Upper Kenai River 10/16. A day of "should have's"

Hit the upper Kenai River from sportsmans to Jim's. Started at 9am and had to be off the water by 1pm to catch a flight. It's the closest place with the potential for large fish so until I get a great weather window and try feeder kings, i think this is the spot for a few more weeks as the lakes start freezing up.

Today was a day of "should have" beens. Right away lost a couple smaller rainbows on my new 6wt 10ft  echo. Love the rod but it's twice as heavy as my 4wt. Sure bangs out the larger flesh flies well. So as soon as I stop being a wimp it will be sweet.

Switched to my 4wt and 6mm mottled pink bead and landed a feisty fat 16 inch rainbow. So having the skunk off, I really wanted to see the new echo flex so I decided to toss some big leech patterns and ESLs.

No love from the cohos so to give my arm a break, switched back to the 4wt with the 6mm bead and 6lbs tippet. Second cast my line screams up river even before I had a chance to set the hook and a huge coho comes out of the water. Looked to be in pretty decent shape. Line breaks without even tightening up on it. Must have had a nick.

All I lost was the hook so retie and two casts later another silver explodes on top of the water. This one screams around for 10 seconds and I break it off again. Argh. I'm better than that with light line.

Not sure if I lined them or what but I can't see why they would ignore larger flies and seem like hammer 6mm beads.

Still have not seen a dolly in 4 trips. Rainbows, whitefish, and now cohos. But no char...hmmmm.

I have short video ready for the one bow I landed for those who might be interested in water level and color. Water was low and very green. Not dirty but visibility seemed down. Would the spike in the snow river levels do this?

Well I suppose you have to document the bad and mediocre days with the good to gete a good history down!

Thanks for the intelligence on the silvers -- haven't had much action from them for a couple of trips now. That's a lot of fish for a 6 wt, so it must have felt like a freight train when they hit.  I'm curious about what app you have to show river conditions. Looks like an iPhone app shown on the blog.  As a former academic, I say -- "more data, better analysis".  The off season, of course, is for analysis!  Where are you fishing this weekend?

Thanks for the intelligence on the silvers -- haven't had much action from them for a couple of trips now. That's a lot of fish for a 6 wt, so it must have felt like a freight train when they hit.  I'm curious about what app you have to show river conditions. Looks like an iPhone app shown on the blog.  As a former academic, I say -- "more data, better analysis".  The off season, of course, is for analysis!  Where are you fishing this weekend?

I agree, my formal life was research director for the city of Anchorage and the State's international trade division.  So I am an information nut.  The app I use for the Iphone I posted is fishhead.  Shows weather tides and water levels.  Works great! 

Oh and I agree, a silver would be a handful on my 6wt.  The problem is I hooked them both on my 4wt which I was running 6lbs tippet versus the 8 or 10 lbs tippet I was using on the 6wt.  So way outclassed by the cohos. 

This weekend...I have no clue as awlays... but I will be hitting the water both Saturday and Sunday.  I really really really want to hit Homer for the feeder kings.  I think to land a feeder king from a kayak would be a life changing experience for me.  But I just don't have the time to drive 4 hours hoping for a good weather window.  But from now until May, anytime there is a better than 75% chance to get on the saltwater in Homer or Anchor Point, I am going to try the winter kings. 

But if I opt to hit the rivers, i really want to try your suggestion of the bridge to Jim's.  I have a few crazy friends that tell me they did the Bridge to Sportman's in January and caught nice rainbows and silvers.  Of course they also relate to me the horror story of drifting for an hour in the dark and dealing with the ice ledge shelf at the take out.

The middle river is something I want to try as well with my outback.

So my number one plan given the current marine weather is to hit Homer for the winter feeder kings.  I know I wouldn't be the first, but I can't find a documented case of a kayak landing a king in the "winter" fishery.  Not too many firsts left in Alaska fishing so I definitely want to give it a try even if I am the second third or whatever.  My outback is set up for a downrigger and I am willing to put in the time. 

So at this moment with the available information my list of my priorities followed by my likelihood is as follows for Saturday and Sunday...

1) Homer winter Kings with outback: 10%
2) Middle Kenai river (Lower skilak to Bings) with Outback 25%
3) Upper Kenai from Bridge to Jim's with my mini-x 65%

I could be certainly be convinced to try something different if opportunities existed to learn something from others or to try something new.

Other fisheries I'd like to hit but I think is too late is the Lake Louise Lake trout fishery.  I may save that one for ice out. 

You got plans? 

I'm not fishing this weekend -- I foolishly agreed to host a dinner party, which is more work that you'd imagine. I would much rather drive four hours for four hours of fishing, instead of preparing eight hours for four hours of schmoozing amid noshing.

Curious, though -- why don't you use your Outback on the Kenai? At 12' it seems like it would be plenty maneuverable.  My Aire in the Lynx II model, roughly the same length as the Outback (12'6") and it's just right for me on that river.  Is there that much difference between the sit on top vs. an inflatable kayak in flowing waters? Or does it have more to do with managing the Mirage Drive at the gravel bars? 

I'm not fishing this weekend -- I foolishly agreed to host a dinner party, which is more work that you'd imagine. I would much rather drive four hours for four hours of fishing, instead of preparing eight hours for four hours of schmoozing amid noshing.

Curious, though -- why don't you use your Outback on the Kenai? At 12' it seems like it would be plenty maneuverable.  My Aire in the Lynx II model, roughly the same length as the Outback (12'6") and it's just right for me on that river.  Is there that much difference between the sit on top vs. an inflatable kayak in flowing waters? Or does it have more to do with managing the Mirage Drive at the gravel bars?

I know what you mean.  I love to cook but slaving away for hours to watch the food disappear in 30 minutes is both satisfying and a bummer!

You hit the nail on the head here.  I'd love to take my outback.  But the drive extends 18 inches or so down and though it sits up against a hull when landing, I know its going to mash a rock or two and the mirage drive is almost as expensive as the dang kayak.  If I wasn't trying so hard flyfishing, I would do it.  Then I could backtroll plugs through some of the deeper water and that would be the way to go if you were looking for quantities of silvers maybe.  I could remove it in the shallow spots but if I am flyfishing going gravel bar to gravel bar, my mini-x at 38 pounds and 9ft is just amazingly easy.  I also have a lot less issues bumping rocks in my $400 craigslist mini-x versus the more expensive outback!  I also think the outback plastic is softer and less "rock resistant" then my mini-x.

I'm planning on the kings off Homer as of right now for Saturday. Probably the upper kenai from Birdge down to Jim's on Sunday. Good thing my life insurance covers kayak incidents.  A risk manager on the AK Outdoor forum told me to check since many life insurance policies specifically exclude kayaks.  You should have seen the HR directors face when i asked that question.  lol.

I'll look forward to your fishing reports from the weekend, a vicarious thrill. 

I'm fascinated by these Mirage Drive kayaks, getting closer and closer to pulling the trigger on one for saltwater use.  I'm looking at the Revo pretty hard -- so I keep imagining all of the things that could be disadvantageous about the drive, like banging it up on landings or in shallows.  Do you have the standard or turbo fins on yours? Recommendations / insights are most welcome.

Recently heard about winter kings in Shotgun Cove, early December.  Do you know anything about that? Sure would be nice to avoid all that travel time to and from Homer.

If you're floating from the bridge Sunday, look for the confluence at Cooper Creek.  If you can find a safe place to pull out there, you might find some Dollies hanging around.  Haven't fished it this year, but it's produced reliably in the past. 

Safe travels through Turnagain Pass; I'd expect it to be slick. 

I'd go for the Hobie Revo. It's sweet! I'm getting a tramp stamp tattoo of my kayak. I'm having it engraved with the words "La otra mujer..." <The Other Woman>.

My wife is NOT happy...

True