Alaska Fishing for Trophy Kenai River Rainbow Trout.
Rainbow Trout fishing on the Kenai River is truly world class. Since the majority of the anglers that visit the Kenai are pursuing salmon, trout fishing is often overlooked. We always recommend at least one day of trout fishing as Kenai rainbows are extremely plentiful and they 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, we do our best to return them all to the river unharmed.
Trout fishing on the Kenai River opens river wide on June 10 and extends well into late fall. The abundant population of Kenai Rainbows is largely dependent on the rivers ample supply of salmon byproduct, namely flesh and single eggs. We fish the majority of our season with flesh patterns as this larger target or bait seems to attract larger fish on average. That said, there is always time in the season for single egg or bead fishing and there is nothing better than fooling a 30 inch fish with a hand painted bead you can barely see. We see exceptional trout fishing in July and early August when the peak of the sockeye salmon fishery is occurring. The abundance of salmon carcasses attracts a large percentage of the trout population to select sections of the river and the result is very productive fishing. The trout, well fed from abundance of sockeye will eventually move up and into position for the heavy spawn of both kings and sockeye. This will occur in the month of August and September and then eventually the gravel beds will be full of silver salmon which will spawn well into the winter months. The trout are ever present and the fact that you can literally catch the largest trout of your life on any cast makes fishing the Kenai a special experience.
Occasionally trout fishing can be done in combination with salmon fishing but we primarily encourage a full day of trout fishing. The ability to cover a lot of water and fish a number of spots will definitely lead you closer to the fish of a lifetime!
We fish trout with both lightweight spinning gear and fly fishing equipment.
Click hear to see a slideshow of Trophy Kenai River Rainbows!
Below is a collection of trout pictures from the 2016 season:
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Below is a collection of trout pictures from the 2015 season:
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Season:
June 10 – October 31 and beyond…
Fishing Methods:
Drift/Fly Fishing with flesh flies and single egg patterns (beads).