kenai peninsula - freshwater Fishing

Alaska is known as one of the top angling destinations in the world because of the incredible salmon runs, big trout, record halibut to name a few. Steelhead fishing in Alaska is no exception !. The fishing takes place on 3 main rivers located on the Kachemak Bay (Kenai Peninsula), these rivers are highly coveted by local anglers and guides and they intend to keep them as pristine and special as possible.

Trip Overview

Alaska is known as one of the top angling destinations in the world because of the incredible salmon runs, big trout, record halibut to name a few. Steelhead fishing in Alaska is no exception! The fishing takes place on 3 main rivers located on the Kachemak Bay (Kenai Peninsula), these rivers are highly coveted by local anglers and guides and they intend to keep them as pristine and special as possible.

The flight from Anchorage to Kenai is roughly 20 minutes and offers breathtaking scenery. A host will be to greet you upon your arrival to the Kenai airport! While in Kenai, most guests choose to purchase their fishing license, make a quick stop at the liquor store and/or pick up anything they forgot to pack. You and your host will then make the scenic 40 minute drive to the lodge and cabins.

Package

The smallest river of the three can only be accessed via foot. Although this river is the most susceptible to the elements, the Fall season seems to bring relatively stable conditions offering easy wading and smaller, more manageable fishing rigs. This river is best fished with nymph rigs, however, depending on water levels, we take every opportunity to swing using a myriad of flies. While this river has the smallest run of steelhead, you wouldn?t know it because it has the least pressure from anglers leaving sections of the river all to yourself. Travel time to this river from the lodge and cabins is only 15 minutes.

The second of the three main rivers is a bit larger, but offers relatively the same fishing opportunities as the first. Anglers of all abilities tend to do very well on this river because of the sheer number of steehead in the run. Wading access can be a bit more challenging. But serious numbers of fish in the net, nymph rigs are again the preferred method. However, this river also offers phenomenal opportunities to get your fish on the swing. Travel time to this river is about 40 minutes from the lodge and cabins.

The last of the main rivers we fish is arguably the most special and has the largest run of steelhead on the peninsula. We are confident that there is not an angler on the planet that we cannot produce a Steelhead for while fishing this river. Unlike the other rivers we concentrate on, this river is not susceptible to the elements. The river is glacial fed from a lake giving it a beautiful turquoise color and most importantly, it cannot blow out which is the most concerning of all issues when booking any steelhead trip. We access this river via drift boat or power drifter and fish from the boat while on the move but mainly as transportation to all wade fishing spots along the river. Most fish are hooked in 2-3 feet of water and even less than a foot as the season grows longer. Because the river is so shallow by nature, it offers the aspiring two-handed spey fisherman an almost guaranteed opportunity to hook their first steelhead on the swing. An experienced spey fisherman will find heaven on this river and find it hard to leave each year, keeping the guests coming back year after year. Because of the location of the lodge and cabins travel time to this river is only 15 minutes to the take out where you will meet your guide.
Catches vary from 10 to 16 lbs!

Accommodation

The Deep Creek lodge is surrounded by natural beauty where you can observe stately bald eagles soaring overhead in stunning power and grace, watch out for browsing moose that bring their young ones to wander through the property, relax in the afterglow of beautiful sunsets or stroll on the pebbled beaches with the seabirds.

Each spacious oceanfront guest cabin offers panoramic, seascape views of Cook Inlet’s snow-capped volcanoes. All inclusive, weekly packages focus on providing fine dining, great fishing and unparalleled, personal service. Each spacious 800 square foot room sleeps two people, equipped with private bathroom en suite, mini fridge and satellite TV offer more comforts of home.

Tackle and Flies

Rods
9 or 10 foot, 7 or 8 weight single handed rods
11 foot, 6 or 7 weight switch rods
12.5 to 13.5 foot, 6 to 8 weight spey rods

Leaders
Over 20 lbs, also sinking models.

Flies
Articulated Leech # 1/0; Chewy Eggs # 4; Clow Eggs # 6; Dean River Tiger # 4; Deuce Wigalo # 4; Dolly Llama # 2; Egg Sucking Leech # 4; Egg Sucking Stone # 6; Intruders # 1; Polar Cabollero # 4.

Extra gear: leader material, clippers, repair kit for waders, some sinking tip for extreme situations, pliers, wading stick, mosquito repellent and sun glasses.

Wet Fly Olive Rabbit # 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 Wet Fly Purple Leach # 2, 4, 6, 8 Wet Fly Egg Pattern # 6, # 8 Wet Fly Egg Sucking Leech # 2, # 4, # 6 Nymph/Caddis Nymph Alevin # 8, # 6 Wet Fly Articulated Black Bunny Leech # 2 Wet Fly Bjorn Huckleberry Finn # 4, # 6 Wet Fly Bjorn Lexington # 4 Nymph/Caddis Nymph Bjorns Purple Pretty Wet Fly Bjorn Wet Fly Conehead Eggabou - Blue Moon # 2 Wet Fly Conehead Peacock Bugger # 2, # 4, # 6 Nymph/Caddis Nymph Egg Sucking Stonefy # 4, # 6 Wet Fly Hareball Leech - Pink & Orange # 1/0, # 2 Wet Fly Popsicle # 1/0 Nymph/Caddis Nymph Psycho Prince Nymph Caddis Green # 2, # 4, # 6

Image Gallery

Click on any image to view the whole gallery

VIDEOS
ALASKA STEELHEAD LODGE

Aventura en Alaska

MORE VIDEOS

Rates

2020 U$S 3,995.-

~ Per person on double basis. ~

Rates include: 6 Nights Lodging, 5 Full Days of Guided Fishing, 2 Possible Half Days of Guide Assisted Fishing (depending on your travel plans), All Meals, All Non-Alcoholic Beverages, Ground Transportation to and from Kenai Airport, Fly Rods, Reels, and Terminal Tackle.

Rates do not include: Airfare to Anchorage and Kenai, 3% TAX, Fishing License, Alcoholic Beverages, Waders and Boots, Guide and Staff Gratuity.

Fishing report

October 2019

Very nice weather, some scarce rain which only affected 2 small rivers. Fishing was good though there are usually more fish in the river by this time of the year. Despite the fewer fish, by mid October over 200 Steelhead were hooked, most of them with swinging flies and some fewer with indicator rigs. To highlight, there was one angler by mid October who hooked 15 Steelhead in one day around 15 lbs. Some sight fishing was able and several eats on dry flies as well. Very aggressive fish, lots with sea lice that were straight out of the ocean. The swinging was the star of the show and at certain points of the day when fish entered the river it was almost chaotic with multiple hook ups in just minutes. When steelhead were not being hooked anglers stayed busy catching Dolly Varden and some very healthy Rainbow Trout.

Testimonials

My wife and I were deligthed with our experiencie at Alaska Steelhead

By: John Martin - October 2022

Hi Daniel

I thought I would give you a fuller review of the trip:
After a two year wait, my wife and I were delighted with our experience at ASC. The lodge and cabins are more impressive in real life than in the photos and the views of the snow-capped volcancoes across the Cook Inlet from the cabin and decking were breath-taking once the clouds lifted. The food is high end and delicious. Indeed the whole set-up had no obvious short-comings (note its BYO alcohol) and the guiding team really really were first class. My wife was a beginner with the spey rod and the guides were all excellent instructors, informative and really good company.

As to the fishing, variety was the first thing to highlight. We fished 4 very different rivers over the trip – from small spring creeks to big classic steelhead water (wide, fast flowing and turquoise glacial water). Getting to fishing runs were via a mix of drift boat, hike and helicopter. Target species beyond steelhead were resident rainbows, silvers/coho and dolly varden. We caught decent steelhead from 5lb - 13lb fish, from bright chrome hens to coloured up bucks. Each session targeting steelhead we were both successful, although when the fish were reluctant to come to a swung fly (eg cold water, sunshine), we were always able to pick up fish nymphing with the bead/egg pattern. We also managed to have success swinging flies to big hot rainbows (although unfortunately we didn’t manage to get a trophy over 30”) and trophy dolly varden in all their glorious colours. By the end of the week my wife had picked up steelhead and resident rainbows on the swing, a testament to the excellent instruction from the guides.

This is one trip which we knew before leaving that we would be coming back for more! Shame you couldn’t have joined us, but I can confirm your photo is still on the wall of fame!

A program to repeat

By: Fernando Bengoa - October 2018

After a year and a half waiting for this adventure together with a very long trip from Argentina, the group finally met in Anchorage to recharge energy, buy some items and then fly 20 min. to Kenai where the Lodge staff was waiting for us. That same afternoon part of the group went fishing on their own, others preferred resting and organizing the equipment for the next day.

Sunday night after a great dinner, the head guide Matt, approached us to talk about the fishing plans, guides and group division. One of the advantages of this destination is that the main river has a big water flow coming from glacier, therefore the rain doesn’t affect much the water condition and neither the fishing. As Jorgen, one of the Swedish guys, said “most probably in other place we would have stayed in the lodge after the rain of the previous days”, moreover the fishing that day was very good!

On our first day, our guide Benito, taught us how to fish with strike indicator and salmon egg. After my 5th casting intent, I finally hooked a nice and strong steelhead which I lost after 10 minutes due to my fault. The first day was very good for some and for others it was more like learning how to fish steelhead with strike indicator and mending.
Every day fishing got better and so did we with the technique.
The last day we were able to fish the smaller and more challenging river, with excellent results not only on quantity but really healthy and strong steelhead.
The fishing in the main river was quite even for everybody along the week, with a total of 190 hooked steelhead from which 74 were landed in a wonderful and natural scenery.

Returning to the lodge everyday was an absolute pleasure, with appetizers waiting for us (sometimes including oysters) followed by a delicious dinner, moment in which everybody told their fishing stories of the day. Among other delicious meals we ate King Crab, Halibut, great meat… I was also able to meet the host and organizer of the trip, Daniel Beilinson, together with the wonderful staff (lodge, guides, manager) who treated us great and provided an excellent service.

Overall the steelhead fishing was excellent, almost guaranteed in a wonderful and picturesque scenario… I hope to return!

Grateful experience!

By: Graham Frost - October 2018

Steelhead are special. Hard fighting bars of silver they maximise their potential. They seem masters of their environment, survivors and thrivers. They follow with cunning behind their cousins, evolutionarily adapted to feed and spawn - and then to return to the sea - unlike the millions of fatalistic salmon who lay down their lives to provide nutrition for the Alaskan wilderness. 


To have the presence of a steelhead around you is like a special hidden treasure  - but where in the pool? under the bankside trees? in that run that trails from the rock? or right there just at your feet?  And then to have her make that purposeful connection with you, the wild clean fight on a barbless hook and light tackle, the counter puncher using the rapids, using its power, its acrobatics.....and then if you are caring and respectful and fortunate - a captured memory but not a captured fish, where the human kneels to the level of the steelhead in the river, and then a release of silver to continue its journey upstream. 
We remind ourselves we are exceptionally privileged to do this, and it helps to trust in expert and empathetic hands.

The trip that Daniel organised with the operator in Alaska is as good an introduction to this most remarkable of fish as you can hope for. Countless chances and connections, unforgettable experiences, places and rivers, and wise, enthusiastic and caring hosts. Highly recommended.  

Share this program

Other programs in U.S.A.

tools

Currency Converter

Recommended Travel Insurance

Fly Fishing Caribe strongly recommends that you enroll with Global Rescue prior to embarking on your trip.

Click HERE to complete
the Enrollment Form

View Moon phases for this month

Check extended calendar
of Moon Phases