As day turned into night, the intensity and the exuberance of the anglers never wavered. Drift after drift they remained attentive to their indicators, mending to keep their drifts drag-free and continuing to probe the waters of the Kenai in search of that one trophy trout. The search for the donkey was in full effect.

In a normal year, this would not be quite so difficult. But in 2011, three floods in September had the Kenai reaching record high-water marks and pushed both the food and the fish all over the river. Still we worked like the possessed to find that one epic trout, and we were rewarded with many nice fish in the mid-20-inch range. And here’s the key—we had a blast. We fished like kids—without a care in the world and with the unadulterated joy that an angler feels when there is nothing in the world but the rod, the lure and the river. On day two we fished right until dark.

Jeremy, Nick and Nigel are partners in Alaska Drift Away Fishing. They are experienced anglers, seasoned big-fish guides and good guys. They love to fish and have almost photographic memories of the big fish caught over the last decade. Despite the difficult conditions, they continued to cover lots of water, change up the bead and flesh flies we dead-drifted, and never lost their good attitudes.  I’ve fished with many guides all over Alaska for the last ten years, and many of them lose their good humor when the fishing turns bad. Not these guys.

In addition to providing guided angling, Alaska Drift Away Fishing hosts their clients at Alaska Sprucewood Lodge. It’s a beautiful, huge log  structure with incredible Alaskan animals on display, huge rooms, and plenty  of amenities including breakfast and a box lunch. Jeremy’s wife Andrea and Nigel’s wife Cindy manage the behind-the-scenes reservations and keep  guests in comfort.  It’s a family operation.

I knew that I was in the company of fellow maniac anglers when Jeremy hooked a super-hot fish below Eagle Island. It hit the bead about 50 feet from him and blasted to the boat as if propelled by a rocket. It then turned on its tail and headed for the transom, all in the span of three seconds. That quickly, it was over. What I remember is the hooked kype of the fish (it was about a 10-pound buck coho), and the wild-eyed grin of both Nick and Jeremy. Even for experienced guides and avid anglers, these guys get stoked when fighting a good fish.

So if you want to have an awesome time catching salmon and trout on the Kenai River with professional guides who are solid guys as well, try out Alaska Drift Away Fishing. They can be reached at 877-999-8677 or info@guidekenairiver.com. To see some of the monster fish that have been landed in their boats, take a look at www.guidekenairiver.com

~Marcus Weiner is Publisher of Fish Alaska and Hunt Alaska magazines.