Soldotna Day Trips

Boat type: Bay boat

Boat Manufacturer: Willie Predator

Boat length: 20ft

Engine Manufacturer: Yamaha

Engine HP: 50HP

Number of engines: 1

Extras: GPS, Fishfinder, Live Bait Well

Reubin Payne graduated from Georgia Southern University in 1991, loaded up his bags, drove to Seattle, ditched the car, caught the ferry, slept on the deck up the Inside Passage, got off in Haines and hitch-hiked all summer with a very light budget and a fairly heavy backpack.

Most of his rides came from local Alaskans that hauled him around the state sharing laughs, stories, fishing tips and on occasion their “secret fishing spots”. Different times...

After hitch-hiking over 2,000 miles, eating pounds of wild berries, freeze dried food and fresh fish, all Reubin wanted was to head back to Georgia for some of his mom's pork chops, pack up the rest of my hunting and fishing gear, and move to Alaska!

That fall, Reubin downed a nice sweater, printed off a resume and drove to Atlanta Georgia to find a job in Alaska at a local fishing show. He met a lodge owner that hired him to do everything from launching boats to cleaning fish. The lodge was a very high-end facility right on the beach of the Cook Inlet.

Reubin worked like a dog, but for a few hours each day that summer, Reubin would go fishing for salmon and halibut. The pay was low, the hours were long, but the fishing was fantastic, and Reubin was in heaven.

After the fishing season ended, Reubin moved to the Kenai Peninsula town of Sterling just outside of Soldotna and guided the following 8 seasons for the same lodge. Together with clients, he fished 7 days a week for four months straight and as Reubin says, "you couldn’t slap the smile off my face".

In 2001, Reubin launched Alaskan Widespread Fishing Adventures Inc. and runs a mighty tight ship: the boats are cleaned each night, confirmations are checked and re-checked, leaders are tied fresh each evening, razor sharp hooks are tested, and game plans are formed.

Reubin does it all because he loves fishing and his business that supports his passion.

As Reubin puts it, "Mindy and I have an incredible lifestyle and we are truly grateful to be living our dream. We get to share Alaska with people that are on vacation and enjoy fishing! What could be better? We may be fishing with the repeat client that comes back every year and has fished hundreds of hours with us. Or perhaps we are fishing with the angler that has dreamed their whole life of coming to Alaska and fishing. We get to participate in other people’s dreams and adventures!"