My wife and I will be in Anchorage August 5-10. We plan to then stay another week or so and fish on the Kenai River near Soldotna for silver salmon. We also hope to fish for trout on some smaller waters. Any recommendations for flies we should bring? We will probably hire a guide for a float trip or two. Any recommendations for a good guide? We have a place to stay near Soldotna, so we don't want the lodge package. Thanks for any suggestions!
I guided in Dilingham after college, which is four hours NW of where you will be. Our Silver run was more like mid-september. Patterns in Hot pink work good for Silvers anbd if you find them milling about in the backwaters they will chase the topwater stuff like poliwogs and bombers. Gurgle them like you were bass fishing and that's the coolest thing you will ever get a salmon to do. FLash flies in silver, pink and green work well too. Look for the smaller egg patterns, sockeye size becausde they will be just getting done when you will be there. Eggs will be the ticket for the rainbows. Check out the bead selection from Cabelas as the rainbows do tend to swallow mcFly foam and yarn patterns. Pegg the egg an inch or two above the hook and that way the rainbow gets hooked in the mouth. Alaska is no brainer fishing, so don't over think it. Let me know if you need more info, check out the book, Flyfishing Alaska, it's a good read.
I second the Pink thing. Shaq is right on with that. If you run into any humpies, they will take it also. Had a few great days with pink bunny leaches last time I was up there.
I posted this question on another talk site. The main response was "egg sucking leech". That a good choice? In purple? How deep is the Kenai around Soldatna? Is it wadeable? Rocky bottom?
I've never fished the Kenia in particular, but elsewhere the Egg Sucking Leach is very popular. Looks kinda cool tied on a 2/0 saltwater hook. I like the flies I posted above because of the weight factor, the entire underbody is lead.
There's one thing we used to say about Alaska Fishing,
It's like Dancing, You gotta get down baby!!
The only fish you really are going to get up are the silvers and only in certain situations when they are just milling around in the backwaters. If lead isn't your thing, use tips to get down, but these fish hug the bottom in most situations. Weight all your subsurface flies with beads or wrap and you'll stay in the zone more. It's just a different mentality from Atlantics.
When I was in Alaska, I didn't find that leaad was absolutlty necessasry. (Alagnak in July, Aniak in August) It's more like Shaq said, a no brainer/dumbell eye type of jigged fly. There may still be some Chums and if they are not half dead yet, they are a lot of fun. They will take anything with a little flash in it. The egg sucking leeches, egg patterns and flesh flies are trout flies. Rainbows, Dollies, Char, even Grayling will take those.
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