Fish Alaska the way locals do.

Sockeye Salmon

Sockeye aren't aggressive biters in freshwater -- but what they lack in aggression they more than make up for with a phenomenal acrobatic fight on a fly rod. As the Reds migrate upriver they travel in tight groups close to shore, giving wading anglers the chance to intercept the migration. Good waders are essential. Waders and gear are provided on every trip.

As fish migrate upstream -- heads and mouths pointing in the same direction -- you sweep your fly line and leader across the current and into the fish's mouth. With thousands of fish moving through the river during peak season, this technique is extremely productive. During the peak run, it isn't uncommon to limit out in fewer than 15 minutes.

The Kenai River fishes sockeye from the bank and from the boat during peak migration. The Russian River is a fly-only fishery with two distinct runs -- mid-June and late July -- and offers a more intimate, less crowded experience upriver from the Kenai confluence.

Silver Salmon

Silver Salmon -- also called Coho -- offer the longest salmon season on the Kenai Peninsula, running from July all the way through November. They are aggressive, acrobatic, and willing to eat a wide range of presentations. If you've never caught a silver on a fly rod or a spinning rod with a Pixee spinner, you're in for a treat.

The first run arrives in late July through early September, with fish averaging 6–10 lbs. The second run -- the trophy run -- enters the river in September and October, with fish averaging 8–12 lbs and occasional 20-lb fish that will test every piece of gear on your rod. October silvers are the most underrated fishing on the Kenai.

The silver season overlaps with peak Rainbow Trout fishing in September and October, making the silver-and-trout combo one of the most exciting trips of the year. Two trophy species on the same river at the same time -- it doesn't get better than that.

Rainbow Trout

The Kenai River is one of the most productive rainbow trout fisheries in the world -- and September is the month that makes guides giddy. As salmon spawn and drop their eggs through August and into November, resident rainbows pack on weight chasing the nutrient pulse downstream. With Chugach Backcountry, 200-fish-per-boat days are not uncommon during the peak egg drop.

Four salmon species -- Kings, Sockeye, Pinks, and Silvers -- spawn in the Kenai system and deliver a seasonal surge of eggs and flesh that allows resident rainbows to add 25–35% body weight before winter. The result is fish that routinely push 18–24 inches and occasionally top 30 inches and 15 lbs. Our record: 33 inches and 20+ lbs.

Our signature hike-in trips target smaller tributary streams where Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden follow the Sockeye egg drift through miles of less-pressured water. Less crowded, more intimate, and -- as Corey puts it -- there's something about walking a game trail to a secret fishing hole that makes these trips genuinely different.

Trout season fishes well into November. Corey also guides winter fly-fishing on the Kenai when conditions allow -- contact him directly for winter trip availability.