Rainbow trout and dolly varden

Part IV of recycling my website material for the blog, we are talking about rainbow trout and dolly varden here on the kenai peninsula.

Alaska has some of the largest rainbow trout in the world. Largely due to their diet, the rainbows and dolly varden feast on salmon flesh and eggs and grow to enormous size and length. Alaska’s trout fishery is unlike any other trout fishery in the world. Something any trout angler needs to experience at least once in their lifetime. The Kenai is where we do the majority of our trout fishing. It’s cold glacial water provides excellent habitat for these fish. The dolly varden in the Kenai are both resident and sea run. Whereas our rainbow trout are all resident with some steelhead mixed in. Each year, Alaska fish and game closes the Kenai to all trout fishing from May 1st thru June 11th. June 11th is our trout opener and is when we can start legally targeting them again. Washed out flesh patterns, beads, nymphs, dry flies. Usually around the opener can be pretty good each year as long as you make it a point to avoid fishing around any remaining spawning fish. Otherwise, as the weeks go on into the summer, trout fishing in Alaska remains as good as anywhere else in the world. Epic days. Slower days. You just never know. It isn’t until the middle to late August time frame when things start really heating up. At that time, all the salmon are in the river and starting to drop their eggs. The kings will drop first. Fishing is all downhill from there as the remaining salmon species will soon follow suit. Both rainbows and dollies will key in on these eggs and it leads to some of the most incredible fishing you can imagine. Lots of action, lots of fish. Unforgettable days. These fish are very fly rod friendly. Spin gear is also a popular method as well. Either way we got it covered. As the season continues on through September and October, the trout are still aggressively feeding knowing that the food supply will be minimized soon. These are the times were a lot of big trophy fish are caught. They are in peak physical condition and are a little more eager to make a mistake as the season wains on. Multiple fish over 30” are landed every year. True giants! We love fishing and talking trout. We cater to the serious and casual trout anglers. The beauty with these fish is that they are always around to catch. Unlike salmon that migrate. This make our trout fishing a great activity for the whole family. If you would like more information on our trout fishery, please contact me and I would be happy to talk trout with you!

Kenai peninsula fishing calender

Rachel was kind enough to create this fish calendar for me to put on the website. I figured I would throw it on the blog as well. Cheers!

Flies for the Kenai River - Part 4

For part four of this series I want to talk about stripping and swinging flies for silver salmon. Easily one of my favorite types of fishing here on the Kenai Peninsula. Silvers start to enter the Kenai River in early August and will trickle in all winter long, with September and October being peak months.

SILVER SALMON

September in Alaska. Is there a better time or place for a fly fisherman? I think not. With a plethora of chunky trout in the river, some of us choose to target the fall prince instead. AKA Silver salmon. Some describe silvers as being the most aggressive salmon in the Kenai River. In my opinion, that title belongs to the pink salmon. However, 2nd place would go to the cohos. Big, strong, and a great fish for the fly rod. Kenai silvers typically run a big larger than most Alaskan rivers. Taking a 15 plus pound silver on a fly from the Kenai is not out of reach. As a matter of fact, if you put your time in, it is a very realistic goal. Learning which type of water to fish, along with the right fly and presentation, a trophy silver can be in your future this fall.

First off, lets talk gear. Due to the size of the flies and unpredictable weather conditions, a nine foot eight weight is my go to. The eight weight makes casting big bunny leeches tolerable all day. Not to mention you can punch your cast through the wind a bit better as opposed to using a lighter rod. Lastly, these fish are big and strong. Especially when they just entered the river on high tide. The 8wt should be all you need to put the breaks on a fresh, acrobatic silver.

Fly lines. Anything that can turn over a weighted bunny leech. I’m a fan of Rio’s outbound short. With a short shooting head, it’s great for turning over large flies and casting long distances. There are too many good streamer lines out there to waste time talking about it. Just know that farther you can cast, the more water you cover, the better chance at connecting to a fish. Whichever line allows you to do that is your best bet. If you have never tried a streamer specific line, you are missing out. I get a lot of clients that bring their own rods on silver trips and I would say 90 percent of the lines on their rods are standard wf fly lines meant for nymphing or casting a size 10 wooly bugger. With casting being the name of the game for silvers, make sure you equip your rod with the proper line. It makes life wayyyy easier casting large flies all day.

Okay, onto the flies. As in all salmon flies, fishing for silvers is not much different. It needs to bright, flashy, and have a large enough profile to grab their attention and entice them to take. In the world of flies for silvers, a pink bunny leech rules the day most days. Although I will use purples, blacks, and sometimes white, most of the silvers i’ve seen taken on a fly have come on pink. What’s more important than color is weight and presentation. I use a variety of cone heads to achieve the depth and action I desire. For instance. If I’m on the lower river fishing a large eddy or seam, I want a big fly that will get down to the fishes depth. With a lot of water to cover, I want to make sure i’m at the right depth so i’m not wasting opportunities. That being said. A 3-6” bunny leach with a tungsten cone head. No sink tip. Silvers will suspend in the water column so dredging the bottom is not necessary. On the flip side. If i’m sight fishing a silver on the upper river, I will want a more subtle presentation and just enough weight to keep my fly below the surface and suspended where I can see it. A smaller unweighted or bead headed bunny strip in that case would be my go to. My point is, Its not so much the fly pattern that determines success with silvers as it is achieving proper depth and presentation. Think pink in a multitude of weights and lengths ranging from 2”-6”. The longer you can have your fly undulating in front of the face of a coho, the better your chances of getting that eat. A properly weighted fly based on the water you are fishing will get results.

Part II on silvers when I get some more time. I wanted to touch on top water flies, as well as swing vs. strip presentations. Hope this helps anyone who’s looking to stock a fly box for a trip up to Alaska. Make sure to check out the shop and see what flies we have for silvers. Tight lines.

Flies for the Kenai River - Part 3

For part three of flies for the Kenai River we are gonna talk rainbows. I’m going to include Dolly Varden on this topic as you would fish for them the same way. I figured the easiest way to go about this is to go through each seasons. This is a very basic overview of how to approach the Kenai. With 70 plus miles of river, theres too many flies and methods to discuss in just one blog post. That being said, I’m going to keep it pretty basic. Let’s get started.

Rainbow Trout / Dolly Varden

First, let’s talk spring. On the Kenai river, trout fishing is closed from May 1st - June 11th from Skilak lake and above. They close the upper sections of the river to allow for the rainbows to complete their spawn. Smart move. That being said, you can legally fish trout below Skilak Lake during that time. Lets start there. This middle and lower section of the river holds arguably more big fish than the upper stretches. Their diets are different. The majority of the pinks that spawn (every other year) do so on the middle and lower stretches. Although a good portion of Sockeye spawn on the upper, there are still plenty of Sockeye eggs found on the middle and lower stretches. That, combined with a healthy number of fish carcasses lead to some very obese trout. Early spring flies on these stretches would include old washed out flesh and eggs. Float the middle in early May and you will see hoards of old rotten flesh floating down the river. Large flesh flies composed of bunny strip under an indicator work well. The dirtier the flesh the better. Pale and creamy colored zonkers will catch fish. I even like to take a razor blade to a zonker strip to thin it out, as the old flesh looks very “whispy” in the water. Remember, its been locked up in ice all winter. As the thaw comes, so does the old flesh. Smaller flesh flies have their place too if a bigger meal doesn’t get the job done. Remember, unlike the “fresh” flesh, old flesh is ragged looking, so make sure to tie or buy something rotten. Same goes for your beads. Old, washed out eggs will catch fish. I prefer to use an 8mm bead, but I know guys that will catch just as many fish on a 10mm bead. Again, think old and pale. If eggs and flesh isn’t your thing, swing or dead drift a leech or sculpin, another proven tactic for early spring trout.

Now lets move into the summer. Your flesh flies will now change to “fresh” flesh as the salmon filleting has begun. Same goes for your beads. As the sockeye fishermen aim for limits everyday, the trout are on standby, waiting for the next easy meal to float down river. If fishing flesh and beads, concentrate on the areas below sockeye fisherman, or flesh traps. Flesh traps are areas where filleted remains will float down and get trapped, creating popular feeding zones for the trout all summer. Most of the flesh and bead fishing is the same throughout the entire river. Finding the right water to fish is important. Think outside to box and get into the spots where you know the easy meat is at. The Kings will start to spawn towards the end of July. Triggering the first stage of the bead bite. 10mm - 14mm beads are your best bet. Fresh eggs to washed out eggs. Fish em deep as Kings will spawn in the gut of the river. Long leaders and some lead will assist. If fishing bugs is your thing, move on up to the upper stretches of the Kenai and have yourself a blast. Caddis, stoneflies and mayflies all play a pivotal role in an upper river trout’s diet. I’ve even had a fair amount of success fishing large midges just below Kenai lake. As always, a swung leech or sculpin will catch fish as well. Trout can be finicky during the dog days of summer. With constant sunlight, I find that they will slide into a little bit deeper water for refuge. Adapt accordingly.

Moving on. Once the first Sockeye drops an egg in August, all bets are off. The dinner bell has rung. The trout will now be keying in on fresh sockeye eggs. 8mm and 6mm fresh Sockeye beads are your ticket. An actual Sockeye Salmon egg is in fact 7mm, but I have yet to find a bead manufacturer that sells a 7mm bead. Regardless, a bright fresh egg in the two sizes I mentioned will catch fish. As the days go by, pay attention to the spawning activity. If you don’t see much activity, switch to a not so fresh egg. A little bit of research regarding the stages of a salmon egg will go a long way. If you are fishing the Kenai River during a pink year, 8mm - 10mm beads will work. Again, fresh to washed out depending on the spawning activity. The flesh bite is still on as the trout are now moving into full blown feed mode. So if the beads aren’t producing, some micro flesh or a big honker might do the trick. I haven’t done much streamer fishing during early fall, but I’m sure a leech or sculpin would catch a few fish.

Moving into post salmon spawn, washed out eggs and flesh will be on the menu. The time for swinging leeches and sculpin is also present. I personally prefer this time of year the most. The trout are still insanely hungry, and with food become a little more scarce, it becomes a bit easier to fool the much larger rainbows. Again, a great time to swing for large bows. Blacks and olives with a little flash are my go to’s. I will typically swing a 3-5 inch leech or sculpin, weighted and unweighted depending on the water i’m fishing. Make sure to bring plenty of sink tip options. I always keep tips ranging from T-8 - T-14 in a multitude of lengths. Depending on where you are fishing, having a variety of tips will keep you in the zone on each run you decide to fish. This type of fishing will continue all through the winter and has become quite popular on the Kenai.

As the fall passes and we transcend into the winter months, the fishing can still be fantastic. Winter fishing on the Kenai River can be quite lonely on certain days. limited sunshine and daylight, your window for opportunity can be short. Swinging and nymphing are still productive. Trout will winter over in certain areas of the Kenai. Lakes, confluences, deep slow pools, etc. The key in the winter is to find them. Near the headwaters of the Kenai, large midges will produce fish even in the coldest of winter days. Big stonefly patterns with some rubber legs for added wiggle are effective as well. Fish them deep. So gather up some bugs, flesh and eggs, some leeches, and you’re all set for you winter trout adventure.

So there you have it. A very short, basic introduction to must have trout flies for the Kenai River. I hope this helped a little bit in your research. We run trout trips all summer long on the Kenai, come fish with us and I would be happy to share what I know during a day on the river. Tight lines!