CategoriesRainbow Trout, Salmon by

Putting the Bullseye on Your Target Species

We’ve all heard the saying, “If I had a nickel for (pick your topic), I’d be rich.” Well, I might not be up to Warren Buffet’s level yet, but I could take the family out to the finest dining experience in Alaska with what my proceeds would be based on this one quandary.

If I had a nickel every time someone bought a ticket, flew to Alaska to target a species that was not even available to them, it would generate a pretty penny. It’s truly amazing to me how many individuals come here expecting to get into a particular species and they can’t due to the wrong timing.

My point here is that you must put the bullseye on your target species. Don’t book a silver salmon trip in June. Don’t book a sockeye salmon trip in October. And don’t think you’re going to have 30-inch rainbows jumping in the boat on the Kenai River if you’re there in July.

I could go so far to say that some periods of the season are better than others. You can find out all you need to know before hitting the “buy” button on that airline web site just by giving me a call. I’m a guide. It’s my business to know what works, when it works, and why it works, and this will ensure that you end up in the right place at the right time putting that perfect cast dead center into that target of that species you have decided to pursue. And everything else is just icing on the angling cake.

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.

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

We Launched Our New Website

Jason Lesmeister, owner of Jason’s Guide Service, has 20 years of experience as an Alaskan fishing guide, ten of them on the Kenai River, so he is well qualified to help visiting anglers shorten the necessary learning curve for a successful trip.

He has just launched his new website, www.JasonsGuideService.com.The website was redesigned from the ground up and now contains helpful information about the fish to be found in the Kenai River, the best season for each, and the services and equipment Lesmeister offers.

When asked about the upgraded website, Lesmeister said, “I love everything about our new web presence. It’s going to allow me to provide more detailed information about the gear we use and what we are catching day in and day out. I will also be updating my blog on the website on a regular basis so you can read up on our guests’ adventures.”

Rainbow trout and Dolly Varden appeal to fishermen because they bite readily, put up an aggressive fight, and are plentiful all year. Red (sockeye) salmon, silver (coho) and other salmon species migrate up the Kenai River at certain times. Sockeye salmon peak from mid-July through the first week in August. Silver salmon fishing is best from the third week of August through the end of October.

Lesmeister’s Kenai River guiding service provides all the equipment you might need, including custom built 20 foot drift boats, G. Loomis, Sage, Lamson and Shimano rods and reels, and all tackle and baits. They will also clean fish and offer other expertise necessary for a quality trip.

Ice fishing the Kenai and surrounding lakes is also outstanding and Jason’s Guide Service is one of the few serious organizations serving this type of fishing and implement the latest technology to locate the fish and keep you warm on the ice.

Jason is headquartered in Cooper Landing, Alaska, and covers the entire Kenai River resource – Kenai, Soldotna, Sterling, Skilak Lake, Kenai Lake, and the Cooper Landing Area. Fishermen are encouraged to bring their cameras so they can post photos of their catch with the others on the website’s “Braggin’ Board”. It is a good idea to make reservations for prime seasons as far in advance as possible.

For more information, visit the website and send questions via the contact form or push the handy “Push to Call” button to initiate a direct call.

Contact:

Jason’s Guide Service
Mile Marker 48
Cooper Landing, AK 99572
(907) 351-3036

www.JasonsGuideService.com

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CategoriesIce Fishing, Rainbow Trout, Salmon by

Spring is in the Air

It’s March, and March is one of the best months of the year for fishing the Kenai in my world. March doesn’t have the hordes of spawning salmon, or salmon carcasses floating down the river. In the spring we have different hatches going off, alvin and smolt popping, leeches and lamprey swimming the river. It’s a magical time on the river to go and fish without the masses of people and the opportunity to fish more than just flesh and beads. Spring on the Kenai it’s where it’s at!! www.Jasonsguideservice.com

cooper landing rainbow trout

CategoriesJasons Guide Service, Salmon by

Sockeye Salmon is it a sport fish or a meat fish?

Sockeye Salmon run into the Kenai in great abundance most years and have many different obstacles to avoid before the spawn.  I’m a fishing guide on the Kenai so Sockeye are a sport fish that is fun to catch on fly rods and also very tasty to eat.  Some of my good friends wouldn’t use a rod to catch a Sockeye to save there life if they can use a net.  Regardless of tool used to catch or harvest these fish everybody that pursues these fish loves the action.  I personally like to keep and kill about 20 fish a year so I can smoke some, jar some, and freeze some fresh.  Everybody has there magic number, and that’s ok as long as none of the meat isn’t getting wasted.  It’s the meat mongers of the world that ruin things for everyone, wether they use rod and reel or net.  As Alaskans we have the right to harvest these fish how we please, and that should come with responsibility.  Whatever weapon you choose it’s your responsibility to not be wasteful and to cherish the meat you get.  Don’t kill more than your going to eat, we need the fish too spawn so we can enjoy them year after year, from generation to generation.  Please be responsible so we can all enjoy our natural resources year after year.  www.jasonsguideservice.com

CategoriesDolly Varden, Rainbow Trout, Salmon by

Chrome Fury on the Kenai

Sockeye Salmon, everybody want’s one…maybe 25 or 35.  Sockeye Salmon sport fish or subsistence fish?  Sockeye Salmon mean dollar bills to many, and means food to others.  Sockeye Salmon mean entertainment to those who catch them with rod n reel or net.  Sockeye Salmon are the life blood of the Kenai Rivers rainbow trout and Dolly Varden Char.
Who decided that the Kenai River is the place for Alaskans to come and catch as many Sockeye Salmon as they can over a three weekend period.  How many people are throwing away salmon to go kill 25 more?  How many people are stopping at Portage Alaska’s animal farm and dropping all there left over dip netted Sockeye Salmon so they can dip net more?
July is the season were all of Alaska comes to the Kenai Peninsula to to slay Salmon, drive like lunatics and litter everywhere and anywhere.
Thank you very little to the people that come down to the Kenai and take more fish than they want or need and litter there way across the state.

CategoriesJasons Guide Service, Salmon by

Control the Controllables

What’s the best time to fish, morning or evening, when is the salmon run the best, when should we book our trip, these are just a few of the many questions we get as guides, that have no right or wrong answer.  As a fair chase fishing guide on the legendary Kenai River, I get to see and experience it all.  I can’t predict the weather or the salmon runs.  I don’t know when the best of the day is gonna happen until it happens.  I deal with Mother Nature and what she throws my way daily.  What I do know is that a good guide controls the controllable’s and let’s Mother Nature take care of the rest.  Control the controllable’s means you use the best gear, have a clean boat, show up on time, have all the local up to date knowledge on the fishery, and are willing to crawl across barb-wire and broken glass to give your people a great fishing trip.  So when you pick a guide to fish with on the Kenai River pick one that controls the controllable’s and you’ll have a great trip.

CategoriesSalmon by

The Sockeye Swing

Theres two kinds of Sockeye fishermen, those that get it and those that don’t.  When your not hooking them in the mouth you need to make adjustments.  Water levels, water speed, and depth all make a difference in the size of leader and how much buoyancy your fly should have.  The presentation is about getting it in there mouth and that takes the right weight to “bait” combo.  When you can’t seem to hook em in the mouth make these adjustments and it might help. www.jasonsguideservice.com #fishingthekenai

CategoriesRainbow Trout, Salmon by

The second run sockeyes and the rainbows

The second run of sockeye salmon are starting to show up in the Kenai.  When the river is choked out with sockeye it affects the Rainbow’s, the trout change there patterns because of the salmon, and it can be trickier to catch them.  It’s time to fish were the salmon aren’t and the food is, it’s the time of year when big hatches happen, when flesh fresh and old is everywhere, and the smolt, sculpins, and leeches are still in the river too.  Don’t hesitate to fish “classic” trout patterns as well as all the Alaska favorites if you want consistency on the water.  This could be you. So visit JasonsGuideService.com