Fly Fishing for Steelhead Trout in Alaska

When fly fishing for steelhead trout in Alaska, you’ll find that (similar to the rainbow trout) the largest concentration of steelhead trout is not found on the Kenai Peninsula (where we’re concentrating on). It is debated that the largest concentration can be found in either Southeast Alaska or the Kodiak region. But since these areas are more difficult to get to, the most popular rivers for steelhead are probably the 4 southern most rivers on the Kenai Peninsula; the Ninilchick River, Deep Creek, Stariski Creek and the Anchor River with the Anchor River being the most popular of these.

It is not uncommon to catch 5-10 steelhead in the 6-10 lb range in a single outing in good steelhead waters. These fish can also grow quite large. As of this writing, the record Alaska steelhead is 42 lbs. So why isn’t fly fishing for steelhead trout more popular in Alaska? The only thing I can figure is that the steelhead are more prominent in the southeastern part of Alaska which is very remote country and the guides in these areas are more focused on salmon than anything else. This seems to be slowly changing though as guides are seeing the growing popularity of fly fishing for steelhead trout in Alaska. Don’t let this discourage you though. If you want to experience fly fishing for steelhead trout in Alaska, there are plenty of opportunities on the southern Kenai rivers mentioned earlier.

Steelhead usually begin there spawning runs around mid-September and you can usually fish for them until ice out occurs (which varies from year to year). As is the case in steelhead fishing in the Great Lakes area, the peak fishing time usually occurs mid to late October depending on the weather.

The Southeast also receives a spring steelhead run beginning in mid April with peak times in late April to early May.

When fly fishing for steelhead trout in Alaska, you can entice them on a wide variety of flies. Don’t waste your time with dry flies here. I’ve seen steelhead taken on dry flies but I don’t have enough time in my day to attempt this. Focus on subsurface patterns such as nymphs, streamers, leeches and the like.

There are a very limited number of nymphs that I’d recommend and they are the AP nymph in size 8 – 10 and stonefly nymphs in size 6 -8. I’ve found these to work on limited occasions when they weren’t hitting on the typical, more colorful offerings. They saved me from getting skunked on a few occasions.

Now the more typical steelhead flies are the Woolly and Krystal Buggers, Egg-Sucking Leeches, Battle Creek Specials, Everglow flies, Polar Shrimp, Babine Special, the Fall Favorite, Skunk, Silver Hilton and, of course, the single egg patterns. You will see most of these flies in larger sizes from 2 – 8. The colors for the Woolly and Krystal Buggers should be purple, black, olive and even orange. The most popular Egg-Sucking Leeches are probably the black body/red egg and the black body/chartreuse egg. Popular egg pattern colors are pink, orange, red and chartreuse and are usually tied in size 8 – 12.

When fly fishing for steelhead trout in glacial waters or any waters that are off color, try the flashy offerings first. These would be things like the Krystal Buggers or the Everglow flies. These flies tend to show up better in the waters with less visibility.

One thing you’ll notice about steelheaders is that more often than not, they will show up at streamside without a plan. That’s because steelhead change their likes so frequently. Start with the popular flies first, such as the Woolly Buggers and Egg-Sucking Leeches, and go from there. If you are fly fishing in Alaska for salmon, don’t make the mistake of thinking that steelhead like to hold in the same waters that salmon do. In my experience (along with many I’ve talked to), this does not seem to be the case. Salmon tend to hold in slower pools while the majority of steelhead I’ve hooked have been in the faster runs at the head or tail of a pool. You will find some steelhead in the deeper pools but the concentration is not as great.

You will fish most of these flies above via dead drift (except for the streamer patterns). Keep your casts short so you can control your line, keeping it tight, so you can feel the ever so gentle take of the steelhead. Be ready and don’t let inactivity lull you into daydreaming. It will be at that moment that you’ll feel that bump and react too slowly to set the hook.

The recommended fly line is usually a sink-tip line with a 4 foot, 10 lb tippet to start but many fly fishermen prefer a floating line with a longer tippet and use split shot to get the fly to the bottom. Either method will work if you are comfortable with that particular method. Adjust as necessary for the strength of the flow where you are fishing. Just remember that you need to get your offering into the feeding lanes or you’ll stand little chance of catching fish.