Jason’s Guide Service provides professionally guided fishing trips that’ll have you reeling in trophy-sized Rainbow Trout and a variety of Salmon in no time. Your guide, Jason Lesmeister, has over 20 years experience providing guided adventures along the Kenai River in Alaska, and prides himself on providing fully-customized trips that are perfectly suited to fit his customers’ needs.

Jason lives where he guides, and spends over 200 days a year on the water, both professionally and for fun. His goal is to provide eco-friendly fishing trips that will provide a lifetime of memories, and protect these rivers and lakes so that they can be enjoyed by future anglers. Jason practices catch and release on all native Rainbow Trout, while Dolly Varden and varieties of Salmon can be caught for both sport and table fare.

You’ll head out onto Kenai River in a 20’ Willie drift boat. Drift boating is perfect for anglers who want a hands-on experience, as it allows you to fish from the boat as well as “beaching up” and wading these productive waters for your catch. It also allows for a peaceful, environmentally-friendly adventure. Jason can accommodate up to 4 guests on each trip, and his drift boat is equipped with all of the necessary navigational and safety gear for a productive day on the water.

Jason prides himself on not only being a year-round guide, but also living and fishing in his guiding area. This means that he is able to keep his finger on the pulse when it comes to the species that travel through this river! He knows the best times to visit for your dream catch. Want to reel in huge Rainbow Trout? Visit during Autumn. If you’re after Sockeye Salmon, join Jason in July. You’ll also have the chance to hook Chinook and Coho Salmon, and plenty more.

You’ll be provided with top-quality G-Loomis, Shimano, and Lamson rods and reels, as well as tackle. All you need to bring is a fishing license. Join Jason’s Guide Service and get ready to reel in your dream catch!



Trip availability and prices

  • Private trip
    Half Day Trip – Salmon
    FREE Cancellation 30 days notice
    4 Hour Trip, starts at 6:00 AM
    Price for up to 3 persons
    US $800
    Join your guides Jason or Caleb on a 4-hour trip down the Upper Kenai River. You fish Sockeye and Coho Salmon. The prime dates for half day Sockeye trips start July 15 and go until August 20. The prime dates for Coho are August 20 through October 26. All trips are run out of custom-built drift boats designed for efficiency and comfort. The Sockeye trips are done from shore and occasionally from a boat. The Silver Salmon trips are done primarily from the boat with some occasional shore fishing.
  • Private trip
    Half Day Trip – Trout
    FREE Cancellation 30 days notice
    4 Hour Trip, starts at 7:00 AM
    Price for up to 3 persons
    US $800
    Join guides Jason or Caleb on a Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden catch and release fishing trip. We fish Rainbow and Dolly from June 11 to October 26. The prime time for this fishery is August 17 - October 26. We have good fishing all season long. The success in the earlier months depends on water stability with temperatures and flows. Our average fish on the upper river is between 16"-20", we catch fish as big as 30" or bigger. We fish both fly and spin gear and use hand-tied flies and conventional gear.
  • Private trip
    Full Day Trip – Salmon
    FREE Cancellation 30 days notice
    8 Hour Trip, starts at 5:00 AM
    Price for up to 3 persons
    US $1,100
    Spend a full day on the Kenai River with Guides Jason or Caleb. We fish Sockeye Salmon and Silver Salmon. We have two runs of Sockeye Salmon. The first run is good from June 11 to July 4, the second run is July 15 - August 20. The silver prime time Salmon starts August 20 - October 26. We fish out of custom-built drift boats built for comfort and efficiency. We fillet all your Salmon and direct you to the best processor for packaging and shipping. These dates are just guidelines for you.
  • Private trip
    Full Day Trip – Trout
    FREE Cancellation 30 days notice
    8 Hour Trip, starts at 7:00 AM
    Price for up to 3 persons
    US $1,100
    Join Jason or Caleb on a full day fishing trip for rainbow trout and Dolly Varden Char. We fish both the Upper and Middle Kenai River June 11 - October 26. Our prime time for the trophy hunters is August 20 - October 26, we have good fishing all season long. Our average Upper River Trout is 16"-20" and the average Middle River fish is 18"-22". We fish both fly and spin gear using hand-tied flies, hand-painted beads, and conventional gear. We fish out of custom-built drift boats.
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Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
4.9 / 5
out of 5 stars from 71 reviews
Boat
Excellent
4.9 / 5
Crew
Excellent
4.9 / 5
Experience
Excellent
4.8 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (77)
Kenai
Kenai
Kenai
+74
Angler rating
58
4
2
0
0
Anglers claimed
Good experience
89%
Friendly captain
100%
Recommend this charter
87%
Appropriate for children
93%
Satisfied with the boat
100%
Caught fish
88%
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5 of 71 reviews
Loren M.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Fun fishing trip with my family.

VERIFIED   Half Day Trip – Salmon on August 2, 2024
Jason’s guide service was great.  Did a full day combo trip.  Caught a lot of salmon on the first half of the trip and...
Loren M. recommends Jason’s Guide Service
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Barton N.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Great Fishing Trip

VERIFIED   Full Day Trip – Trout on September 5, 2024
Had an Awesome day of fishing with Jasons Guide Service out of Coopers Landing. Joe is a great guide very personable and great...
Barton N. recommends Jason’s Guide Service
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Margaret S.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Jason’s Guide Services

VERIFIED   Full Day Trip – Salmon on June 27, 2024
There were 4 of us none fishermen . We had a great day. Jason is a good teacher. We saw other guides give their customers...
Margaret S. recommends Jason’s Guide Service
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David N.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Awesome Time.

VERIFIED   Half Day Trip – Trout on August 29, 2024
Joe was a great guide. Very nice, polite,  knowledgeable about our surroundings, the fish, river and what do to do to catch...
David N. recommends Jason’s Guide Service
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Mark K.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Best guide service on the Kenai

VERIFIED   Half Day Trip – Salmon on July 30, 2024
Great experience fishing on the Kenai River. Big Joe and Jason were outstanding hosts. Joe was extremely knowledgeable and...
Mark K. recommends Jason’s Guide Service
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FAQs about Jason’s Guide Service

Jason’s Guide Service offers the following trips to customers:
  • US $800 per group, additional US $100 per person after 3 guests - Half Day Trip – Salmon (4 hours)
  • US $800 per group, additional US $100 per person after 3 guests - Half Day Trip – Trout (4 hours)
  • US $1,100 per group, additional US $200 per person after 3 guests - Full Day Trip – Salmon (8 hours)
  • US $1,100 per group, additional US $200 per person after 3 guests - Full Day Trip – Trout (8 hours)

When you book a trip with Jason’s Guide Service, you can expect the following amenities onboard:
  • GPS
  • Fishfinder
  • Ice Box

Trips booked with Jason’s Guide Service include:
  • Rods, reels & tackle
  • Lures
  • Catch cleaning & filleting
  • Fly Fishing Equipment (Gloomis, Lamson, Shimano,)

Jason’s Guide Service offers the following types of fishing:
  • River Fishing
  • Lake Fishing
  • Backcountry Fishing

Jason’s Guide Service offers the following fishing techniques:
  • Light Tackle
  • Jigging
  • Fly Fishing
  • Ice Fishing

Top targeted fish species with Jason’s Guide Service include:
  • Dolly Varden
  • Lake Trout
  • Rainbow Trout (Steelhead)
  • Salmon (Coho)
  • Salmon (Sockeye)

Your operator

Jason's Guide Service
Cooper Landing, Alaska, United States
1 Fishing Report
71 Customer reviews
Response time within an hour
Member since March 2016
I grew up in Minnesota, at the age of 20 I came to Alaska to be a guide. 24 years later I'm a Registered Guide/Outfitter and am still a Passionate Angler. I try and fish no less than 200 days a year.

The fish you can target

Dolly Varden Dolly Varden
Lake Trout Lake Trout
Rainbow Trout (Steelhead) Rainbow Trout (Steelhead)
Salmon (Coho) Coho Salmon

What the boat is like

Boat Image
Boat category
Skiffs and flats boats
Capacity
4 persons
Boat length
19 ft
Year built
2019
Boat manufacturer
Willie
Boat type
Aluminum fishing

Engine model
Drift
Powered by
1 x 10HP
Max cruising speed
5 knots

Which types of fishing are offered

River Fishing
Lake Fishing
Backcountry Fishing

Which fishing techniques you can try

Light Tackle
Jigging
Fly Fishing
Ice Fishing

Which amenities are available onboard

GPS
Fishfinder
Ice Box

What’s included in the trip price

Rods, reels & tackle
Lures
Catch cleaning & filleting
Fly Fishing Equipment
Gloomis, Lamson, Shimano,

How cancellations work

Free cancellation up to 30 days prior to trip

You can cancel or modify your booking up to 30 days before the trip date, free of charge. If you cancel or modify your booking later, or fail to show up, you'll forfeit 100% of what you've paid.

What the listing policies are

Pickup not included
Transfer to/from departure site is not included in trip rates.
Child Friendly
You Keep Catch
Sockeye and Silver
Catch and Release Allowed
Catch and Release Mandatory
For Trout and Char only

How you can pay

Book with 20% deposit, pay rest to captain

When the captain confirms your trip, FishingBooker charges your credit card a 20% deposit to guarantee your reservation.

The remaining balance is to be paid directly to the charter operator on or prior to your trip date in one of the following payment methods:

Cash
Visa
Mastercard
American Express
Checks
Bank Transfer

What’s biting in Cooper Landing right now

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