Kvichak River, Alaska

The Kvichak River is a legendary destination for trout fishermen in North America. This is a place where most fishermen will have a real chance of catching the trout of their lives. Native rainbows in the 20 to 26 inch range are abundant while there are excellent possibilities of catching a fish of over 30 inches. The explosive runs of these beautiful trout and their amazing aerial acrobatics will make an everlasting impression on the visiting angler.

What makes this amazing population for large rainbow trout possible is the incredible abundance of food that an anual run of 6 to 8 million sockeye salmon bring to the river.  They are in fact the very base of the entire ecosystem around this around this river. For the rainbows that inhabitat they represent a never ending supply of food from egg, to fry, to parr, to smolt to adult that dies in the river after spawning. They can also be a lot of fun to catch in June and July when they are running thick. 

Travellers have their choice of staying at one of the river front lodges near the village of Iguiugig, very close to where Lake Iliamna drains into the Kvichak River. This unique location gives guests easy access to the excellent waters at the tail of the lake as well as quick access to the “braids”. Fishing with fly rods and spinning gear can be equally successful provided that the technique employed is right. In May and June large rainbow trout from Lake Iliamna invade the river to feed on sockeye smolts on their way to the ocean, During this time of year fishing with streamers can produce spectacular results. For sockeye fishermen anxious to stock up their coolers, June and July are the months. As we enter August, the silver salmon will begin showing and by the middle of the month the action can be quite good. Around mid August the fishing for large rainbow trout also heats up again and stays great into October. During this time of the season the trout will be keying on salmon eggs and flesh. Beads in appropriate sizes and colors are the ticket to “match the hatch.” Some of the biggest trout will be gorging on eggs in preparation for a long winter. This is the time of year when the biggest trout are caught.