Our trips
Full Day Trips
If taking home a limit of salmon or hunting a giant rainbow trout is your goal, we recommend a full day with us. Each trip will spend about eight hours on the water.
Full Day Per Seat - $300
Full Day Private Boat 2ppl - $1000
Full Day Private Boat 3ppl - $1050
Half Day Trips
This is a great trip for all experience levels, but especially for beginners who want to learn a bit about fishing, catch some fish and have fun in a beautiful place. You can expect to be on the water for about 4 hours.
1/2 Day Per Seat - $200
1/2 Day Private Boat - $600
1/2 Day Private Boat 3ppl - $650
What We Catch
We specialize in Rainbow trout, Dolly Varden Sockeye/Red, King/Chinook and Silver/Coho Salmon. If you’re interested in Steelhead or halibut, let us know. Learn more about our different trips below.
What We Provide
All of our trips include waders, boots as well as all fishing and safety gear needed for a successful day. We use fly fishing gear as well as conventional spin tackle depending on the species of fish we’re targeting. Your guide will fillet any Salmon being taken home from the day.
Party Size
We can comfortably fit up to 4 people in the boat at a time, but for serious anglers looking to chase big fish private boats with 2-3 people are recommended.
Where We Go
We fish different sections of the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers as well as their tributaries depending on the time of year and type of fish you want to catch. Learn more about our different trips below.
Sockeye Salmon (~June 18 - August 10)
Sockeye Salmon are the Kenai’s most abundant salmon and offer a great opportunity to take home a limit of fish. Sockeye Salmon fishing is usually done extremely early in the morning on the Kenai or Kasilof River depending on the time of the year, but half day afternoon trips are available as well. Most days we are looking to be on the water no later than 4am. When Sockeye Salmon fishing, we either take a powerboat up the Kenai River or a drift boat down the Kasilof River. After pulling off onto a gravel bar to wade, we use fly gear to master the “Kenai Flip” which is a technique used specifically to catch Sockeye.
The limit starts at 3 fish per person but can be raised or lowered by the state depending on the size of the return to these rivers. We can fish up to 4 anglers at a time.
Silver/Coho Salmon (~August 15 - October 15)
Silver Salmon fishing on the Kenai River can be challenging but is extremely rewarding. Looking to make our first cast at sun up, early starts are very important in trying to catch a limit of these fish. To catch Silver Salmon we will be moving from spot to spot in the powerboat, casting spinners towards the bank and retrieving with spin gear. Silver Salmon on the fly rod is an option but it is very challenging and requires a private boat as lots of casting space is needed. Trolling for Silver Salmon is an option as well if you are not physically able to cast.
The limit is two Silvers per person and we can fish up to 4 anglers at a time.
Captain Jack will filet all Salmon that you catch during your trip and send you away with a bag full of those fillets at the end of the day.
Salmon Trips
Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden Trips (June 11 - October 15)
Option 1: Middle Kenai River
This trip departs from the town of Sterling and is great for all experience levels. We’ll load up into a 21ft power boat and work our way up stream towards gorgeous Skilak Lake. With the 50hp motor we have the ability to cover lots of water chasing Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden. It’s an extremely smooth ride throughout the river and the scenery is spectacular as we enter the Wildlife National Refuge. We’ll be fly-fishing with indicators from the boat as we drift down this stretch of river. For experienced anglers looking for a chance to dance with a 30in Rainbow this is the trip for you. We can fish up to 4 anglers comfortably on the boat but private boats are available and encouraged in certain situations.
Option 2: Upper Upper Kenai River
This trip departs from Cooper Landing and is a great trip for those wanting to see some amazing scenery and catch some fish along the way. This stretch is drift only, so Captain Jack will be on the oars rowing you through gorgeous high peaked mountains along the turquoise glacier fed headwaters of the Kenai River. From the boat you’ll be fly-fishing with indicators for Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden.
All Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden are 100% catch and release as we try to preserve the amazing native population of fish the Kenai offers.
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Our “Trophy Trout” season is from the end of August through mid October. During this time our rainbow trout are packing on the pounds getting ready for winter. Rainbow Trout over 25in can be a daily occurrence during this time and you may even find yourself with a chance to put a 30in fish in the net. We can however, find nice Rainbow Trout throughout the entire season.
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This is an amazing opportunity for anglers of all ages and experience levels to learn how to fly fish and catch some of the most beautiful fish out there. Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden offer an array of spectacular colors, amazing acrobatics and hard fought battles that will have you smiling from ear to ear.
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All Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden will be caught and released back after a quick photo and minimal time out of the water.
Proper fish handling techniques and appropriate gear will be discussed and implemented to make sure our impact on these fish is as minimal as possible. This ensures that the Kenai River’s world-class trout fishery continues to provide some of the biggest Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden in the world.
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You do not need to have any prior fishing experience. Captain Jack enjoys teaching brand new anglers as well as giving experienced guests a new challenge they’ll never forget.
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For experienced anglers, be ready to fish hard. Captain Jack loves nothing more than a hunt for trophy Rainbow Trout and Salmon. He will want to get you out early and suggest a private boat with no more than 3 people to give you ample casting space. Private boats also give Captain Jack the ability to tailor the trip to exactly what you want out of it. He is ready to give you the best opportunity to dance with a Kenai giant.
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For Sockeye Salmon trips you can expect to be at the boat no later than 4:00am. (if limits are priority)
For Silver Salmon Trips you can expect to be at the boat anywhere from 5:00am-7am (if limits are priority)
For Rainbow Trout trips you can expect to be at the boat anywhere from 6:00am to 8:30am depending on the time of year
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There are a variety of different boat launches where you could be meeting your guide. These launches are found in the towns of Cooper Landing, Sterling, and Kasilof. The majority of the time you’ll be meeting at Bing’s Landing in Sterling. Captain Jack will call you before the trip date and make sure exact time and meeting place are confirmed.