FISHING THE KENAI RIVER ALASKA

Fishing the Kenai river Alaska is picking up more and more every day now! The Kasilof river is producing a few Steel head and it should be getting better with every change of the tide now. Alaska Steel HeadJody Steed with a good steel head caught this past week on a wade fishing trip on the Kasilof River. The Kenai River also produced a few rainbow trout for us on the following day.  The skies were clear, air temp was around 50 but we did have to battle the wind all day. Kenai river Rainbow This huge Rainbow trout was caught on an olive, Murray’s Helgramite, size 8.  This fly pattern can be found at www.murraysflyshop.com, it works great as a leech pattern in AK as well as for a helgramite/leech pattern for small mouth bass in Virginia.  When out this time of year make sure to keep your eyes open for ice floating down the kenai river! Be sure to contact us at www.driftingonthefly.com when you are looking for your next AK guided fishing trip on the kenai river. We are taking bookings for the upcoming season and will be happy to get you hooked up. Tight lines, Scott Sager 907-382-6808

KENAI RIVER FLY FISHING

Every spring while I’m out KENAI RIVER FLY FISHING I look for Terns gathering on the river.  Finding terns hoovering over the river more than likely means Parr Salmon have made the transformation to smolt and are heading out to sea. In the spring Parr salmon undergo a chemical change that lets them adapt from freshwater to the saltwater where they will spend the next few years of their life.  These large moving balls of smolt trigger feeding frenzies for fish and birds too.  Look for smolt  in April, May, and early June and get ready for some exciting Rainbow trout fishing experiences. For Salmon Parr I like to use a small white deceiver in a size 6 or 8 streamer hook and for the smolt I like to use a blue and white deceiver in tied on a 4 or 6 streamer hook. Salmon parr This pattern works well for Parr imitations. Tied with: 4 small white saddle hackles tied in first. White buck tail tied in on the top side of the shank 2 strands of copper flash on each side of the body 4 pieces of peacock tied in on top of that A black sharpie will give you the parr markings that you want on the body I chose to give this fly an epoxy head with big silver eyes. If you have any questions or would like to book an KENAI RIVER fly fishing guide trip feel free to contact me at www.driftingonthefly.com

ANCHOR RIVER KING SALMON FISHING

Anchor river king salmon fishing can be crowded so I prefer to fish in the middle of the night.  Most anglers are in camp or limited out for the days fishing and that’s when I head out onto the water.  Fishing on the Kenai peninsula often means that you will be near other anglers while you are on the stream.  If someone hooks up and is fighting a fish, it is common courtesy that you take your line out of the water and allow them to land their fish.  Be sure to give them room and not to crowd in while they are releasing the fish or moving back into position.  I’ve found that it doesn’t take long to get to know people on the river and for the most part everyone is willing to work together.  Help in doing your part in keeping the streams a positive place for everyone. Anchor River, King fishing Fishing for King Salmon in the spring is popular on the Kenai Penisula. hooked up And this is why!  Sometimes the fishing can be so hot that multiple people are hooked up at the same time.  When this happens, good luck and remember to do your best to keep others in mind.  Give us a call today to line up your next kenai river guide trip or to get away a back country fishing guide trip. Tight lines and have fun, Scott Sager www.driftingonthefly.com

ALASKA MOUSE PATTERNS

Alaska mouse patterns can be fished in place through out the summer. Rainbow  Trout on mouse patterns?  This is awesome!  Trout need as many calories as they can consume in the short summers of Alaska.  I’ve seen 10 inch fish take a size 4 mouse pattern, ferociously.  Try dead drifting, swinging, slow or fast strips and you will be sure to have a rainbow on a mouse pattern before long.

mouse-pattern

Tying this fly weedless is also a good idea.  You can then get your mouse into the brush and retrieve it out without worrying as much about loosing it. trout on a mouse I watched my good friend Jeff Murray (www.murraysflyshop.com) raise at least 15 fish on this mouse pattern in the first half hour of this float.  This fish was caught and released in the fall but you can be sure that it is just as productive in the spring.  Note that not all rivers will produce trout on mouse patterns but most rivers in Alaska will with the right conditions. I hope to hear stories of you catching rainbow trout on mouse patterns too! It is always fun to raise fish on dry flies and even more fun to fish a dry that you will not have any problems following. give us a call anytime to line up your next Alaska kenai river guide trip. Have fun tying, Scott Sager www.driftingonthefly.com

KENAI RIVER DRY FLY FISHING

THERE CAN BE SOME VERY GOOD KENAI RIVER DRY FLY FISHING.  June is a great month to be in the middle of some great caddis hatches in Alaska.  Smaller rivers and lakes on the Kenai peninsula have been the most productive when I am look for Rainbow trout on dry flies.  Also look at the side channels of the Kenai river, there are some  great place to find some rainbow trout eager to take a dry fly. Once the salmon show up in good numbers you can fish a dry fly all day long and never have a trout look up.  When you do find fish looking up make sure you have a few caddis patterns to fall back on. elk-hair-caddis-001 I’m a huge fan of peacock hurl, I mix it into most of my favorite patterns. elk-hair-caddis-1 Brown or olive caddis patterns in a size 12 is a go to for us in June. Have a great time tying and we’ll catch you next time, give us a call to book your next Alaska Kenai river guide trip and if the timing is right we will dry fly fish the Kenai river for rainbow trout! Scott www.driftingonthefly.com

KENAI RIVER OVERNIGHT TRIP

A Kenai river overnight trip can be a nice add on for your fishing vacation.

Friends of Drifting on the fly sometimes get a chance to send photos of their trip with us.  When I am out on the river it is hard to take photos for myself  a lot of the time and we appreciate getting photos like these in the mail or by email.

Thanks guys and we look forward to fishing with you again!

Mike with a large Buck, Pink Salmon

On even numbered years there are good numbers of pink salmon to be caught.  Here is Mike with a big buck.

Dave enjoying the day on the Kenai river

Dave enjoying a guided day on the Kenai river.

Ryan with a quartz creek dolly

Ryan with a Quartz Creek Dolly Varden.

overnight trip on the kenai

Guided overnight adventures can be booked with us on the Kenai River and other great river systems in Alaska.  We ask that if you are interested in booking a trip like this that you please call in advance because of the logistics and permitting that may be involved.  We provide top of the line gear and work hard to provide a memorable and safe trip in the back country of Alaska. 

Good times on an overnight trip on the Kenai River. Thanks again guys,

Call today to book your alaska kenai river fly fishing trip

Scott Sager

FLY TYING KENAI RIVER

  FLY TYING KENAI RIVER PATTERNS: This is just one of the patterns I keep in my box for fishing the kenai river.  Often times I will switch my fly every few minutes until I find something that the fish are really keying in on!  This particular pattern has landed many fish for me on the kenai river and many other rivers across the country.  fly-tying-trout-003 Rainbow trout on the the Kenai River and other system in Alaska feed on leech patterns aggressively in the spring.  Early trout season on the Kenai river can be a streamer fisherman’s paradise!There are many leech pattern available that will work as well as this one.  Bunny leeches are fast and fun to tie. For this particular fly you will need: -black zonker strip -black dubbing -black hackle -copper flash -lead body wrap, if desired -lead eyes, if desired I chose a size 6 streamer hook and a small set of lead eyes for this fly. Colors and sizes can very day by day so when you feel you have enough of one color switch to another. Give us a call to hook up your next kenai river or many other Alaska fishing trips. Tight lines, Drifting on the Fly

JIMS LANDING UPPER KENAI RIVER

Here is a couple of photos from Jims Landing upper Kenai river. -jms-landing-1 jms-landing With the open water you could find a rainbow trout or two, That is if you can keep the ice off your guides long enough for more than one drift. For info on the 2009 fishing season check out www.driftingonthefly.com Tight lines, Scott

TYING FLIES FOR ALASKA

Tying flies for Alaska fishing trips: Tying articulated patterns is time consuming but well worth it when you see the action these flies will give you in the water. Before you connect the back hook to the front hook try adding a couple of beads on to the line. We chose a 4 mil. glass bead for this pattern. This will hide the line, add weight to the fly and help keep sharp teeth from fraying the line. artculated-leeches-001 After you add 2,3,4,5 beads (whatever spacing that you are happy with), you can then connect it to the front hook. Adding beads isn’t necessary but I like to add them for just a little extra weight sometimes. artculated-leeches-003 Articulated leeches work great on Kenai river at times for rainbow trout and salmon. Give them a try and I think you will find they are worth the time to tie. I like a variety of colors in my fly box but black, olive, and brown seem to be the go to colors of choice. Booking guide trips on the kenai river is easy.  just give us a call and we will hook you up Tight Lines, Scott Drifting On The Fly, LLC

WINTER WEATHER

With extremely cold winter weather hanging around it is hard to find any moving water at all.  I usually can find windows of opportunity to fish year round on the kenai river and this year it is looking like fishing will be over for a while. We saw -25 today at the house in anchorage. burrrrrrrrrrrrrrr I think it is even to cold to ski and way to cold for Rainbow trout fishing but we will see what happens next week.   Tight lines Scott www.driftingonthefly.com