Get to Know The Fish: Part One

December 7, 2021

Panoramic mountain views, beautiful sparkling waters, and incredible wildlife are all parts of what makes Alaska marvelous, but the main attraction tends to be the fishing. People come from all over the world to get the chance to battle the fish in Alaskan waters, like the Kenai River. Salmon Catcher Lodge is a great place to find comfortable lodging, experienced guides, and access to some of the best fishing. They have fishing guides familiar with each fish and can give you great tips and tricks on how to successfully catch them. Let’s introduce just a few of the many fish you can find with Salmon Catcher and on their fishing report Alaska.

Rainbow Trout

A popular and vibrantly colored fish in the area is the Rainbow Trout. These vibrant fish live about 4 to 6 years in the wild and grow to an average of 20-30 inches long and 8 pounds in weight, but have been known to grow much larger.
The Rainbow Trout has also been called the Redbanded Trout for its red coloration running horizontally down their sides. Known for putting up a fun fight for anglers, they make for an exciting catch. They can be found year-round but are most active in late summer while the Salmon are spawning. They love a diet of Salmon eggs so using bait resembling the eggs from the spawning Salmon can help you catch some hungry Rainbow Trout.

Halibut

The Halibut is known for its fairly odd conformation. As a bottom dwelling fish, their bodies are vertically flat and in a more geometric form with both of its eyes located on one side of their face. This allows their long bodies to lay flat on the seafloor. Its coloration typically mimics that of the silt and rock of the ocean floor with a grey, brown hue. They tend to swim completely sideways and blend in with surroundings for an advantage over prey. The average halibut brought in by anglers range from about 15-30 pounds. Fish weighing in around 150 pounds are also commonly reeled in, but the heaviest on Alaska state record weighed a whopping 459 pounds. These fish are largely varying in size but are always an exciting catch for Spring, Summer, and Fall.

Dolly Varden

The Dolly Varden, aka Char, is often confused with the Rainbow Trout due to the similar coloring and size. However, There are two types of Chars found in Alaska. The larger species is seen in the southern waters of the state and the smaller species in the northern waters above the Alaskan Peninsula. You can find Dolly Varden in both freshwater and saltwater, but most that remain in fresh water are dwarfed in size. In the saltwater, they tend to be silver in color but change to an olive tone with red markings once they reach freshwater. Males will often become vibrant in color with white, red, and black on their underside with bright orange or red spots and matching fins during spawning season. Females also experience this phenomenon but not nearly a drastic. These fish are most in season during the Fall.

There are many other interesting species of fish swimming in the waters of the Kenai River area of Alaska. You can follow the fishing report Alaska that Salmon Catcher Lodge has to make planning your trip even easier. Book your stay at Salmon Catcher Lodge for your chance to reel in these fish and claim your trophy catch. The Alaska fishing adventure of a lifetime awaits!