Billy has been out on the river non-stop of late, so we talked to Duane at Troutfitters on the Kenai to get the lowdown.
Sockeye are starting off slow this year in the Russian River although a big slug of fish just passed the weir on June 22. It is hard to say if this is going to be a low number year for the early run sockeye or if they are just a little late (like they were in 2008) and the numbers will jump up as a big surge pushes in. If you are heading to the Russian/Kenai confluence to target sockeye, be prepared to spend some time getting your fish.
Trout fishing in both the Upper and Middle Kenai has been pretty good. Even though there are not big carcass piles at the Russian, flesh patterns are still getting the job done. Articulated Lady Flesh , Dirty Socks , and other washed out flesh colors are go-to flies. If you are fishing the MIddle, trout are looking for last year's flesh getting stirred up in Skilak Lake and washed down the river. Try Articulated Lady Flesh or other long, slim profile flesh patterns. Swinging leeches has also been productive.
Egg patterns are pretty much a year round tactic on the Kenai. On the Upper 6mm and 8mm fresh bead colors are effective. These are imitating eggs coming out of sockeye that were caught and cleaned on the Russian. You can also try dead egg colors in 6mm to imitate eggs left over from the spring trout spawn. Washed Pink , Peach Fuzz , and Apricot Swirl are all good bets.
Finally, the window to fish dries has just fired up on the Upper Kenai and the Russian River. Caddis hatches have been reported so don't miss out on the chance to catch a really nice trout on a dry!
More Kenai Fish Reports to come soon.
