To some people, the notion of buying fishing vacation packages and planning guided fishing trips in Alaska might seem a bit crazy — but for everyone else who wouldn’t even hesitate to pick some good Alaskan fishing trips over hot, sunburned-filled beach vacations, it’s easy to see why these fishing trips are so exciting.

The Kenai River, in particular, is one of the most popular places for fishermen of all levels of experience to get outside, make a few friends, and see if they can grab an interesting catch or two. As far as Alaska fish species go, the Kenai River boasts of a huge variety of fish that few other rivers possess. For example,

The world record for biggest king salmon ever caught happened in 1985, in the Kenai River. This particular fish weighed an impressive (or maybe terrifying?) 44 kg — 97 lbs. — i.e., it was the size of a large child/petite adult.

There are three different Alaska fish species of salmon that have two runs each, every single year, and one species of salmon has a run every other year. The bi-annual salmon runs include king salmon, silver salmon, and red salmon; the pickier salmon that chooses to grace fishermen with its presence more sporadically is the pink salmon. Each of the bi-annual runs occurs during a different time frame for each species, but the runs generally start around June and last well into September or October.

Even though the Kenai River is a prime spot for fishing trips, there are plenty of other wildlife-related activities and sights that make these fishing trips so exciting. There are plenty of North American animals like moose and bears, and Beluga whales have even been spotted during the spring, feeding on the Kenai’s fish population that live just a few miles away from the mouth of the river.

Whether you’re into fishing for the sport of it, or because you love the idea of catching your own meals, or even just because you like getting in touch with nature — it doesn’t get any better than the Kenai River. Learn more.