Trout Fishing

Trout fishing on the Kenai River offers anglers an unparalleled experience amidst breathtaking Alaskan scenery. With its pristine glacier waters flowing from Kenai Mountains, the Kenai River is renowned for its abundant populations of trophy-sized Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden. Not only is the Kenai River world renowned for producing a great quantity of trout, but also trophy sized trout exceeding 30 inches! Gear wise, our guides prefer to use a 10 foot 7 weight rod with indicator floating line, 10 ft leader with 12 to 15 pound test. For two-handed enthusiasts, a 6-7 weight spey rod with shooting head and various sink tips is well suited when swinging intruder and sculpin style flies. Kenai trout mostly feed on salmon fry, salmon eggs, salmon flesh, sculpins and even lampreys lending them to mostly be located near the bottom of the river. Hence nymph style fishing and swinging are the most common techniques used on the Kenai River when fishing for rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden. We, like most guides on the Kenai, adhere to a catch and release policy for all trout, char and steelhead.

Timing:

Season opens June 11th. Best times for trout fishing are consistently August and September as well as the opening week in mid-June.

Techniques:

Fly fishing from the boat as well as wade fishing at times.

Locations:

All sections of the Kenai River as well as Crescent Lake (flyout).

General Regulations:

Catch and release for all trout. Season is closed from May 1st to June 11th.

Trout Fishing

Trout Species

Rainbow Trout:

Rainbow Trout fishing on the Kenai River is among the finest in the world. Kenai rainbows are indeed the most wild and beautiful fish you will ever see. Since rainbow trout are one of the river’s year-round inhabitants and not a harvest species, it is catch and release. Every year the Kenai River produces some of the largest rainbows in all of Alaska. Fish over thirty inches are largely unheard of in most waters, but on the Kenai they are caught on a regular basis. The weight varies from 5-20 pounds with the Alaska state record being 42 pounds .3 oz.

Dolly Varden:

Dolly Varden, or “Dollies”, are a native resident and are actually a char, not a true trout. They are plentiful and found year round in Kenai Peninsula streams and lakes. Unlike the early spawning rainbow, the char enter their “spawn colors” in the fall. Males have a hooknose as well as a dark body and orange/white spots. The Dolly serves a useful purpose in maintaining the health of other salmon species as these “footballs” gorge themselves and feed actively on diseased or dead salmon eggs on the river bottom. The majority are from 3 to 8 pounds in weight. The bigger fish, when hooked, typically run to the middle of the river and sit, testing line strength and the angler’s ability.

Steelhead:

Steelhead are ocean-going rainbow trout, and all steelhead fishing on Kenai Peninsula rivers is catch and release. They enter the river system in late spring and early fall before and after the freeze. These fish are big and bright and very aggressive and will take the bead, spinners and flies.