Alaska Boat Rental offers power boat and drift boats for the Kenai And Kasilof Rivers for self-guided fishing adventures. We also offer waders with boots, along with rods, reels, nets and other fishing equipment.
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 widest selection of Kenai River Powerboats and Drift boats for the Kasilof River and Kenai River. In addition, we rent waders & boots, rods & reels, nets and more. Check out our wide selection of rental boats and equipment rentals perfect for self-guided excursions.
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.
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.
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 data points:
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.
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.
If you are looking for guided fishing charters in addition to your boat and equipment rentals, please check out Kenai Sportfishing. Kenai Sportfishing offers a wide variety of Kenai River and Kasilof River Guided Fishing trips. They also offer bear tours and fly-in fishing trips originating in Soldotna, Alaska and they operate 4 daily halibut trips departing from Homer, Alaska.
