Gotta keep your head on a swivel up here
Steelhead
Part V and the final part of recycling website material for the blog we are going to chat a bit about fishing for steelhead on the peninsula.
Steelhead are considered the gentleman’s fish. A fish of a thousands casts, these fish boast big time power and athletic ability. A true sportfish. Typically not a trip for the casual angler. Expectations are never high on a steelhead trip and some folks are not okay with that. Run timing is everything. Each year can be a bit different. If timed right, the steelhead fishing on the peninsula can be incredible. Typically, we start to take clients on the upper Kasilof river for steelhead right around the first week of September. The run gets stronger as the month goes on but catching it early can be pretty amazing. These trips are fly fishing only and we practice catch and release with all wild steelhead. We cater to both spey fishing or indicator fishing. Both techniques work very well. The upper Kasilof is a very peaceful and beautiful float. I would describe the river as very pleasurable to fish. Easy wading, gorgeous runs to swing. The fish can be anywhere from 5 to 20 pounds and larger. With the Kasilof river being the shorter of the two rivers, these fish stay pretty hot and energetic throughout the system. Nothing like a big broad side smash from a sea-liced steelhead! The Kasilof is big enough for a full length spey rod and fits best with a 10’ 7wt if you are bead fishing. There are some smaller streams to walk/wade for steelhead around the peninsula where a single hand spey would be appropriate as well. Temps can tend to drop during steelhead season so bringing the proper layers is crucial for your visit. All of the fishing will be out of the boat so its best to come prepared with plenty of warm gear for this trip. Are you tough enough to take on some Alaskan steelhead. Feel free to give us a shout and we would love to help you find out!
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!
Kasilof King Salmon
I just updated a bunch of information on my website so will be recycling some of it for some blog posts. This one obviously titled, Kasilof King salmon. Written for folks who may be considering coming up to fish with us.
We are not currently fishing Kenai River kings. Due to closures and dangerously low fish returns, we are only fishing the Kasilof river for kings. The Kasilof has a run of both Hatchery and Wild. The early run is the hatchery run. This is where we kickstart our season. The use of bait opens up on May 15th for King Salmon on the Kasilof river. A beautiful 17 mile glacial fed river system that is home to some incredible sized fish. While its still early in the year, this is a great time for the spey angler to get out while the water is low and slow. There’s not too much river traffic during this time as the fishing can tend be a bit slow to start. However, each year is different and salmon fishing is all about timing. Never a guarantee by any means, King salmon fishing is the toughest fishing we do. A pure numbers game, we rely heavily on good return numbers but each year is a toss up on the peninsula. As of 2023, we are allowed to retain one hatchery king salmon per day on the kasilof river. When the run of wild kings starts in July, it is catch and release only. The head of the fish is not allowed out of the water. If you are a bait fisherman, bait can open and close without much warning. The most conventional way to target these fish is a method called backtrolling. While oaring a driftboat, you slowly back down your offerings, usually bait, to these fish while waiting for your rod to get smashed. Its designed to be a relaxing day with minimal effort for the client. If you enjoy casting and working lures or flies, this may not be the trip for you. Although the most proven method, it can be a bit inactive if the fishing is not the greatest that day. We always make the most it and have a great time regardless. If you enjoy casting and would be interested spey fishing or floating bobbers for kings, we can absolutely do that as well! Remember, kings are a trophy fish and should be treated as one. A fish of a lifetime for most. We still have some of the largest king salmon in the world here and we restrict all customers from retaining a wild king salmon regardless of current harvesting restrictions. Most outfitters around the peninsula these day also encourage the same practices. If you are looking for the challenge and thrill of a lifetime, come up and take a stab at king fishing.
Kankakee river smallmouth bass took on a double barrel popper
Indiana fly fishing report 9/5/2020
Kankakee river smallmouth
With the crazy summer we’ve been having, a nice quiet float down the Kankakee river seems to be just what the doctor ordered. Fishing has been pretty consistent day in and day out. We are battling some extremely low water but the fish don’t seem to mind at all. Poppers in chartreuse as well as white have been getting it done. On really bright days the popper bite does die off mid day and switching to sub surface flies has been the ticket. Dark leeches, crayfish, and various bait fish patterns are productive. The nice thing about the low water is most of the fishing has been very visual. We haven’t had to bust out the sinking lines much or heavily weighted flies for that matter. I’ve been fairly busy running these float trips and will continue to do so until the water temps say otherwise. Make sure to get with me soon for your fall dates. Most days I am the only boat on the water.
Aaron from Wisconsin with a mid day popper eater
Trail Creek Steelhead Fishing report
I have not spent much time on the creeks at all this summer. Extremely warm water temps for someone who releases fish is not something I am interested in. Not to mention the amount of anglers this summer is something I have never seen before. Seven days a week there are anglers all over the public access sites. I’m glad that folks are out fishing but i’m hoping there is some river etiquette and that people are picking up their trash. From what I’ve been hearing, this hasn’t been the case. But enough bitching, there has been plenty of skamania in the creeks and in the harbor for the majority of the summer. The extended heat wave we had a few weeks backed pushed a lot of fish back out to the lake. Keep an eye on the lake temps, once they flip, they will come. I’m anticipating a solid run of fall fish. I’m uncertain what the king run will hold but only time will tell. The time is approaching. It’s been awhile since I’ve wrote a report so I will do my best to keep everyone informed. Tight lines.