Experience The Kenai’s Other Trophy Fishery

The following appears in the June issue of Alaska Sporting Journal:

BY MARK FONG

The Kenai River has a reputation as being one of the premier river destinations for anglers in the state of Alaska. In addition to the amazing salmon fishing, the Kenai is also home to a world-class rainbow trout fishery.

Recently, Alaska Sporting Journal caught up with Cody Dutcher, the owner of TakeDown Sportfishing, to get his thoughts on this special trophy trout opportunity. Based in Soldotna, Dutcher started guiding at the age of 15 and has been guiding now for nearly two decades.

“The rainbow trout season on the Kenai typically starts in mid-June (June 11) and runs until mid-October,” explains Dutcher. “On average, a typical Kenai rainbow trout runs between 18 to 20 inches. Fish in the mid-20-inch range can weigh anywhere between a couple of pounds all the way up to 10 pounds. Fish in the 10-pound class are frequent, and they can run up to 20 pounds. While we don’t land fish in this class on a consistent basis, we definitely get opportunities at them throughout the season.”

SALMON CYCLE EFFECTS

According to Dutcher, “The trout fishery is based on the life cycle of the salmon. Instead of following the hatch of a bug, the fish follow the hatch of the salmon, and that is what their movement in the river system is based on. Not only do the trout feed on the salmon eggs, but they also feed on the nutrients created by the life and death of the salmon cycle.”

The Kenai has some very large runs of sockeye, and even before these fish spawn, there is a harvest of salmon going on along the river banks. The trout in turn have learned to key in on these areas.

“Anglers on the banks of the Kenai are harvesting salmon and returning the carcasses back to the river, and the trout feed off of them like crazy,” Dutcher says. “The trout are there to eat – anywhere that food is being funneled towards them, that is where they are going to be. When it comes to this time of year, these fish are just a moving stomach.”

PRODUCTIVE STRETCH

Most of Dutcher’s trout trips take place on the Middle Kenai between Soldotna and Sterling. Anglers fish out of a spacious, custom-built 21- foot Willie Classic, which is powered by a 50-horsepower prop-powered outboard. The boat is specifically built for the Kenai and it can accommodate up to four clients and the guide. Dutcher runs a lot of combo trips where anglers can target both salmon and trout on the same day. He also offers trout- or salmon-specific outings; it is all up to the client. On a trout-specific outing during the peak of the season, a group of anglers can have over 100 opportunities during a day’s fishing. All of his trout trips are catch and release. Anglers have the option of fishing with either fly or conventional gear.
“We fish a single hook with a bead on a 10-foot, 7-weight fly rod with an indicator rig or a spinning rod with a bobber and float setup,” Dutcher says. “I am actually working with Prolite Rod Technology to develop a fly rod designed specifically for the Kenai trout fishery – one that can better handle some of the larger trout that we encounter.” ASJ

Editor’s note: To learn more about TakeDown Sportfishing or to book a trip, Cody Dutcher can be reached at (907) 398-1749.