CategoriesDolly Varden, Fly Fishing, Jasons Guide Service, Rainbow Trout, Salmon by

Kids on the Kenai

There is never a shortage of questions when it comes to booking a guide on an Alaskan adventure. Clothing, gear, available species, what to bring to eat or drink, just to name a few. One question that always surfaces when a parent wants to bring one or two of their children is if their child is welcome on a guided fishing trip on the Kenai River. The answer to that question at Jason’s Guide Service is always going to be, “Absolutely.”  The question you will get back from us is, “Will your child be able to handle the rigors of an Alaskan fishing excursion?” The answer to that one will always revolve around the child’s age and whether they can spend a number of hours restricted to a small space in a fishing boat.

There are some considerations when bringing your child on a guided fishing trip. How long is the trip? What kind of fishing will we be doing? What species will we fish for?  What will the start time be?  These are just some of the factors that need to be considered.

The Kenai River offers many opportunities for different species and techniques and it is very important to pick the right species and technique that best suits your child’s needs.  The species that Jason’s Guide Service fishes for are the sockeye salmon, silver salmon, rainbow trout, and Dolly Varden char, the most targeted species by anglers on this river.

The sockeye fishery is the hardest for your kids to participate in because we wade in the river and fish with eight-weight fly rods doing what we call “The Sockeye Swing.” The youngest I recommend for sockeye fishing is 10 years old if your child is well developed and has good coordination. At 12 years of age they are definitely developed enough if they have the desire to attempt this rigorous style of fishing.

The silver salmon get bigger than the sockeye but are mostly fished from the boat and can be fished by children of any age that can cast and retrieve an open-faced spinning reel or can take a rod out of a rod holder.

The rainbow trout and Dolly Varden char are the best bet for kids younger than 10 because they can spin fish for the trout and char and all the young kiddos need to do is hold on to a rod and reel the fish in.  I always recommend back trolling or plug fishing – as we call it on the Kenai – for the younger kids because it’s an easy way to put up numbers and keep the kids into the fish and happy.

There is a huge misconception that kids can’t fly fish for trout or salmon until they are older. I find the exact opposite to be true.  Kids are amazing when captivated or interested in something, and when a kid wants to learn something new the learning curve is real quick, much quicker than teaching an older person.  Don’t let the hype or stereotype of what a fly angler is supposed to look like dissuade you from taking a fly fishing trip with your kids, because I can almost guarantee you that they will learn the sport quickly and be hooked for life when taught in a low pressure, fun environment like we have at Jason’s Guide Service.

The moral of this story – I mean Blog – is that, yes, you can and should take your kids on a guided fishing trip on the Kenai River when you visit Alaska. There is nothing better than quality family time on the water.

CategoriesDolly Varden, Fly Fishing, Jasons Guide Service, Rainbow Trout, Salmon by

Full Day or Half Day Which One Should I Book?

When you book a guided fishing trip on the Kenai River with Jason’s Guide Service you have a choice between a half-day guided trip or a full-day guided trip.  The difference between the two is time on the water and where you can fish.

Booking a half-day fishing trip, whether it be for sockeye salmon, silver salmon, rainbow trout, or Dolly Varden char, allows you to get enough time on the water to target a species of fish, either the salmon, or the trout and char. The half-day trip doesn’t allow for enough time to do a combo-trip and target multiple species and it doesn’t allow enough time to use multiple techniques like fly fishing and spin fishing.

When you book the half-day trip you are booking a four-hour trip from boat ramp to boat ramp and need to book a species and technique and stick to it.  We offer the half-day trip for family’s with younger kids, or people with friends or family that don’t really fish much but they want a guided fishing trip.  The half-day trip is a great way to expose youth to fishing and make sure you get a little time on the water even if the rest of your party aren’t avid anglers.  The other bonuses are the fact you get to float eight miles of the Kenai River and enjoy all of its beauty and maybe see some wildlife like bears, moose or eagles.

The full-day trip is a six to eight hour trip (your choice) down the Kenai  River.  The full-day trips are longer so we have more options on whatever stretch of the Kenai we fish.  The full-day guided trips give you an opportunity, time-wise, to do combo trips for the salmon, rainbow trout, and char, and we will use fly fishing and or spin fishing gear on that outing.

We always recommend the full-day trips for people who want a better shot at limits for sockeye and silver salmon because sometimes it takes time on the water to make things happen or to give the migrating salmon time to get to the gravel bars you are fishing.  The rainbow trout and Dolly Varden char don’t eat vigorously all day everyday. They have different feeding habits and times from day to day and more time on the water means better odds of fishing when the bite is on.

Both trips are great trips to book depending on your group, time schedule, and desires.  Both trips give you an opportunity to see the Kenai River in all her glory and experience a taste of the good life in Alaska.  The difference in the guided trips is time on the water to allow things to happen, where you fish, and the ability to try multiple techniques and fish for other species.  You should book what ever guided fishing trip meets your needs and enjoy your ride down the Kenai River.

CategoriesDolly Varden, Fly Fishing, Rainbow Trout, Salmon by

Cast Out a Fly and Enjoy the Ride

Every year the Kenai Peninsula has millions of visitors from all over America and the world. Fishing for trophy rainbow trout or one of the many species of salmon on Alaska’s Kenai River is on many of these people’s wish list.  So, every year I get hundreds of calls from people coming to the Kenai River to fish for salmon, rainbow trout, and Dolly Varden char and a question I get a lot is, “Should I fly fish?”  Then they tell me how little if anything they know about fly fishing, and want to give me their beginner resume if they have one.

My answer is always the same. You should try and fly fish if you want to, and we don’t care how much experience you have because it’s our job to teach you in a low-pressure fun environment.

When an angler comes to us with zero experience it means they don’t have any bad habits and that’a a good thing.  Sometimes the journey of learning and flowing with the river as you run a dead drift from the boat is as exhilarating as hooking into a trophy rainbow trout or Dolly Varden char.  The learning curve can be as rewarding as catching a huge silver salmon or sockeye salmon.  Fishing isn’t always about catching the most, the biggest, the fastest. It’s also about the camaraderie and the pure enjoyment of being out in nature. Alaska’s Kenai River is one of the most beautiful places on the planet to learn how to fly fish so no matter what your skill level is, so don’t hesitate to book a fly fishing trip on the Kenai and enjoy the ride.

CategoriesDolly Varden, Fly Fishing, Rainbow Trout, Salmon by

2020 Recap and 2021 Forecast

2020 Recap

2020 was a year that had a lack of anglers on the river, the least ever in the last 10 years. That made for some of the most phenomenal rainbow trout and Dolly Varden fishing in as long as I can remember. I anticipate this will carry over into 2021 resulting in a lot of un pressured fish. We should make 2021 the year that we educate them with tactics and techniques they have yet to experience.

2021 forecast

If Nostradamus was a guide on the Kenai River here’s what he would predict for 2021 ye shall see, according to the Alaska Fish and Game there will be strong first and second run of sockeye salmon. The lack of pressure on the rainbow trout and Dolly Varden char in 2020 will make for some phenomenal fishing in 2021. The first and second run of silver salmon is predicted to be big runs this year as well, so the fishing on the Kenai River should be great from June 11 through October this year for all the species.

Capitalizing on a Salmon run

When there is a great salmon run anybody can catch a fish, but not everyone will get a limit. When it is a smaller salmon run everyone won’t catch fish, it takes experience and knowledge to put fish in the boat. To truly capitalize on a salmon run good timing and a good guide are a must, but timing is only as good as the guide you choose. So choose wisely.

Experience is your catalyst for success

There are two ways you gain advanced knowledge on the Kenai River. Someone like myself who has spent a lifetime fishing and spent decades guiding on the Kenai River learned through my own experiences. Those that guide for me under my banner have both the benefit of their own experiences plus the added knowledge of my experience. There is no substitute for time on the water and trial and error, yet training with someone with my degree of experience can defiantly shorten their learning curve. Always choose guides that you know are strong in their knowledge and passionate about the never ending quest for perfection.

Being flexible on a guided trip

Control the controllable’s and be prepared for the unpredictable. When you book a trip no matter how much homework you do Mother Nature has a way of being unpredictable. The angler’s that are willing be flexible are the ones that usually have the most success. Because, the salmon run could be off, the river could be blown out, the water temperatures on a glacier river can fluctuate greatly, water levels could be high or low. These variables, and others mean adapting to achieve your goals. Make sure to choose a guide that is capable of adapting under any circumstance in using the gear weather it be fly rods, spinning rods, conventional tackle, or hand tied flies to ensure you get the fish to bite.

CategoriesFly Fishing, Rainbow Trout by

Dog Days of July

Fly fishing the Kenai can be real easy or real tough.  The dog days of July are coming, and that’s when things get tougher.  The water temp is in constant fluctuation and the fish are getting conditioned all over again.  That’s alright because they still bite, it’s all about staying on top of things now, lighter lines, better presentations, and consistency.  The fish are in the river and they don’t stop eating it’s just a little tougher to get them to bite, it’s about the small details, so don’t give up on them, just fish smarter and harder.

dog days of july rainbow trout

CategoriesFly Fishing, Jasons Guide Service, Rainbow Trout by

Kenai River rainbow small fish – big accomplishment

Cassidy Kim fishes just enough to remember some things and not others.  Cassidy decided to try float fishing with a spinning rod, instead of her usual fly fishing.  Cass doesn’t fish often but when she does she fishes with Jason’s Guide Service, not enough to be great just enough to catch fish.  Cassidy is somewhat of a natural with a fly rod, but spinning gear troubles her from time to time.  We fished an afternoon  with the float rods with determination and some laughs we managed to catch some fish. It’s not always the big fish or the most fish that make a great day, sometimes it’s the little fish or the only fish that makes it.  www.jasonsguideservice.com

CategoriesFly Fishing, Ice Fishing by

Ice Fishing in Kenai Alaska

While there are multitudes of individuals that trek to Alaska during the spring, summer and fall months when winter rolls around there is nary a soul that migrates to the 49th state from the lower-48 to fish hard water.

Ice fishing is just as much an Alaskan fishing adventure as what one might find on a float trip down a winding Alaskan river with a fly fishing guide.

What can one expect on an Alaskan ice-fishing adventure with an experienced fishing guide?

The latest in quality ice fishing gear and technology will be provided so anglers have the best in what it takes to hook and land a big trout from below the ice.

Clam Outdoor shelters to protect anglers from the elements. Like any ice excursion it can get cold and windy, but when one is tucked inside the walls of a mobile fishing hub it’s dry and dusty.

The knowledge of where to go and when. Navigating the resources to provide the highest quality experience works in both the summer as well as the winter months.

Ice fishing in Alaska is a sport that is just now being defined and anglers are discovering the phenomenal angling potential of the resources of the Kenai, Alaska peninsula.

For more information, you know who to contact.

Ice Shelter for Ice Fishing

ice fishing