No Other Place Like Alaska
At Rainbow River Lodge each and every one of our anglers receives very special personal attention. You can expect the finest of your fly fishing dreams to become reality and return home with the fondest of all fly fishing memories. There are rivers here in our part of Alaska where the fish die of old age having never seen a fly, we will take you there!
RAINBOW TROUT FLY FISHING
Rainbow Trout in the Iliamna region naturally grow to 18 pounds or larger. Rainbows are caught June through September. However, due to the return of millions of sockeye in the month of July, the most productive rainbow fishing is in the months of June, August and September. We are located on the Copper River which was just rated in the top 50 best trout streams in the world by Trout Unlimited.
ARCTIC GRAYLING FLY FISHING
Grayling Salmon are God’s gift to light tackle fanatics. They are thick in many of our streams and will attack a fly all season long even in the worst of weather. Most grayling average 10 to 14 inches with trophies measuring 21 inches. Their good reputation comes from their susceptibility to dry flies and the gracefulness in which they take them
ARCTIC CHAR FLY FISHING
Char are commonly associated with the Dolly Varden since they are biologically the same. They average 3 to 5 pounds with the largest of the fish tipping the scales at 15 pounds. Available season long, they are a very hard fighter for its size and one of the most beautiful fish that we have in the State.
CHINOOK (KING) SALMON FLY FISHING
The largest of the Pacific Salmon, Kings average 20 to 30 pounds with the largest weighing in at 60 pounds. They enter our rivers in early June with fishing peaking from mid June to the middle of July. We fish the Nushagak River which holds the largest returning run of Kings in Alaska. We lease several different lands on the “Nush” providing our guests with the BEST King Salmon fly fishing available.
SOCKEYE (RED) SALMON FLY FISHING
The Sockeye salmon enter the Iliamna drainage by the millions in late June and early July. For the first few weeks that they are in fresh water they are considered to be the hardest fighting salmon pound for pound. Sockeye Salmon average 6 to 10 pounds with a 15 pound maximum.
CHUM (DOG) SALMON FLY FISHING
Chums average 8 to 12 pounds and have a keen appetite for streamer flies and spinners. They don’t have as good as a reputation as the other salmon species when it comes to the dinner table, but for on the fly line there is much respect for their fighting endurance. Chum Salmon top the scales at 20 pounds and arrive in our rivers in July and early August.
PINK (HUMPY) SALMON FLY FISHING
The smallest of the Pacific Salmon, averaging 3 to 5 pounds. They arrive in mid-July and August. What pink salmon lack in size they make up for in aggressiveness and non-stop action. They are excellent sport on smaller rods.
SILVER (COHO) SALMON FLY FISHING
Fishing for Silvers is at its best in August and September. Most silver Salmon weigh between 8 and 15 pounds and are very aggressive towards flies and spinners.
NORTHERN PIKE FLY FISHING
Northerns are the freshwater alligators of Alaska. Their strike is vicious, they are usually big and they will hit anything the moves! Pike are usually caught in the 25 to 40 inch class range. Pike can be found as close as your cabin door and are available all season.
LAKE TROUT FLY FISHING
This is Alaska’s largest freshwater fish, inhabiting large, deep, cold lakes with the best fishing just after ice-out. Lake Trout are not usually a target species for us but a welcome surprise when we do land one of these large fish. We catch the majority of our “Lakers” in the outlets and inlets of the lakes that surround our lodge
