Trout tactics for standing out among other anglers on the crowded Kenai River in the fall shared by Nigel Fox, co-owner/guide at Alaska Drift Away Fishing.
Everyone seems to fish the Kenai for trout in the fall these days! With growing popularity, it is hard to get away from other anglers. The Upper Kenai has many drift boats and rafts fishing every day of the week. The Middle Kenai is chock-full of boats that are trout and salmon fishing.
Lots of boats at Bing’s Landing to start the day.
The Lower Kenai used to be a quiet section of the Kenai River after king season, but now with no private anglers and guides fishing kings, the focus has shifted with most spending more of their time later in the year to fish silvers and trout. Fall is when it seems you just can’t get away from the crowd, no matter what section you fish. So, as a guide who mainly fishes for trout, I have had to adapt to deal with the crowd. Below are just a few techniques I have applied to make it a successful day of catch-and-release trout fishing.
Hooked up on a big rainbow with nobody around.
Find Solitude
The first option that could make someone’s day easier or more productive is to separate from the crowd. Just move. It’s easier said than done because there are simply more anglers spreading out on the river than ever. I can usually find a spot on the Middle Kenai where I can get away from other boats and still catch trout, but to do so means you will have to know miles of the Kenai River. Last year during the high water I was able to sneak away from the crowded section of the Middle Kenai and have hours of catching to myself. You might have to search several miles of river, but it often pays off.
Stand Out from the Crowd
Fishing from shore to get away from the crowd.
The second strategy is to use something different if your only choice is to be in the middle of the pack of boats. If the salmon spawning is nearing the end, maybe throw a streamer or flesh pattern. It always seems everyone wants to drift beads or some sort of egg pattern during fall trout fishing, which makes sense because the salmon are spawning, and you would be matching the hatch. That’s usually a sound strategy but try to fish a different size and color than everyone else, or something altogether different. Rainbow trout are opportunistic feeders and will go after just about anything if they have fed on it before or it looks like food to them.
Fish at Different Times
Nigel Fox holding a big rainbow for a client.
Third, don’t fish at the same time period as the crowd. Typically, everyone seems to start early in the morning, guides and private boats alike. They usually fish an eight-hour period for salmon or trout. Remember, it doesn’t matter if the boats are fishing for salmon and not trout. The salmon fisherman will still disrupt your trout drift. If you can start three- to four hours after everyone else, that is ideal. Of course, you are not going to get that early morning bite, but you should have consistent fishing throughout the day, warmer water later in the day which can be very helpful late in the fall, and that late-evening bite with no one around.
Try Different Techniques
Running a drift away from the crowd.
Finally, try a different technique! What I mean by that is fish slower or faster than the other boats. Or use a longer or shorter leader, maybe more or less weight, or fish from shore in a good run instead of in the boat. I try to do something different than the other anglers around me. Even changing from a flyfishing setup to a float-rod setup to get the gear further away from the boat and have a drag-free drift, perhaps in deeper water, can pay off. A subtle change in your technique can entice the trout to start biting because you are not fishing the run like every angler that has gone through.
Sometimes, you will not be able to get away from the hordes of boats and other anglers, maybe because you only know a certain section of the river, or the weather has blown the river out and you must fish above dirty water, or maybe a section of the river is closed. But by adding a few of these techniques to your day of fishing, it could change a slow day into an epic day.
The reward of a success, all by ourselves.
Nigel Fox has been co-owner/guide at Alaska Drift Away Fishing for over two decades. He is a lifelong Alaskan and avid bowhunter of the Alaska backcountry. When he is not spending time guiding clients on the Kenai River, he is on another Alaska hunting adventure.
Looking for more trout tactics? Check out Fish Alaska’s Blog Archive.