Fishing licenses are sold at most stores in Alaska and they are also available for purchase online by the Alaska Department of fish and game.  We have our local fly shop, Alaska Troutfitters, just across the street from our location, so many folks come a few extra minutes early and walk across the street to purchase one before their trip.  To purchase online, use the link at the bottom of the page.

We will not be fishing for king salmon on any trip, so you do not need to purchase the additional king salmon tag for your trip with us.

Please meet us at our shop in Cooper Landing for your trip.  You can park your car or RV there while we shuttle you to the boat ramp and back at the end of the day.  Our address is 18251 Sterling Hwy, Cooper Landing, AK . 99572.

Please meet us at our shop 15 minutes prior to the start time listed on your booking invoice.

Our half day trips generally depart at 7am and 2pm.  Our full day trips can start anywhere from 5am to 10am, depending on the time of year, section of river we are fishing, and your personal preferences.  We are flexible, so if you need a specific start or end time just let us know and we can work around your schedule if possible.

Our half day trip is 4 hours on the water and our full day trip is 8 hours on the water.  We do have some time on either end driving, launching, and retrieving the boat.  We generally pull out of the river 4.5 hours after the start time on a half day and 8.5 hours after the start time for a full day.  Depending on where we fish, there could be anywhere from a 10 minute to 45 minute van ride back to our shop.

Your trip balance due will be collected by Heather in person at the shop directly following your trip.  You are always welcome to pay your balance due at any time prior to your trip through your booking invoice.

We are happy to pick you up from your lodge or campground anywhere within Cooper Landing.  Please make these arrangements at the time of booking so we can schedule it in advance.

We are happy to host the youngest clients on our trips!  We will even take infants on trips as long as the weather is nice and you are willing to keep your infant wearing our sweet little baby lifejacket the entire time on the boat.  We love kiddos and really enjoy getting them hooked on fishing young.

We do our best to accommodate all anglers including those with special needs and disabilities.  Please let us know what particular arrangements we can make for your group at the time of booking.  We can take seats out of the boat to fit in a wheel chair and can give extra assistance for those with visual or hearing impairments.  If you suffer from back pain and need to get out and stretch your legs more often or if there is anything we can do to help make your trip more comfortable just let us know.

We welcome anglers of every skill level.  We are very happy to provide patient instruction and lots of practice to get you dialed in and hooked up.

We provide all the gear you will need for your trip including fly rods and reels, spinning rods and reels, all terminal tackle, chest waders, heavy duty rain gear, personal flotation devices, and safety equipment.

You need to bring your fishing license, whatever you would like to eat or drink on your trip (feel free to bring a cooler), any personal items you need (medication etc.), polarized sunglasses if you have them, camera, and a great attitude for a fun day on the water.

Our boats are 20 foot Fish Rite custom aluminum drift boats.  They are 6 feet wide and can accommodate 4 anglers (sometimes 5 for trips with young or small people on the Upper Kenai) plus your guide.  The Upper Kenai is drift only, so we will be rowing this section.  We generally also row on the Middle River as well (although it is a motorboat fishery).

Please dress in warm, light layers that you can shed throughout the day on your trip.  We recommend a synthetic base layer (top and bottom) and some nice thick socks.  On top of that you can layer with a fleece top or sweatshirt and then a good light weight rain jacket/shell.  If it is really rainy, we will give you some heavy duty commercial rain gear to put on top.  Mornings are generally much chillier than the afternoon, so you will be adjusting your outfit as the day warms up.  For early and late season trips, we recommend a hat and gloves and maybe another layer.  For half day trips in July, if the weather is hot and sunny, feel free to dress lightly and bring your extra layers along with you in a backpack or dry bag.  On these trips we may just put waders in the back of the boat (if we get a quick storm and need to throw them on) and otherwise wear sandals/warm weather clothing in the boat.  Let the forecast be your guide, but do plan on being cold and wet, as we get plenty of both in AK.

A private trip is a special rate for one or two people that want to pay extra and have the whole boat to themselves.  Three people can pay a bit more and be guaranteed no single angler will join them for their trip.  As there are only 4 seats on the boat, a group of 4 fills the boat, and we charge per seat.

We can accommodate a group of 4 on our two boats with both John and Adam guiding, for groups of 4 looking for private trips with 2 in each boat.

We do offer a scenic trip rate when there is a group of 4 and one person doesn’t want to fish.  For groups smaller than 4, or with more than one scenic rider, we charge the same rate per person for fishing and scenic.

It is the industry standard on the Kenai River to fish 20 foot drift boats with 4 anglers up front.  This may seem strange if you are used to a much smaller boat fishing one up front and one in the back.  Our boats fish 4 people comfortably, and with a little teamwork and communication, we get everybody casting and hooking up well.  If you prefer to have the whole side of the boat just to yourself for advanced casting techniques, we recommend booking a private trip.

We fish mostly on the drift out of the boat on a half day trip.  On a full day trip, there is opportunity to get out and do some wade fishing on gravel bars along the way.  We are flexible, though, and if you have a preference about wading more or less, just let us know and we will tailor your trip to your request.  We do fish for sockeye salmon while wading from shore.

There is an outhouse at our shop and one at each boat launch.  You are welcome to use the bushes for #1 (we pack out all toilet paper, ladies).  For #2 while you are out on the river, we have a wonderful pack-potty that uses wag bags that we can set up in a private place for you to use.  We pack everything out.

Absolutely!  You are welcome to bring whatever gear you want to use on the trip.  For waders, please be advised that felt soled waders are banned in Alaska.  We also appreciate if you do not wear cleats in the boat as they tear the floor up.  We like foot tractor wading bars by Patagonia, as they work just as well but don’t damage the floor as bad.

Our sockeye salmon runs have had off-timing and low abundance the last several seasons.  We can certainly use as much time of your trip as you would like to target sockeye, but we cannot guarantee your success or a limit.  Some days they just aren’t running by, some days it is like a fresh grocery bonanza and we can get a fresh limit, other days you can hook and land many but they are all too sexually mature and not good to harvest.  We do recommend booking a full day trip if your goal is to harvest salmon.  If you want a more sure limit, a trip out on the saltwater is probably your best bet and we are happy to make some recommendations on a saltwater charter.

Gwin’s Lodge in Cooper Landing currently offers to cook your catch for you as part of a meal option.

There are two good processors in Cooper Landing.  We recommend the Kenai Cache as well as Salmon Run Lodge, they both do a good job.