North 40 Hosted Trip: Kenai River, Alaska
Going to Alaska in early October can be a bit of a gamble. Will it be dry but frigidly cold? Will it be wet with freezing rain and snow? Will a Pacific typhoon be sputtering out against the coast sending 30-40 mph winds and driving rain inward? Or, will it be perfect?
Last year, we had nearly perfect. We still had a little rain and a little wind, but we were able to fish in mild temperatures and even enjoyed some beautiful dead calm windows with warm sunshine. It was more like late August weather and when we arrived, the fall colors were still at peak glow.
I was privileged to host a group of anglers from Montana’s North 40 Fly Shop with Mystic Waters Fly Fishing in Cooper Landing, Alaska. I started Mystic Waters in 1999 and was soon joined by my good friend, Stacy Corbin. After the 2014 guide season, I decided to make Montana my permanent home. Stacy now operates Mystic Waters Fly Fishing and the Mystic Lodge from his beautiful property on Kenai Lake. For me, a visit is like coming home. For the anglers accompanying me from Montana, it was a new set of experiences.
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Day 1: Fog, Learning Curve, and Broken Lines
At the suggestion of Stacy and Mystic Waters’ Guide, Simmons, we headed to the middle reach of the Kenai River below Skilak Lake. The water level was ideal and enough pink salmon spawn was rolling along to keep the rainbows on the egg bite. It was a bit challenging to find the river mouth in thick fog and once we were in the river, it was challenging to get the lines drifting where they needed to be until the fog burned off a bit. And then, there are those Kenai fish.
You can talk about them. You can coach about how to land them. You can even play fish and run drills on how to react. No matter how you explain it, anglers simply need to experience the fish and learn by trial and error. We had trials, errors, broken lines, and broken dreams. Some decent fish were landed, but as is common, the largest fish left trailing broken tippets or simply released themselves by creating a slack line. Kenai fish in October are very strong and very educated. Even the small to medium sized fish from 16 to 24 inches will tear it up. It was a somewhat humbled crew that finished the first day, but everyone was pumped to try again.
Broken tippet? Order online, we ship.
There are not a lot of dining options in Cooper Landing on a Monday in October, but fortunately, Sackett’s Kenai Grill was open as an oasis for late season anglers and guides. The rockfish taco’s and smoked brisket pizza is an awesome capper at the end of the day.
Day 2: Lots of Fish Hooked and Landed
Once anglers understand the process and methodology, most will get focused and start matching up a little better with the fish. I don’t care who you are, Kenai rainbows can still kick your butt. But, if you are ready to react like a coiled spring, you can win your share of the battles and put more fish in the net. While the super grande eluded the group, plenty of chunky chrome battlers were landed.
Wonder what chasing down salmon, char, and grayling in the Alaskan bush is like? Read this.
Everyone was pretty tired and relaxed when we got back to the Mystic Lodge after day two. We opted to cook up our own pasta dinner rather than venturing out. A few adult beverages and some championship baseball finished everyone off.
Day 3: Kenai Lake to Jim’s Landing, Silver Salmon, and the PhD fish
The wind kicked up overnight and pushed along a few rain squalls, so we opted to avoid any contact with Skilak Lake.  Wind on Skilak Lake can produce deathly waves. Instead of heading down to the middle river from the outlet of Skilak, we opted to float the Upper Kenai River from Kenai Lake to Jim’s Landing. The Upper Kenai is truly a beautiful stretch of river.
We hit the river at sunrise and worked a few runs. The salmon spawn was long over on the upper, so there was no longer an egg bite frenzy. The majority of the rainbows and dollies had already migrated out of the upper reach, but there are always a few around. Our main goal this day was to find some silver salmon.
The upper Kenai was very low and clear this year. The typical pockets that silvers rest in were mostly void, except for a few darker fish. The fresh travelers seemed to be staying out in the main flow, making conditions ideal for swinging with a Spey rod. Since most of the crew was set up for single hand, we focused on a couple of the larger holding areas. We did find some bright resting fish. Several were hooked and a couple were landed. As with the rainbows, fresh silver salmon are powerful and explosive fish.
Fellow angler, Marv, hooked a chrome silver that detonated from the water, came straight at him, and then kept on traveling right under the boat. He was momentarily devastated until I explained about the PhD-level of evasive capture the salmon he hooked exhibited. There are certain fish that are simply impossible to land. Once they reach the PhD-level, they pass on their genetics to successive generations of fish. You’ll know when you hook one. No angler can land them.
We kept one big male silver salmon, grilled him for dinner and feasted. If you’ve never eaten fresh salmon only hours out of the water, then I’m sorry. We enjoyed our meal immensely. Then I worked the rest of the fish into salmon salad for sandwiches on the river the following day. Yum!
Day 4: Russian River to Jim’s Landing – Silvers, Rainbows, and Dollies
Everyone wanted to head back to the middle for another shot at the big rainbows, but the winds kept us away from Skilak Lake, so the hunt for silvers continued. We shortened our upper Kenai drift to hit a few of the more productive spots we’d found the day before. We also spent more time fishing from shore. I got a chance to swing up a rainbow, then a dolly, and then a silver salmon while the guys looked on with their mouths full from salmon salad sandwiches. I love the variety of late fall fly swinging.
After our guide day, Joe and I went back out for an hour to swing one of my favorite runs. Joe got his Spey cast working and was able to swing up a beautiful dolly. Once again, I hooked the trifecta of a rainbow, a dolly, and then a silver salmon. Unfortunately, the silver owned me. After eating my offering on the hang down, streaking across the river like a torpedo, and twisting out of the water on the opposite bank, he perfectly released himself on re-entry. Definitely a PhD fish.
Need a great Spey rod to take on the trip? Check these out.
For dinner, Stacy’s wife, Shannon, surprised the crew by cooking us a lasagna dinner. Everyone finished with full bellies and the anticipation of one more day chasing the big rainbows on the middle.
Day 5: Middle Kenai - Fish on the Move
We enjoyed absolutely beautiful weather on our final day. It was almost too good. The sun was even hot at times, and the fishing got a bit scratchy. Some runs were productive while others that had been holding aggressively feeding fish were not. As fall progresses, the trout keep on the move, searching out the remaining pockets of food. One day you’ll find them concentrated in a particular zone. The next, they are gone.
The weather was so awesome, that the crew seemed to relax a bit more and simply enjoyed the day. As we headed out to the lower Skilak boat landing, the lake was a mirror reflecting the golden glow of a low-angling sun and colored leaves. Five days of fly fishing sure goes by fast. Everyone landed some great fish, and I’m pretty sure everyone left wanting more. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a pretty good fishing trip. I always want more special fish.
Why Alaska in October?
I love the shoulder seasons. The Kenai River is Alaska’s most popular fishing river. Even though the fisheries are vastly different, it reminds me of the Missouri River in many ways. Good fishing that is easy to access is always going to draw a crowd, especially at peak times. By fishing early or late in the season, you can enjoy the river with fewer people.
Even though you may not catch as many fish as during a peak window, you can still have spectacular fishing. The chance to catch truly large fish is also best at the end of the season. Rainbows spawn in the spring and then put on weight all season long. October fish are truly exceptional.
I don’t mind fishing in bad weather. Simms waders, jackets, and gear keep me comfortable regardless.
If foul weather keeps a few other anglers at bay, I’m okay with that. When the weather is good as it was for most of this trip, it’s just that much better because we took a chance. And finally, I like to swing flies. October is a great time to catch a mixed bag of trout, char, and silver salmon on the swing.
Recommended Setup
Silver Salmon Setup:Â
8-weight Single Hand
Good: 8-weight Loop Q Rod with Lamson Liquid 3.5 Reel and 8-weight Loop Evotec 85 Line
Better: 8-weight Sage Foundation with Sage 2280 Reel and 8-weight SA Titan Taper Line
Best: 8-weight Sage X (Smooth) or Sage Igniter (Fast) with Sage Spectrum LT Reel and 8-weight Scientific Anglers Amplitude Line.
Swing Setup
Trout Spey Setup: Loop Opti NXT 11’ 5-weight and Opti Runner reel with Airflo Skagit Scout 360 grain head and 8-10’ of T-8
Middle Weight Swing Setup: Echo Swing 7117-4 and Bravo 8/10 Reel with 450 Grain Skagit Compact head and 10’-12’ of T11
Swing Flies:Â Bald Eagle, Twisted Sculpin
Key Gear Options for Staying Warm and Dry:
Jackets
Waders
Boots
Layers
Hands
Want to fish salmon, trout, and char in Alaska, yourself? Now's your chance. Get guided on our North 40 Hosted Trip: Kenai River, Alaska.
Here's what you need to know:
Lodge: Mystic Lodge in Cooper Landing Alaska
Dates: Sunday, September 29th to Saturday, October 5th
Cost: $2,300 from Anchorage Airport
Guides: Full day guided fishing with Mystic Waters Fly Fishing Guides. Mystic Waters features the most experienced and passionate fly fishing guides on the Kenai River. Depending on conditions, they utilize drift and powered boats.
Itinerary: Fly to Anchorage on Sunday, September 29. Pick up rental van and then make a stop for fishing licenses, food, and beverage. Overnight at the Mystic Lodge in Cooper Landing. Full days of guided fishing on various reaches of the Kenai River Monday through Friday with overnights at the Mystic Lodge in Cooper Landing. Saturday, October 5th enjoy a leisurely morning and then return to Anchorage, drop off the van and fly home.
Included: 5 full days of Guided fishing on the Kenai River, 6 nights lodging at the Mystic Lodge and rental vehicle for travel while in Alaska. The trip is hosted by Fred Telleen and guided by Mystic Waters Fly Fishing.
Not Included: Flight to Anchorage, fishing license, food, and beverage. We will do most meals at the lodge, but likely eat out a few dinners.
Bonus: The lodge features WiFi, satellite TV, and cellular service. Double Bonus: Fred will be on hand to cook breakfast, help with dinners and make sure everyone has a great time.
For more information, please contact Fred Telleen at the Great Falls North 40 Fly Shop, (406) 761-7441.
