Because they’re my favorite!

OK, I like king salmon fishing in Alaska, don’t get me wrong– but my favorite forte is aimed at trout fishing trips. Nothing like the double flip of a 40 pound Alaska king salmon or the snapping up a surface fly by a silver salmon; but Alaska trout, (or Rainbow Trout), are a constant because they’re always hunting for their feed. As soon as that Alaska salmon arrives in fresh water their feeding stops; any salmon caught from that point forward are due to their old instincts kicking in.

Alaska trout differ in colors and size depending on the waters they hang around in. Large lakes containing warmer waters and lots of feed produce larger Alaska trout. Some of us disagree with classifying some of these Alaska trout as Rainbow Trout, because as they arrive in the rivers they are chrome and tend to look like a steelhead. They reach the same size as well. And then there’s the “Alaska Leopard Trout,” a name that was invented by guides to classify the smaller Alaska trout that contains color and dots throughout…. even in their eyes. Most of these Alaska trout range from 2-10 pounds and reach lengths of 24-26 inches.

Alaskan trout are big mainly due to the large runs of Alaska salmon. With Alaska salmon in the river there’s sure to be eggs… yummm…, then come thousands of carcasses,… yummm…., followed by millions of Alaska salmon fry….all protein and a great staple for our Alaska trout. Our seasons might be short, but the amount of feed that our Alaska trout see makes them put on as much as 30% body weight in three months.

At Talaheim we fish mainly smaller fresh water tributaries that harbor thousands of spawning Alaska salmon. If you want action, you dribble anything that looks like an egg behind these salmon and BANG…..lots of Alaska trout and char! Our trout are prolific surface feeders, and when it comes to the fly, big is beautiful. If all the salmon in Alaska disappeared, our trout would average about 10 inches. Alaska salmon bring food wealth to our fishes, mammals, and all local critters, not to mention, us.

The main reason I like Alaska trout fishing is because these cold water fish are always feeding, they’re aggressive, and they’re strong fighters. Not to mention, our Alaska trout rarely see other anglers, so they’re a bit dense… and when they bite, they’re not too shy. Even a novice flyfisherman can catch our Alaska trout as long as you present them with something they’re feeding on.

Mark Miller