Caught limit of Red Salmon on the Kenai, and also picked up ten trout. Got this beauty wild rainbow right before the takeout. Measured 29", don’t know weight but guess it was about 14 lbs. Kenai Bows back in force!
Caught on a 7wt Sage XP, and a mirco flesh fly on size 14 hook.
[This message has been edited by Flyboy@ak (edited 23 June 2006).]
[This message has been edited by Flyboy@ak (edited 23 June 2006).]
I have one word that describes the photo of that fish and the smiles on those two very happy fly fishermens face. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!
Even that beautiful Rainbow is showing us his Hollywood grin, smile for the camera, Ok! now hurry up and release me I’ve got a date with some Salmon Eggs! Errr Ok, Salmon Flesh. Hehehehehehe!!!
[This message has been edited by akalooker (edited 24 June 2006).]
Awesome , looks like you had a great adventure.
Philip
Excuse my spelling and Gramma, I hooked mondays and Fridays so I could either hunt or fish.
[This message has been edited by old geezer (edited 24 June 2006).]
Yep, great time. There is not really any eggs in the river yet, so was using a flesh imitation fly. There have been over 40,000 red salmon migrating through the river that are headed to Russian Lakes to spawn, so no egg drop yet. BUT, there are thousands of people fishing at the Russian River confluence, and with the bag limit raised to 4 Reds, and most filleting them on the river, there are a huge number of fish carcases being thrown into the river, and the rainbows are going wild.
These big wild rainbows are truly pigs, and chomp whatever food is abundant. They can’t wait for the kings, pinks, chums and the BIG run of Reds (there were 2 million plus last July) to come drop eggs.
Everyday is a good day on the Kenai usually for me. I caught similar sized bows year round. It is a great backyard (I live in Anchorage, but it is only 1.5 hours to the Kenai by car, one of the few great rainbow rivers with road access in AK).
Headed out in the airplane today for fishing, but will be driving to the Kenai in the morning with my boat.
Tight lines
WOW!..WOW! So great you got a picture! Thanks for sharing!
What Mantis said----WOW! 8T 
You had better learn to be a happy camper. You only get one try at this campground and it’s a real short camping season.
The fellow on the left is no hobby angler, he is a guide. That is Fred Telleen of “Mystic Waters.” He knows what he is doing. I listed them as one of the potential contacts on the ong Alaska thread 3-4 weeks ago.
Flyboy:
How did you end up fishing with Fred? I thought you were a guide.
[This message has been edited by Rawthumb (edited 26 June 2006).]
[This message has been edited by Rawthumb (edited 26 June 2006).]
[This message has been edited by Rawthumb (edited 26 June 2006).]
Rawthumb… You are right on, that is Fred Tellen, IMHO one of the best guides on the Kenai… I fish alot all over Alaska, and do the Kenai by myself, but also hire Fred to take me a few times a year. In this case, we had a bunch of visitors up from America, so I hooked up a charter with Fred for their visit. I learn alot from Fred each time I fish, and no doubt he came through with putting me on a big trout.
BTW, I fished the Kenai by myself yesterday out of my cataraft, and hooked a 27" +/- rainbow, (a couple inches smaller than the pictured fish) but I had a issue: I was by myself, against a tight brushy bank, and fast flowing water. I played the fish for 10 minutes or so, and tried to work him in for a photo, but alas, he fooled me when I thought he was tired and had him in nearly hands reach, he flipped his head, spit the fly and boogied. Great fun, but if I was with Fred, he would have that wonderful big rubber net so we could safely remove him for a quick snapshot.
BTW, the fish pictured was out of the water for less than 30 seconds. Just the way I like it.
edit: BTW2 I am not a fish guide, just a working stiff with a fishing addiction
Flying Fisherman in AK
[This message has been edited by Flyboy@ak (edited 26 June 2006).]
Great fishing there! That has got to be the biggest fish slime/water drop I haver seen coming off the rear of that trout. Cool that you lift/shoot/release. I have been just using forceps and releasing in the water lately. I guess I’ve had enough pics. I hate most angler caught fish pics. Your shot is classy and full of energy…
Thanks
Fred is the master at fish protection. He/we won’t sacrifice any threat to the fish for the sake of a photo.
But his method is way cool:
Land fish in large rubber mesh net. We both use a net that is 30" long and 27" wide. That way you can quickly get a size judgement.
Remove hook from fish in the water, leave fishy swimming in the big “aquairum” net while you get things ready.
Once the cameraman is all set, swoop fish up, pose it, take the shot.
Release fish in the water to live another day.
This method really is benign on the fish, and works to get some great shots. If there are not two or more people though, I havn’t found a good way other than to hold the net arm between my legs, and photo the fish in the submerged net. Elsewise, just forget the photos and protect the fish.
These wild rainbows are great creatures. In the Kenai, the majority have gotten on the hook at least once in their lives due to the fishing pressure. However, it is a tribute to the fishers that they live through the catch and release ordeal without great harm.
Flyboy@ak,
That is IMHO the most logical way to handle fish.
Personally I think that netting before exhaustion is better than using the hook disengagers …etc…
And your handling after netting is part of the process…
Beautiful fish.
We should all have a picture like that on our wall.
Sweet.
Cheers
Bob
NICE!!!