My Season on the Kenai: Fishing Alaska's Greatest Salmon River

The Kenai is a world-class salmon river that attracts fishermen from all over the world, but is also the "everyman" river of the great fishing paradise of Alaska because of its accessibility.

The Kenai River is special not only because world-record salmon are caught in its stunning green waters, but because it is on the road system and thus can be accessed by the average fisherman, not merely the well-to-do who pay huge sums to fish in remote Alaskan areas controlled by private lodges and that are approachable only by small planes.

In a state that takes at least a share of its identity from its image as The Last Frontier and concurrently as a fishing haven, the Kenai River is the lifeblood of a sporting world and industry that offers an incomparable fishing experience to the resident, the tourist, the hardcore fisherman, the beginner, and the expert.

Fishermen in the Lower 48 states, seduced by images of gigantic fighting salmon, dream of some day fishing the picturesque waters of the Kenai River. Fishermen who live in Southcentral Alaska, including Alaska's largest city of Anchorage, plot their fishing seasons around the arrival of king salmon, red salmon, and silver salmon. To all of them, the Kenai is a magical river.

The eighty-file-mile-long Kenai River is, more or less, two rivers. The upper river prohibits motorized boats altogether. The lower river features them. The upper river invites rafters and fly-fishermen. The lower river offers savvy guides who know each turn of the river, each rock's placement, and the opportunity to fish for 70-, 80-, or 90-pound salmon through specially developed styles appropriate to the area and the species. The upper river allows for Dolly Varden and rainbow trout fishing. The lower river emphasizes big salmon.

Each summer thousands of anglers fish the Kenai River. They bring millions of dollars worth of business to the Kenai Peninsula while following their dreams and bringing home stories of wilderness fishing adventures.

Lew Freedman lived in Alaska for seventeen years and regularly fished the Kenai River--and wrote about it. Currently, the outdoors/adventure writer for the Chicago Tribune, Freedman is the author of twenty-one books about Alaska. Included among those are Live from the Kenai River, Reelin' Em In With Celebrity Fishing Guide Harry Gaines, a biography of the pioneer guide on the Kenai River, and Fishing for a Laugh, which includes many stories about adventures and humorous incidents that occurred on the Kenai River.

Freedman has a deep familiarity with the Kenai River and knows many of the key players involved in river life, from guides to preservationists. Alas, frequently, despite his best efforts to make friends, he is not always on speaking terms with the salmon.