Kenai River Fishing Guides

Kenai Riverside Resort has some of the most accomplished fishing guides on the Kenai Peninsula. We’ve been fishing the Kenai River, Kasilof River, Russian River and the entire Kenai River watershed for years. These are professional, courteous, sportsman who are passionate about what they do and can’t wait to share it with you. At Kenai Riverside we don’t hire “one and done seasonal guides.” We hire guides that will be with us for many years and that exhibit a passion for outdoor sportsmanship, professional attitude, unwavering ethics, and a well rounded education.

Each one of them has been with us for years and we feel so fortunate that they’ll be with us for many years to come. Many are life long Alaskan’s whose families have been fishing these waters and living the Alaska life for generations. We’re extremely proud to have Nick’s son Creig joining us in 2021. While 2021 may have been his first year professionally guiding, Creig has been fishing the Kenai River with his dad since before he could walk.

Captain Kevin Chavira

Kevin Chavira is Kenai Riverside’s head guide. Kevin has been professionally fishing the Kenai River since 2017 when he was a junior at University California Davis. After his first summer in Alaska fishing the Kenai, Kasilof, and salt-waters of the Kenai Peninsula he knew Alaska was going to become a permanent part of his life.

Learn More About Kevin Chavira

Captain Hunter Nash

Hunter Nash was discovered in 2016 at the Kenai River Guide Academy where he was attending with his childhood friend Tyler Ashby. Born and raised in Central Virginia, he was taught outdoor sportsmanship from his Grandfather who was an avid outdoorsman. Hunter and Tyler have been exploring the Alaska outdoors since their first college summer break in 2013 and Hunter became a profesional fishing guide in 2016.

Learn More About Hunter Nash

Captain Jim Voss

Jim Voss grew up in Kenai, Alaska, where his father worked as an oil exploration geologist in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. Jim attended Kenai High School and after graduating high school attended college at Montana State University where he earned a bachelors degree and masters degree in electrical engineering and later earned an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland.

After many years in the high tech world in a variety of leadership positions Jim brought his family back to Alaska in 2015 and has been guiding professionally on the Kenai River and surrounding watershed since 2016.

Learn More About Jim Voss

Captain Nick Garrett

Like all of us, Nick Garrett loves Alaska and the Kenai River. An avid outdoorsman you can find him fishing and hunting throughout Alaska and is fortunate enough to have his boys following in his footsteps. His son Creig joined the Kenai Riverside Guide team in 2021.

Learn More About Nick Garrett

Captain Creig Garrett

Creig joined the Kenai Riverside Guide Team in 2021. He’s been fishing our waters since we was a kid under the tutelage of his father Captain Nick Garrett who also guides for Kenai Riverside.

While Creig spends his summers in Alaska guiding for Kenai Riverside, in the off season he lives in Austin, Texas where he is currently a student working on his nursing degree – and fishing, hiking, and hunting of course!

Learn More About Creig Garrett

Kenai River Fishing Guides - The Kenai River Special Management Area

The last time we checked there were something like 180 guides registered to guide on the Kenai River. The Kenai River has some very special regulations associated with it in what is called The Kenai River Special Management Area. The Kenai River Special Management Area (KRSMA) was established in 1984 in response to the increasing public use and strain on the river system’s health.The KRSMA contains more than 105 miles of rivers and lakes and is adjacent to 16 publicly managed parks that offer prime opportunities for boating, camping, wildlife viewing and, of course, fishing.

Kenai River Fishing Guides - Certification Requirements

In most cases all a person has to do to be an Alaskan fishing guide is register with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as a guide and hold the same sport fishing license for the type of fishing they are doing. And that’s it. No experience requirements have to be met, no first aid, no test to pass or anything. As a Kenai River guide this is not the case. To be a Kenai River fishing guide, particularly in a power boat, a person has to have all of the following:

A valid US Coast Guard Captains license if guiding from a power boat. This is not required if operating a drift boat
A valid CPR/First Aid certificate renewed every 2 years
Register with Alaska Department of Fish & Game
Register the guide boat with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Valid sport fishing license
Be enrolled in a random drug screening program with a 50% monthly selection rate
Having taken the Kenai River Guide Academy week long guide course offered through the Kenai Peninsula College and pass the required oral final exam

The Kenai River is considered a navigable waterway and it is this reason that the Coast Guard Captain's license is required if operating a motorized boat for compensation. If the trip is not compensated then there are no other requirements as an operator of the boat. A US Coast Guard Captains license is really not that easy to achieve. The amount of time required to get it is fairly impressive. Most of the businesses in Alaska and guides are operating under what is called a OUPV – Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels. Which basically just means smaller boats that are not allowed to carry more than 6 people for compensation at a time. If you are carrying more than 6 paying customers you have to have the vessel inspected on regular intervals and you are required to pass a higher level of Captains license and the experience requirements that come with it. An OUPV Captains license requires: A TWIC card, Valid CPR/First Aid, Valid Medical Certificate, enrollment in random drug screening program, and having met the experience requirements of acting as a crew member or operating a boat for a minimum of 300 days, 90 of which must be accomplished in the last 3 years.

So the good news is that when you're getting a Kenai River Guide you're doing so knowing that there were some pretty serious experience requirements and educational requirements that were met in order to legally guide on the river.

What Makes A Great Kenai River Fishing Guide?

There’s a lot of work that goes into guiding successfully on the Kenai River. No one wants to put you on fish and help you catch limits of salmon and catch-and-release trophy trout more than your fishing guide. It sort of goes without saying that a fishing guides tips are generally a bit (and sometimes a lot!) larger when you catch limits of fish or help your client land the fish of a lifetime but this isn’t just what it’s all about

Kenai River Fishing Guides - Safety

The Kenai river is known throughout the world as “The Mighty Kenai” because it really is a monster. It’s glacier fed throughout the year and in mid-July with warm temperatures and massive glacier ice melt this river is high and flowing. And in the winter, massive chunks of ice are constantly making their way down the river bringing with it new sand bars, trees, and constantly changing the underwater structure. Operating any boat on this waterway should not be taken by the inexperienced. But this isn’t the only area of safety. We’re constantly using incredibly sharp hooks and knives and other equipment. Hooks are constantly being thrown by these big fish. A 15 pound silver salmon spooling line will put enormous tension on the line and with the weights we use near the hook, it’s not uncommon at all to have a hook come screaming at your face or the buddy fishing next to you. Every single year people are making trips to the emergency room for hook removal or worse. Safety in every regard is really important and that comes from being well prepared, experienced, and always having a level headed personality.

The Kenai river is known throughout the world as “The Mighty Kenai” because it really is a monster. It's glacier fed throughout the year and in mid-July with warm temperatures and massive glacier ice melt this river is high and flowing. And in the winter, massive chunks of ice are constantly making their way down the river bringing with it new sand bars, trees, and constantly changing the underwater structure. Operating any boat on this waterway should not be taken by the inexperienced. But this isn't the only area of safety. We're constantly using incredibly sharp hooks and knives and other equipment. Hooks are constantly being thrown by these big fish. A 15 pound silver salmon spooling line will put enormous tension on the line and with the weights we use near the hook, it's not uncommon at all to have a hook come screaming at your face or the buddy fishing next to you. Every single year people are making trips to the emergency room for hook removal or worse. Safety in every regard is really important and that comes from being well prepared, experienced, and always having a level headed personality.

Kenai River Fishing Guides - Professionalism

Professionalism. We probably don’t need to explain what this means. But I can tell you some of the things that it means to us here at Kenai Riverside. All the fishing experience in the world doesn’t give you professionalism. Everything you’re about to read below does.

Kenai River Fishing Guides - Being Prepared

Our guides are typically starting to prepare for your day of guided fishing approximately 2 hours before your trip begins. It’s making one last check from the previous night making sure the boat is ready, the gear is ready and in working order, stocked with bait for the day, coolers of ice for food and drinks, waders and boots, and any extra gear we think our clients might need that maybe they didn’t bring based on unexpected weather or other factors.

This usually takes an hour or more and then it's about a 15 minute drive to the boat launch and another 20-30 minutes to get the boat in the water, tied up, and the vehicle parked. We want the boat in the water and tied to the dock, vehicle parked, all the gear in it's proper location and ready to fish the moment you arrive. Ideally, our target is to have absolutely everything prepared to go at least 15 minutes before you arrive and enjoying a relaxing cup of coffee – that's how prepared we want to be and it all starts with a good work ethic.

Kenai River Fishing Guides - Tireless Work Ethic

Our day starts hours before the trip and then we finally get to take you fishing. And in all honesty, especially in the middle of these huge runs of fish, it’s the best job in the entire world. It doesn’t matter if it’s raining and cold, or blowing wind at 20 miles an hour. When our clients (see when clients become friends section below) are beaming from ear to ear, having fun, and getting to know one another – you can’t ask for much more that. It is so personally rewarding. But the fishing part of it is just one part of the work ethic. While you’re fishing we’re constantly preparing for the next steps of our day with you. This includes:

Using our network of guides to figure out how the fishing is on other parts of the river
Getting things extra tackle, gear, and leaders ready to go
Running that net to you as soon as we hear those magical words “Fish On!”
Putting your fish on a stringer or on ice and making sure that your catch is well cared for
Filleting all your fish and preparing it for vac sealing, freezing and transportation home
After returning you to your vehicle, it's time for us to top off the gas, clean the boat, and start planning for the next trip or the next day.
Our days usually begin at at 4AM, and on the days where we are doing both a morning trip and afternoon trip, our days will not end until around 9PM and that doesn't include getting a bite to eat for dinner yet!

Kenai River Fishing Guides - Well Working Reliable Equipment

This probably goes without saying but having good working reliable gear is really important. Equipment gets worked pretty hard with these big fish so keeping the equipment in good working order is constantly going on. The equipment doesn’t have to be $1000 rods and reels but the equipment does need to be well suited and sized properly for the job. We change out line on a regular basis, inspect drag systems, eyelets and more. We primarily use 10 foot Okuma Rods and Okuma 8/9 wt fly reels for our sockeye fishing and switch over to Lamiglass X11 Rods and Okuma Coldwater bait casters with integrated line counters when we target silver salmon and king salmon. We keep at least 1 extra rod and reel combo for all species we’re targeting that day in each of our boats just incase we have a rod break or a problem with one of our reel systems.

Kenai River Fishing Guides - Manners & Respect

We only get to do what we love because of you – our clients and hopefully soon to be friends. Remember that old saying that everything I needed to know I learned in kindergarten. We take that to heart. We say please and thank you, we’re kind and patient. If you’re a beginner and struggling don’t worry – we’ll help you till you get it. If you’re an experienced angler – we can’t wait to learn a few tricks from you. If you have a family with children – we’ll do our best to make sure they stay safe and have a great time.

On your trips fishing with us you'll find our manners and respect are extended to our care of our beautiful river and to our fellow competitive guides. We wave to everyone, we make room when we can, and we help others get their boats out when they finished fishing and loading up to leave (it's a lot easier to get the boat out into the river from the banks with some “in the water” assistance. So we help out – and you'll see that reflected in our relationships amongst the other guides on the river.

Kenai River Fishing Guides - Share Knowledge

We share our knowledge and experiences. We’ll teach you to tie knots, explain fish behavior, explain the techniques and methods we use to catch fish. The picture shown here is one of my favorite pictures from our 2021 season. In it, Kenai Riverside guide Tyler Ashby is showing one of our clients that everyone just calls “uncle Dan” how to tie up a special fishing rig. I was so happy I was able to capture that moment because it’s those kinds of things that build the best long lasting friendships.

We don't hide our rigs, and we're even happy to show other guides on the river how we're fishing, what we're using and how it's going. Want to know how we cure our eggs – no problem, we'll do it together the night before and fish them together the next day!

Kenai River Fishing Guides - Experience

Experience really goes a long way of course. Knowing how to navigate the Kenai River and Kasilof River are really important. The river is constantly changing and so are the channels the fish come through. Most of the guides at the Kenai Riverside Resort have been guiding on the Kenai River a minimum of 5 years. We don’t hire the “one and done” seasonal guides. We’re looking for guides that enjoy what they do so much they want to do this forever.

We Want To Show You Alaska - Our Home

I think the best way to describe how we much we love showing you this amazing place is through an example. In 2021 we had what was probably the biggest run of sockeye the river has seen in decades. It was so thick in salmon for four straight weeks that it’s hard to describe. Check out the graph provided courtesy of the Alaska fishing mobile app called Alaska Fishtopia – which you can download from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store

The redline represents the previous 3 years average and the black line represents 2021 Kenai River Late Sockeye Run which goes from July 1st to around August 15. In 2021 we still had 60,000 fish a day entering the river and this continued well through the entire month of August. On the peak day of the summer we had 151,000 fish in a single day and those kinds of numbers went on for weeks. It was insane. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game raised the limit from the normal 3 fish per day per person to 6.

Even at 6 fish per angler per day, we knew that if we put our anglers in the water that each of them would have their limits of sockeye within maybe 30 minutes. A lot of the guides on the river used this as an opportunity to call it a day and go home early and get some well needed rest. That's not how we do things.

Of course, we'll leave it up to the clients because, well maybe that's what they prefer to do to. Especially if they've had 4 or 5 days of really early morning starts on their adventures. But what we proposed was, let's start high on the lower part of the river – right about river mile 21, and start fishing. As soon as everyone has caught 1 fish, we load up and head down river to a new spot. We still caught limits of fish in a very short period of time but we want to show you the river. There's so many unique things about every part of it, from the bluff geography and natural erosion taking place to houses, and we haven't even started talking about the seals, moose, bald eagles and other amazing wildlife we run into.

We're not here to take short cuts or see how fast we can get you on and off the water. Those clients are still talking about the day we effortlessly worked 21 miles of river to catch limits of 6 fish per person. This is the A-game we bring everyday.

Kenai River Fishing Guides - Wrapping It Up

The Best Guides Share Similar Traits

The best guides share similar traits. They’re the folks you want to invite over for dinner or your backyard BBQ because they are hard working, polite, kind, interesting, and all around great people. The best guides who make a living doing this know it’s about being with people, not fishing. Guides who dabble but ultimately don’t cut it think it’s only about fishing. The best guides rise above their own personality and enjoy being with everyone. They work with their clients to understand them and have the maturity to adjust to a variety of personalities. As the day unfolds, the best guides are strangers at the start of the day but best friends by lunch.

They know how to have fun. Fishing is supposed to be fun. It is recreation and a break from the daily routine of life. As the saying goes, “the worst day of fishing beats the best day in the office.” For fishing guides, the water is their office. Great guides understand fun and play is an essential element to a day on the water. Catching fish is fun indeed, but the catching can come and go throughout a day; the top-shelf guides are enjoyable to be with even if the catching stinks.

Great guides are ambassadors and conservationists. Fish need quality habitat to flourish. It's not possible to overstate how the Kenai and Kasilof fisheries have changed over the years. King salmon fishing in particular. Fish, and the habitat they depend on, cannot defend themselves against the increasing threats of climate change, extractive industries and encroaching development. The best guides take pride in standing-up for their resources.