June Rainbow Trout on the Kenai River

June on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska marks the beginning of most folk’s trips and vacations.  Many people from all over the world converge to one of the biggest outdoor playgrounds.  Summer is now replacing spring, the weather is warm and the days are long, making great opportunities for fishing!

For most fishing enthusiasts King Salmon and Halibut are top quarry for the first two weeks, but once mid June rolls around one of the most prized fish on the Kenai River opens to angling, Rainbow Trout! June 11th marks the season opener on the Kenai River for Rainbow Trout fishing.

The average fish are 16” – 22” chrome bright firecrackers. High flying and hard charging Kenai Bows will show you why they are some of the toughest Rainbows in the world!

We typically look for the deeper buckets with current as these areas are holding nice populations of hungry chromers.  Staying out of shallow water where late and post-spawn fish are holding is good practice to maintain a strong resource.  Rainbows like most spawning fish undergo quit a bit of stress, so intentionally targeting these guys leads to a higher mortality rate.

Planning a day or two chasing Rainbow Trout on the Kenai is a great way to throw an exciting mix into your Alaskan fishing trip or sightseeing vacation.  Fast action fishing and beautiful scenery will make this one of your favorite Alaskan memories!

Rainbow Trout have been busy spawning since late April, by now most Rainbows have moved off beds and begin feeding heavily on migrating smolt and salmon carcass from the past winter and fall.  It is not uncommon to watch several Trout attacking smolt balls on the water surface.

The Kenai is also going through a change; water flow is on a steady increase as our days are warmer and longer.  Highs in the 60-70’s and over 18+ hours of light help melt the past winters snow out of the mountains.

Migratory birds are reappearing from their winter journey, flowers decorate the riverbanks, the air is fresh, and the Trout fishing is exciting!

Flesh flys, egg patterns, and streamers will all get the job done, but our favorite is swinging streamers.  Ramped up Rainbows hit theses flys so hard it almost rips the fly rod out of your hand!  Fly fishing is the most common presentation, but float fishing offers the same productivity allowing anglers of all types to have a successful experience.