | 6/14 – 7/8 |
| Russian River Late-Run | 7/15 – 9/8 | 7/28 – 8/24 |
| Available Dates | Peak Dates | |
|---|---|---|
| Kenai River Early-Run | 8/1 – 8/31 | 8/8 – 8/23 |
| Kenai River Late-Run | 9/1 – 10/31 | 9/10 – 9/25 |
| Kasilof River | 8/1 – 8/31 | 8/8 – 8/23 |
| Russian River | 8/1 – 9/8 | 8/18 – 9/3 |
With an understanding of these dates and peak fishing times we can craft a great plan months in advance. However, each year is different than the last and we are constantly tracking fishing conditions each day and making adjustments to those plans to give you the best chance at catching and landing big fish.
Regardless of what date you may fish with us in Alaska, our Kenai River fishing guides work extremely hard to give you a great day on our rivers. We always reach out about 48 hours prior to your trip with us to give you an update on how the fishing has been and to see if we should make any changes to give you the best experience possible. Keeping an eye on the fish counts through the Alaska FishTopia app is a great way to stay engaged with current fishing conditions and to gauge the strength of the runs.
At Alaska Boat Rental & Guide Service, we are well-known for having some of the best Kenai River fishing guides in the state. You’ll find each member of our staff beaming from ear to ear every day because we believe just being able to be a Kenai River fishing guide is a special privilege. It’s like having your dream job. Being the best doesn’t just mean catching fish. It means bringing a level of sportsmanship, professionalism, patience, and most importantly, kindness to everyone – in addition to catching fish! Our guides donate a large number of fishing trips every year to helping those in need. We donate trips to help preserve the river, habitat restoration, and our protection of our fishery. Each guide on our staff knows that they don’t have to ask for permission to donate a trip to a cause they care about and that impacts our state, rivers, and ecosystem. They have full autonomy to make those commitments without ever asking permission.
If you’ve never visited the Kenai Peninsula before you’re in for something truly remarkable. We have yet to see someone whose heart this place doesn’t touch. Alaska is special all by itself, and then the Kenai Peninsula and its prolific wildlife stand out even further. Our fishing trips are usually a lot more than just catching fish. We’ll share with you everything we know about how this amazing ecosystem works. Alaska’s salmon migration is likely the largest annual migration of protein on earth. This migration sustains habitat while feeding whales, halibut, bears, eagles, trout, beavers, tremendous amounts of water-fowl. We have a responsibility to protect it and the best way we know how to do that is to share how special it is with you – right in the middle of it.
We hope you’ll join us. We offer a wide range of trips from 1/2-day, full-day, and many of our guests fish every day of their vacation with us. We’ll target king salmon, sockeye salmon, silver salmon, rainbow trout. Many days we are able to target several different species in the same day. It all depends on the particular date you’ll be fishing with us. Each day is customized based on your goals, how the previous days of fishing has been, and historical experience. We’ve never had to cancel a river trip due to weather.
Our trips and guides do fill up every summer so we encourage you to book as early as you can. Even when we’re full we’ll do our best to make room in our schedules for you if we can.
Peak season is generally described as June 15 – August 30th. Within those dates there is even “peak-peak”, from July 15 – August 15, where the area is at it’s absolute capacity. We would encourage you not to worry too much about those horror stories of combat fishing. While combat fishing definitely exists, having access to a boat means we’re usually able to find some far less crowded areas. It is 82 miles of river and much of it can only be accessed by a boat – so there’s that! However, you do need to be worried about other limited resources such as lodging and rental cars. There’s really only 3 things you need to secure as early as possible after you have committed to coming to Alaska and bought your plane ticket: Lodging, rental car, fishing guides. Everything else can usually be handled later.
Do you have the skills and experience to do self-guided fishing adventures. If so, Alaska Boat Rental & Guide Service has you covered. We have a wide variety of Kenai River Powerboats, Drift boats for the Kasilof River and Kenai River, Ocean Boats for halibut fishing, stand-up paddle boards, Kayaks, Waders & Boots, Rods & Reels, nets and more. We even have mountain bikes for your mountain biking adventures. Check out our wide selection of rental boats and equipment rentals perfect for self-guided excursions.
