Seasons at Rainbow King

With a private lease on the world famous Dream Creek, and a top aircraft fleet of DeHaviland Beavers and Otters, every famous river and secret spot in Bristol Bay is right at arm’s reach.

The area is stunningly beautiful and the lodge itself is a deluxe fisherman’s utopia in the rugged Alaskan outback.

Early season, the emphasis is generally on trophy trout in the various streams, most of which are gorging on the outgoing sockeye salmon smolt from the previous year’s spawning class. Streamers are the order of the day, though on a few rivers, like the Copper, you can expect insect hatches to bring trout to the surface. As well, some streams will find rainbows willing to come up to a skated mouse pattern.

For those interested in bringing home some fresh salmon filets, June and July are peak months, with plenty of opportunities to catch kings on conventional tackle, or sockeyes on a fly rod.
During the month of August most all the rivers will be jammed with spawning sockeyes, creating a visual and fishing smorgasbord for the angler. Every trout, dolly varden and grayling will be eating salmon eggs like there is no tomorrow, putting on weight quickly, and in the process becoming quite vulnerable to the fly fisher. Silver salmon also make their appearance into the short coastal rivers this month, and the lodge’s fleet of airplanes allow them access to some of the finest fisheries.

September is an exciting month here, particularly for the trophy trout hunter. The lodge has acquired exclusive fishing access on a number of small and productive trout streams, all of which experience runs of large lake rainbows up into their shallow runs and riffles. These fish are on one last feeding binge before sliding back into adjacent lakes for a long, cold winter…they are hungry, and often easy to spot and fish to in these small waters.