BIG RAINBOW TROUT
BIG RAINBOW TROUT FISHING | ALASKA’S KENAI RIVER RAINBOW TROUT
The words “Big Rainbow Trout” and “Alaska” have been used in the same sentence quite a lot over the years. Large, even Massive Rainbow Trout can be quite common in this great state. Alaska Fishing Guides would all agree, we think we have some of the biggest wild Rainbow Trout in the world. From Bristol Bay, to South Central Alaska to the Kenai Peninsula, big trout just live and breed in our waters.
Not many places on earth can boast almost no stocked rainbow trout. There are some mountain lakes stocked with trout, but for the most part, Alaska is home to pure, wild stocks of Rainbows. If you want to land big fish, especially big Rainbow Trout, Alaska is the place!
WHAT IS A BIG OR LARGE RAINBOW TROUT
The first “big trout” I caught in Alaska was around 22 inches or so. When I saw it take flight, I was 100% sure it was a salmon. Little did I know that I actually caught an average-sized fish for the middle Kenai River. This blew my mind and I totally had to re-calibrate what I thought a big trout was. Later I would find out how massive these Kenai River trout can be!
Our big trout can reach over 30 inches! I have seen pictures of large rainbow trout of 34 inches and some that look even bigger! It’s no wonder that people flock from all over the globe to take a shot at catching their biggest rainbow trout ever. If you’re into large rainbow trout, this place has some of the biggest!
WHERE TO CATCH BIG RAINBOW TROUT | BIG RAINBOW TROUT FISHING CHARTERS
Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden are distributed quite widely along 80-miles of the Kenai River. The most popular sections for trout fishing being the upper and middle Kenai. There are, however, times when anglers can catch giants on the lower Kenai as well. Sometimes booking a Kenai River Charter will be a great way to get a lay of the land and understand the river better.
Big trout are caught consistently on the upper Kenai River, but most of our fishing efforts target the middle Kenai River. The middle river has an abundance of big rainbow trout. The average size fish here seems to be much bigger than most other sections of River. They would be considered very large rainbow trout anywhere else in the world!
I can’t tell you the level of anticipation of what could strike your fly on the middle Kenai at any time! Big fish here will not only bite frequently, they will also shake your hook, leaving you with a bewildered feeling. I always tell our visitors that on any given cast, you could catch the biggest trout you’ve ever seen!
How OUR TROUT GET SO big
One huge factor to the growth of our big trout is not only based on their pristine habitat, they simply have lots of food available to them year-round. Our big rainbow trout gorge on salmon eggs, salmon flesh, small fish, insects, lamprey eels, sculpins and more!
Since millions of pacific salmon return to the Kenai River every year, their spawn cycle and even their death cycle plays a critical role in the growth of our big trout.
Nearly every day of the year, trout have access to some salmon eggs or flesh.
Our young trout start off their life-cycle like most other trout species. They spend most of their days eating aquatic insects. Once they experience their first salmon spawn, they quickly shift focus to feeding on salmon eggs and flesh, which really stimulates their growth and turns them into large rainbow trout!
These periods of large amounts of food present help our fish grow rapidly. As they grow, larger prey become staples of their diet. They will still eat bugs, but they quickly begin to target:
Smaller Trout
Sculpins
Lamprey Eels, etc.
HOW TO CATCH massive RAINBOW trout
The methods to catch our big trout can be quite diverse. Many anglers choose to fly fish for trout in Alaska simply because it is quite an easy way to learn the sport. You can also catch lots of trout fly fishing here.
If you happen to fish here during the major salmon spawn, you’ll almost exclusively want to use some sort of plastic egg imitation or a fly that resembles a salmon egg. These “Alaska flies” are often presented using dead-drifting techniques under an indicator or bobber.
Other ways to catch our big trout include simple nymphing techniques, dry flies, streamers and other flies. Anglers can also use traditional spinning gear using lures to catch these large rainbow trout.
A major thing to understand is the myriad of fishing regulations and “norms” for trout fishing in Alaska. Be sue to pay close attention to regulations for the particular area you are fishing by checking Alaska Department of Fish and Game regulations.
WHEN TO CATCH BIG RAINBOW TROUT IN ALASKA
Big trout can be caught in Alaska almost every month of the year. There are definitely prime times to fish for trout in Alaska, but there is always a chance of landing a big fish any time of the year.
One great time to catch bigger rainbows is during the early season in June when the Kenai River opens up. Right around June 11th, large rainbows are coming off their spawning beds and begin to feed voraciously. Anglers this time of year have lots of success drifting several fly patterns, swinging flies on two-handed rods and also using plastic beads.
Throughout the summer months of June, July and August, the biggest variety of methods can be used - top water flies, sub-surface flies, lures etc… It’s a little harder to find big trout this time of year, but they are still feeding heavily.
Arguably the absolute best time to fish for big rainbows in Alaska is during the salmon spawn and just after the salmon spawn in the fly. This usually occurs in mid to late August through September and into early October. September is definitely the best overall month for big fish.
If you would like more information about fishing in Alaska, feel free to email, message or call us any time!
Thank you for taking the time to check out our blog!
David Lisi is the owner and head Kenai River fishing guide for Cooper Landing Fishing Guide, LLC in Cooper Landing, Alaska, guiding on the Kenai River and Kasilof River on the Kenai Peninsula.