(Editor's Note: Billy is guiding non-stop these days so we are filling in for this report. We can't duplicate his writing style so we won't even try!)
The Upper Kenai is game on for rainbows and Dollies. There are still hoards of sockeye spawning and 6mm and even 8mm beads are working their magic. Look for reds that are paired up and spawning and fish behind them. There are a lot of reds that are done spawning and just hanging on till the bitter end. These "short-timers" don't attract nearly the attention from the trout that the active spawners do.
Flesh and big leeches are just about to come into their own. At this time, there are still too many sockeye around to effectively swing flies without foul hooking fish left and right. Hopefully, in the next 10 days to two weeks the sockeye will thin out and the bows and Dollies will start looking for huge hunks of flesh and big meaty leeches.
The Middle River is super hot, too. The kings are pretty well done and gone. The two miles of river below Skilak Lake still has a bunch of reds spawning and 6mm and 8mm beads are where it is at. Lots of big trout are relocating from all over the lower Kenai to this stretch of river for the last egg feeding frenzy of the season.
Below this two mile stretch, the spawners thin out and swinging big leeches and flesh is the technique of choice.
We'll have another report in about 10 days!
