Fishing the Kenai Peninsula

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Known as "Alaska’s Playground" the Kenai Peninsula is world famous for their fishing. People come from all around the state as well as the US lower 48 to fish here. There are many lodges and fishing camps that cater to this tourism niche. You can come for a day for a half-day (typically five or six hours) or full-day (eight or more hours) charter or book yourself a full, all inclusive fishing package that includes lodging and several fishing charters. Many will bundle freshwater fishing on a river along with open salt water fishing, giving guests the chance to catch several types of fish.If you’re looking to do freshwater fishing, most will say they come here for the salmon, with four ...Read More

Known as "Alaska’s Playground" the Kenai Peninsula is world famous for their fishing. People come from all around the state as well as the US lower 48 to fish here. There are many lodges and fishing camps that cater to this tourism niche. You can come for a day for a half-day (typically five or six hours) or full-day (eight or more hours) charter or book yourself a full, all inclusive fishing package that includes lodging and several fishing charters. Many will bundle freshwater fishing on a river along with open salt water fishing, giving guests the chance to catch several types of fish.

If you’re looking to do freshwater fishing, most will say they come here for the salmon, with four varieties that spawn here. Each has their own unique "run" cycle, most on an annual basis although the pink salmon (aka "humpies") typically only run every-other-year in even years. Here is a general summary of the summer timing for the salmon species’ runs:
• King (Chinook) Salmon – early May through late July
• Silver (Coho) Salmon – early August through late September
• Red (Sockeye) Salmon – mid June through mid August
• Pink Salmon – late July through late August

Many people fish in small four passenger flat bottom drift boats on either the Kenai or Kasilof River out of Soldotna. The concept is that you cast your line and then you drift down river with the current in hopes of coming across a run of fish. It requires a bit of effort on the part of the guide to continually be watching around so as to assure the boat (and lines) drift into appropriate fishing areas.

We have also seen folks "combat fish" on the Russian River here on the Kenai Peninsula. This is fly fishing at its best, with people standing waist high in the river fishing. Often where you find fly fishing happening, you may see bears fishing as well. If you’re interested in this, as a fisherman or spectator, check out the area just east of Soldotna where you can see the Russian River from the Sterling Hwy.

People also fish for rainbow trout and dolly varden. Admittedly, I don’t know much about this type of fishing but was told that it is also done largely on the river system of the Kenai.

Halibut, lingcod and saltwater salmon fishing can be done out of Seward, Homer or Ninilchik. If fishing is going to be done in Cook Inlet, which is a primary location, Ninilchik is probably the best place to charter from given it is on Cook Inlet and will reduce boat travel time by as much as an hour or more from Homer. Those fishing for salt water species out of Seward are not going to Cook Inlet as it is simply too far. I believe they are mostly fishing the Gulf of Alaska.

As a visitor to Alaska, you will need a fishing license which is available anywhere you book a charter, or other stores in town. You can buy a single or multiple day license. Be aware that if you’re fishing for king salmon you will also need a "stamp" that will permit you fishing for them. Also, you should check out the Alaska Fish & Game website for daily catch limits and catch-n-release requirements. Every year the fishing limits are evaluated so just because you know what they were last time you were here, doesn’t mean that will be right the next time.

For those looking to do a fishing charter or full vacation on the Kenai Peninsula, I would encourage you to write their local CVB for more information at www.KenaiPeninsula.org . They have a very good tourism council with many members willing to assist you in your planning. Additionally most of the communities throughout the Kenai have their own chambers or visitors bureaus so check them out as well.
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Afishunt Charters/Alaska Fishing Charters

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Attraction | "Fishing & Camping at One Convenient Location"

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What a lovely location for a fishing camp and home base for the lower end of the Kenai Peninsula. The location makes Homer, Ninilchik and Clam Gulch all very accessible. This is fishing country and just about anything you want to cast a line for you can catch if you’re here during the right time of the fishing season. AFishunt Charters and Alaskan Angler Fishing & RV Park are owned by John & Sharon Baker who work their business on a daily basis. It was Sharon who I initially worked with last fall as I started the planning of this trip.For us, we were here for the "barn door" halibut. This year the limit was two fish per person. While they range in size from around 10 lbs. to ...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on September 24, 2010

Afishunt Charters/Alaska Fishing Charters
15640 Kingsley Road
Ninilchik, AK 99639
(907) 567-3393

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King Salmon Fishing

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Attraction | "King Salmon Fishing - Sports Den"

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Summer on the Kenai Peninsula is ALL about the fishing. We did the half-day (afternoon) King Salmon guided fishing trip with Sports Den of Soldotna. Owner Jim Golden was very helpful in taking care of all the details for our fishing experience. Our fishing guide Mark was the best! Even the state of Alaska says so. He has won the "guide of the year" award for his work.We understand that every year there are specific regulations regarding the catch and limits. This year, the limit was one King per day with a maximum of two in a season. In addition to your non-resident's fishing license, you will need to buy a "King" stamp. For non-state residents, the license and stamp was $30 total. Kids unde...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on July 10, 2006

King Salmon Fishing
Kasilof River
Kenai, Alaska

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RW's Fishing & Big Eddy Resort

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Hotel | "Not the Best Experience"

Big Eddy Resort - Dock Photo - RW's Fishing & Big Eddy Resort, Soldotna, Alaska

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Located right on the Kenai River, this is a fisherman’s Shangri-La. The location is perfect for being outside and enjoying nature and wildlife, as well as fishing right off their 1,000 yards of private riverbank. Unfortunately our continued trip through rainy Alaska kept us from really enjoying much of anything here, including the fishing.Fishing for coho salmon (aka "silvers") is one of the reasons people flock to the Kenai Peninsula late in the summer. While it is the size of the king salmon that bring folks out early in the summer, the acrobatic fight of the silvers is what real anglers seek. Starting September 1st, the daily catch limit is three per person per day.Avera...Read More

Located right on the Kenai River, this is a fisherman’s Shangri-La. The location is perfect for being outside and enjoying nature and wildlife, as well as fishing right off their 1,000 yards of private riverbank. Unfortunately our continued trip through rainy Alaska kept us from really enjoying much of anything here, including the fishing.

Fishing for coho salmon (aka "silvers") is one of the reasons people flock to the Kenai Peninsula late in the summer. While it is the size of the king salmon that bring folks out early in the summer, the acrobatic fight of the silvers is what real anglers seek. Starting September 1st, the daily catch limit is three per person per day.

Average fish size of silvers coming up the Kenai River is 7 to 12 pounds, with a 20 pounder qualifying as a trophy fish. In comparison, kings run an average of 35 to 40 pounds and trophies are a whopping 75 pounds. David was fortunate to land a 32 pounder back in 2006. Check out that journal review here: http://www.igougo.com/review-r1272221-King_Salmon_Fishing_-_Sports_Den.html .

Our fishing experience here was not as enjoyable as our time with AFishunt Charters a couple of days before. We were not very impressed with our "guide" Nate who didn’t really seem to have much of a clue and spent most of our time chasing what other guides were reporting.

We met at the dock at 6:30a and immediately headed out. There were four of us fishing. The other "couple" was a grandpa and his adult grandson from Oregon. When the two of them landed their first fish within about an hour, we were all feeling very optimistic. Unfortunately, other than "humpies" (pink salmon that we were told were not really edible) we were skunked! That was especially disappointing since I threw back four of them, and David had three.

The morning started very rainy but it did subside by midmorning. The air temp was actually pretty warm, so with our raingear, we were pretty comfortable. A potty break mid-trip was fit into the fishing trip, which also made for a more comfortable fishing trip. At the end of the day, those two fish caught during the first hour, were the only ones going back in with us. The other boat with their four friends came in with nine fish, not bad. Needless to say, we wish we had been with the other guide since they fished an entirely different area of the river than us. (We never saw them again after we all launched from the dock.)

Unlike our RV camp experience at Alaskan Angler RV Resort in Ninilchik, Big Eddy Resort is really not an RV camp although they do have a row of camp stalls with hook-ups for water, electricity and sewer. When we booked our reservation, RW (yep that is his name) told us that they only had a couple of RV parking spots and we’d have one reserved for us. It all worked out well for us as we had the first stall in the row which provided close access to the fishing dock. The resort is really a cluster of cabins, which is where grandpa and grandson, and their friends, were staying as part of a week-long fishing package.

RW’s Fishing and Big Eddy Resort have 2:1 promo coupons in the Northern Lights discount book for fishing and camping. Their silver salmon fishing charters are 2:1 with the daily rate being $200/person. Paying $80 for the parking of our RV turns out to have been a naïve mistake since the "package price we were given for the fishing and RV parking, including taxes was $300. I now know better and will do a better job in researching and negotiating in the future. Given all of the great deals made in planning this trip, this was the only clunker and for that, I can say "job well done overall."

For information on RW’s and their fishing options, check them out online at www.rwfishing.com.
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Member Rating 2 out of 5 on September 24, 2010

RW's Fishing & Big Eddy Resort
P.o. Box 3824
Soldotna, Alaska 99669

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Natron Air

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Attraction | "Air Taxi Service with Natron Air"

Our Air Taxi on the Beach Photo - Natron Air, Soldotna, Alaska

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Natron Air is locally owned and operated by year-round Alaskans Tim and Janet Pope of Soldotna. We connected with them through Silver Salmon Creek Lodge’s website. The two companies work together in cross promoting tourism to Lake Clark National Park & Preserve. In fact, they recently received an award for their contributions to the Alaskan tourism industry. Well deserved from my personal experiences with both Tim and Janet!They fly what I would consider a spacious plane, accommodating up to 8 passengers in their newly acquired "Airvan" wheeled plane. Boarding and deplaning was very easy and without risk in terms of needing to "jump" out. The little step stool was very much appr...Read More

Natron Air is locally owned and operated by year-round Alaskans Tim and Janet Pope of Soldotna. We connected with them through Silver Salmon Creek Lodge’s website. The two companies work together in cross promoting tourism to Lake Clark National Park & Preserve. In fact, they recently received an award for their contributions to the Alaskan tourism industry. Well deserved from my personal experiences with both Tim and Janet!

They fly what I would consider a spacious plane, accommodating up to 8 passengers in their newly acquired "Airvan" wheeled plane. Boarding and deplaning was very easy and without risk in terms of needing to "jump" out. The little step stool was very much appreciated. With gimpy knees, this is an important consideration. I remember the discomfort I had getting out of that helicopter in Churchill two winters ago. While I was able to do it, it did force me knee to bend beyond the point of ease and comfort.

Since this trip report/journal is about fishing, I should first highlight that Natron Air can get you to where the fish are! They provide a couple of basic options for silver salmon including Kustatan River ($230pp) in July/August and Silver Salmon Creek & Shelter Creek ($310pp August/September). Given they are an air-taxi service, I would venture to guess that it is also possible to fly-in to other remote river and lake locations in order to drop a line into the water. They have a working relationship with a number of fishing lodges and guides, so you may want to consider them for your fishing (or hunting) excursion.

If you’re interested in other sightseeing (day) tours, they have a couple worth considering. The first is their full day guided bear viewing in conjunction with either Silver Salmon Creek Lodge ($550/person) or Homestead Lodge ($595/person). If you’re looking for something maybe a little less expensive, they also have a tour that includes a beach landing for photo ops along the shore at $345/person. As we saw during our time at Silver Salmon Creek Lodge, it is possible to see bears even on their shorter tour (see photo attached to this review). Tim had arrived with a couple on such a trip and right after he parked his plane on the beach, a big brown bear walked right under the tail of the plane. How cool do you think THAT was?

They also have a couple of aerial flightseeing tours including one that features Lake Clark National Park (home of several active volcanoes including Mt. Redoubt that was in the news in 2009 after a massive eruption) and another featuring the Kenai Fjords National Park and the Harding Ice Field. Both are priced at $195. For other air taxi type serviced you can contact them directly to obtain a price quote and make your reservation.

On our flight over to Lake Clark National Park, we were two of five total passengers and on the way back, it was just David and me. We thoroughly enjoyed the views in both directions and felt very comfortable and safe in Tim’s hands. All passengers had a window (and aisle) seat, along with a headset in order to communicate with Tim or the other passengers. It was a bit freaky landing on the beach, but it felt very safe. We would not hesitate to fly with Natron Air again. In fact, I do look forward to the opportunity in the future!
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Member Rating 5 out of 5 on September 24, 2010

Natron Air
619 Funny River Rd
Soldotna, Alaska
(907) 262-8440

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