Number One River in the United States

I’m biased. Very biased.

But, it’s not just me that thinks the Kenai River is a special place. Others do too.

Attractions of America has ranked the Kenai River number one in the Top 10 Most Beautiful Rivers in the US. The article and rankings can be found here.
My love affair with the Kenai River began in 1985. I was attending college at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and my father flew up from Minnesota to see me. Since he had never been to Alaska before, he wanted to do a bit of fishing as well.

On the day he arrived, the Fairbanks Daily Newsminer reported a world record king salmon was caught on the Kenai River.

Neither of us had heard of the Kenai, but we were anxious to see what it was all about. We hired a great guide, Jeff King, and from the minute we launched the boat at Stewart’s Landing, we were in awe of the fishery and all of it’s beauty.

At the end of the day, I knew this wouldn’t be my last trip to the Kenai River. In fact, I came back and fished with Jeff every year until 1999. That is when I decided to become a full time fishing guide on the world famous…

I wasn’t new to guiding. At the age of 14 I ran my first guided trip in Minnesota, but only dabbled in guiding part time up until my early 30’s. I tried very hard to follow and emulate Minnesota legend Kevin Koep, who started guiding younger than I did. I loved fishing and teaching others how to catch fish, but it was Jeff that made me realize guiding on the Kenai River can be a career.

One thing that I can tell you is I’ll never be monetarily rich as a fishing guide, but I’m rich in other ways. The time I get to spend with people is priceless. And, the view from my office is breathtaking. I can’t wait to get to work every morning. Not everyone can say this.