Late May
Late May begins the fishing season for us with a King Salmon migration in our local streams on the Kenai Peninsula. May is early for the run and not my best recommendation for most people wanting to catch lots of Kings, however, some of the biggest Kings have been caught in late May, especially the last week in May. For first timers coming to Alaska, the first week can be superb for Grayling fly fishing with dry flies, so, if you are looking to hook up with Grayling for first time, late May is very good. There are a large number of steelhead in the rivers also in late May.
The Anchor River has the first King Salmon push in numbers enough to find a good chance fishing day beginning Memorial Day weekend. Tidal water fly fishing is awesome for connecting with these big King Salmon Brutes in Late May if all conditions are right. The Kasilof River also shows promise to early King Salmon, depending on water flow and temperature. Late May can be a gamble, sometimes fishing several days before a hook up, but can also be one of the most memorable fly fishing experiences for big King Salmon.
June
June is one of my favorite months to fly rod for Kings on the Kenai Peninsula. After a long winter season, the temperatures begin to warm up and the first signs of life appear in the rivers in early June. This means salmon are migrating upstream with the high tides to find their home waters to spawn. Sockeye are also migrating into the rivers at this time. One of my favorite times to catch Sockeye before the summer crowds show up is the early run, which begins in early June on the Kenai River. Plan on being here around the first or second week in June.
In the first two weeks of June, King Salmon fly fishing is at it's best in the smaller streams beginning on the Anchor River near Homer. The Anchor River has limited fishing times however. You'll find the Anchor is open for King fishing only on the weekends during June.
The Kasilof River is my favorite river for early run Kings, also starting the first two weeks in June. The Kasilof River is open for King fishing 7 days a week. It's catch and release for all wild Kings, except designated days listed in the Alaska State Fishing regulations. You may keep the hatchery clipped Kings on any day in June.
Another popular river we would love to take you to is the Chuitna River, across Cook Inlet. This is a fly in trip and well worth the money spent to travel there. The Chuitna River is a gin clear river, more of a stream than a river. The Chuitna is wade-able in most areas we fish.
The first run of Red Salmon or Sockeye arrive during the first and second week of June, depending on where on the Kenai Peninsula you are. We fly fish for Sockeye starting in the first week in June through August.
During the tail end of June, one of my personal favorite places to fly fish for big Kings is Montana Creek near Talkeetna, about 100 mi. north of Anchorage. This is where the rubber meets the road for what I call King Salmon Hogs. These brutes run on the average of 30 to 50 lbs. Fly rodding in this small creek can be a blast if you know when and where to be there.
Early June is also a great time to be with us as we go after the first run of Sockeye Salmon. These are truly one of the strongest fighting chrome bright salmon you will ever experience. When they first enter the fresh water streams where we fish, you will want to pack an extra bag of energy to keep up with them as well! If you're coming to Alaska to take great tasting Wild Alaskan Salmon back home with you, the best wild salmon for your Bar-B-Q is Sockeye Salmon. Make sure you have a huge ice box with you, you're going to need it.
Late June is great timing for early Grayling fly fishing on our prime Grayling lakes and streams. Look for Grayling on dry flies.
July
July is my favorite month for fly in fly fishing on my favorite remote alpine lakes. When we fly you to one of these "secret" remote lakes, you will experience catching huge Rainbow and up to trophy size Grayling on lightweight fly rods with wet or dry flies, fly fishing from shore or from a float tube. This is my number one recommendation if you are at that beginner stage of fly fishing or have never fly fished before in Alaska.
In just a short easy lesson, we can have you reeling in Rainbow and Grayling just moments after we set foot into the beautiful turquoise waters of one of these awesome lakes nestled in the alpine regions of Chugach National Forest.
The Red Salmon second run begins in mid July for Sockeye. We go to the streams where "Reds" are stacked up resting to go upstream to spawn.
Silver Salmon are also coming into the rivers and streams beginning in late July. When we fish for the Reds, You don't know if your going to hook up with a Sockeye, Rainbow, Dolly Varden or a Chrome bright Silver Salmon. This is truly an exciting time to be with Alaska Fly Fishing Adventures for fly rodding on the Kenai Peninsula.
Plan a July trip for the most variety in fishing options in this part of Alaska, ie, King , Red Salmon, Silver Salmon, Halibut, Ling Cod and huge Rainbow and Grayling.
August
August is when you can still catch Red Salmon, but the King season is over on the Kenai Peninsula streams and rivers. The good news is, Silver Salmon or Coho season is just beginning to heat up as well as the Pink Salmon run! Silvers are one of the most aggressive salmon of all species. If you find them at the right time of day and have the right fly, you can literally catch every silver in the pod you are fishing to. An aggressive Silver Salmon can not resist striking a fly when all elements are just right. Pink Salmon are very similar to the Silver salmon in aggressiveness. They are smaller in size, however, packed with power to spare.
We find Silver and Pink Salmon in literally every fresh water stream that is connected to the Kenai River or Kenai Lake. Plan a Silver Salmon trip this month.
August is also one of the best months for fly fishing for Rainbow any where in South Central Alaska and especially in our near by Russian River. The Rainbow Trout are just beginning to taste salmon roe as the last run of Sockeye and King Salmon begin to spawn in the Russian River. The water temperature is at it's highest temperature, which means peak action under the water. Rainbow are becoming piggish as the food available to them increases. Rainbow will feed on dry and wet flies, as well as egg patterns during the month of August. Our Bow Hunts are the most popular rainbow trip in late August.
August is the last good month for fly in lake fly fishing. While water temperatures in the alpine lakes are still at their peak warmest temperature in early August, trophy grayling and huge rainbow are also at their peak feeding period. In the first weeks of August, plan a fly in to one of our beautiful alpine lakes for spectacular Rainbow Trout and Trophy Grayling fly fishing.
September
My most favorite fly fishing time to be on the Kenai Peninsula is in the month of September. Why? You sometimes have the entire river to yourself. Many of the snow bird people have left leaving you to enjoy the fishing all by yourself. If you love to fly rod for trout and lots of them, this is when you want to plan your fly fishing trip to the Kenai Peninsula. If Trout fishing isn't enough to keep you tied up, you have to try our steelhead fishing also. Silver Salmon fishing is still very good as well as Pink Salmon and the Dolly Varden and Rainbow fishing is just starting to get really great on the Kenai River.
Trout fishing in streams all over Alaska also really begin to heat up when the salmon start spawning. The Rainbow fly fishing in our local streams and Rivers is at it's finest in September. You have Red Salmon and King Salmon spawning all at the same time. The Rainbow and Dollies are literally gorging themselves with salmon eggs, making themselves vulnerable for the Xtream catching. This is when my BOW Hunts begin to really get interesting.
Bow hunts are where one fly fisher and myself go out and I spot huge Rainbow and Dolly Varden for their casts. A typical catch day is doubled during the September trout fishing period.
During September, we alternate days for Dolly Varden & Rainbow trout fishing. Huge Dollies are migrating into streams and rivers with salmon, gorging themselves with salmon roe. Some of our Dollies are so big, you can't tell if you have a salmon or dolly on when you first hook up.
Put September on your plans to fly fish on the Kenai Peninsula for Steelhead, Silvers, huge Rainbow and Dolly Varden. September is hands down, "The Grand Fin-ally" of our spectacular fishing season. Be here.
