What would you recommend to anglers fishing in Soldotna, Alaska for the first time?

The upper Kenai in the latter days of the season may not be epic fishing. But the views are extraordinary, the river a dream, and if you have a good, knowledgeable guide….its still a chance you gotta take!

Unless you have your own equipment and know what you are doing I recommend using a guide. If you are traveling from out of state the guide company will give you advice about how to ship your fish home. It will be a once in a lifetime adventure. There is lots of information on the Alaska Dept Fish and Game website, you can buy your license there, and investigate where to fish, get regs (different for every area) get fishing reports, videos and directions. They even have a loaner rod program at the Soldotna office, stop by if you don't want to search the internet. Be safe and don't go into the deep woods alone, don't leave your spent line and hooks on the ground, Respect our last frontier.

Watch some YouTube videos and be proactive in talking with your guide. Don't be afraid of learning and getting into it. Definitely bring a rain jacket and be willing to adapt your times to get the best catch and don't forget to enjoy the beautiful area and have fun!

Regardless of age, you can do this! For those older, Captain Seth will help you in and out of the water, he even brought a chair for me to sit on when I needed a break.

Make sure to book during one of the salmon runs. The guide was great but the but the fishing was hard.

Buy your license at Fred Meyer...very easy. If you catch a king salmon you will not be able to fish for the rest of the trip, but you can enjoy the boat ride.

Fishing in June is great because we got there before the big tourist season and didn’t have to fight the croweds.

10 years old or mature 8 year olds is as low as you should go for novice fisherman.

Fish were just starting to run, so we recommend waiting till later in the month

All depends on what’s running. We were a little early for peak sockeye runs but still limited.

This would be a great trip for a first time fisherman that wants to experience reeling in a fish

Ask your guide, and be helpful to your guide. Take care of your guide, they take care of you!

Bring warm clothes & a face mask. It turned into a nice sunny day but ride in the boat was chilly.