Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Another question: Lures/spinners for Silvers, Rainbows, Dollys

Maribou jigs are good if your in a rocky stretch and losing a lot of lures. Pink, Cerise, light blue will work at different times. Hard to find ones with decent hooks in those colors.

A Fly Rod is the most fun and sometimes when they are rolling they will take surface lures and are really a blast then.

The end of September is the very tail end of silvers on the lower KP rivers. The last week is when the stealhead start showing up. You'll probably see more people fishing for stealies than silvers or using something that both will hit on. The end of September was flyfishing time for me. A good pattern for both fish is a simple yarn fly on a 2/0 octopus hook with a corky in front. Pink was my favorite color and next best was green chartruse.

When I fished exclusivly for steelhead I used home spun flies. A black or purple egg sucking articulated bunny leech was a good one or a pink sparkle shrimp.

The Kenai River still has silvers entering the river in September and it's a great place to throw pixies or vibraxes from the bank. There's some big silvers in the Kenai.

Easily the greatest and most productive spinner I own, and have for over 20 years, is the C.P. Swing. I don't know what it is about it, but fish love it. I've used it in fresh and salt water. Have caught everything from suckers and catfish to flounder, searobins and blues to everything in between. They are available in gold or silver blades and from size 0 to 6.

Super Duper's have to be added as a lure that is a "must have for Alaska". Strangely
I have used the Super Duper to catch fish from one end of American to the other.

The only thing predictable is my unpredictability.

Thanks for all the info shared, Cabela's and I thank you....
As far as the siwash hooks, I just as soon change out all of my hardware to them, the trebles are a pain in the a$$ here on the smallmouth too. What size siwash hook is best for the silvers, and what size for rainbows?, I'll bend down the barb for them. I really appreciate the help.

It's going to depend on the size of lure you have as to what size siwash to use. I guess that's kind of obvious.

I don't want to rain on your parade but the only popular river on the KP with abundent and catchable numbers of rainbows is the Kenai. And even more specifically the upper Kenai. There are a very few exceptions to this but there not easily accessible. Rainbows no longer exist in catchable numbers in any of the lower and more accesible portions of the popular lower KP streams or rivers.

September is prime time for big rainbows and dollies on the upper Kenai but it's primarily a fly fishing thing. At least that's what's most popular. The main thing in September is using flesh flies or egg patterns and some guys fish with fly patterns on spinning gear. It's not just limited to using a flyrod. There's also regs in place that limit what tackle can be used. Do some internet research, take a look at the regs and you'll see what I'm talking about.

If you really want to catch a rainbow on the Kenai I would strongly urge you to look into a guide that's based in Cooper Landing that does float trips. There's also guides than run the river below Skilak Lake that do OK at catching rainbows and dollies and you can even get a decent shot at silvers there.

I'm giving generalizations and of course there are exceptions but I'm also trying to give a good idea of just what to expect.

Tight lines to you.

But, the lower peninsula streams have steelhead and they're sorta like trout!

Kinda like this one I caught in the Anchor River?

Lots of accesible native rainbows on the Kenai aside from the River... Lots of fish besides rainbows, too.

Dollies and grayling with just a tiny bit of effort and road accesible.
art

Tell us a little more about your experiences with rainbows, please.

I'd like to know more.

Dude...you is ugly next to a purty fish!

As recently as last week we caught many good rainbows in uncrowded streams (NO one else fishing) on the Kenai and drove right to them. Also caught grayling and dollies in both streams. The better fish were well over 20", but well short of 30".

At the same time Quartz Creek had huge numbers of people.

A couple day earlier we fished another place and caught searun cutthroats, pinks, reds, and dollies. But it is only boat accesible, though technically on the Kenai Penn.

You're a big tease.

Treble hooks are good for pike, that's all we ever used them on when I lived in the interior. Pike were always considered more of a nuisance fish than anything else though they do eat good panfried.

Concerning the siwash hook, I had never heard of them either until today. Learn something new on the 'Fire every day, even if it isn't always something useful.

Obviously you're a dumbass.















Welcome to the club!

Takes one to know one.


























A small club amongst true Alaskans!

Can't argue with facts!

I was a ware of "open eye hooks", but CWH gave me a l;ittle insight to their use.

If I get something to bite me, I intend to rip it's lips off.

What?!