Twenty years ago, there were only a small number of anglers fishing after Labor Day.  Things have really changed.  September is now considered “the month” for fly fishers to have exceptional trout fishing.  Years ago, trout anglers did not really understand how committed and selective our trout become to salmon eggs.  Fishing during the peak of the spawn with traditional yarn eggs or egg sucking leaches and flesh flies did not produce consistent results.  Over the years, we have developed the solution to matching salmon eggs.  By using custom colored and/or painted beads, anglers can match the real eggs and continue catching trout all the way through the spawning period.

While a few Kings linger on and spawn into September, it is the Sockeye that cover the gravel beds and create the feast that drives our ecosystem.   On even numbered years, pink salmon also make a big spawning impact, predominantly on the Lower Kenai.  Spawning usually peaks in early to mid September and tapers off toward the end of the month.  Water levels and salmon volume can increase, decrease or shift the window of peak spawning activity by a week or so, but basically the entire month of September will have spawning fish and feeding trout.

As salmon begin to die off, some rainbows will shift focus to feeding on carcass flesh.  The shift to flesh occurs relative to the abundance of eggs.  Dollies make up a significant portion of the catch through mid September.  Char are fall spawners, so some Dollies will move into spawning tributaries later in the month.  As the egg supply goes down, so go many of the dollies, though some exceptional dollies remain.

Silver Salmon are available throughout September, with a push of tributary fish during the first half and the early “late run” fish arriving near the end.  There is typically a mix of chrome bright, fresh fish and some colorful maturing salmon as well.

October Fly Fishing on the Kenai River

Recommend Mysticfishing.com