Beautiful day on the Kenai River with Corsetti's Guide Service

Beautiful day on the Kenai River with Corsetti's Guide Service

By Troutnut on June 28th, 2016

I mentioned in a previous post that my friend and coworker Sierra's father started a guide service on the Kenai River this summer. Lena and I were down in the area in late June and took them up on an offer to go out fishing.

Following a winter of heavy snowpack and a recent spell of hot weather, the middle Kenai River was about three feet higher than normal, well up into the streambank trees.

Fishing from the bank was out of the question anywhere along the river, as all the gravel bars were inundated, but it was very comfortable fishing from Perry's new power drift boat using a mix of spin and fly gear.

Despite the really high water and starting--at our request--later in the day than would have been ideal for the fishing, everybody still caught trout.

Even if we hadn't caught fish, the scenery and company alone would have made for a great day on the water.

Thanks for a great trip, Perry and Sierra!

Photos by Troutnut from the Kenai River in Alaska

Lena's Kenai River rainbow From the Kenai River in Alaska.

Water on the Kenai was about 3 feet higher than usual, up into t From the Kenai River in Alaska.

View to the Kenai Mountains from the river below Skilak Lake From the Kenai River in Alaska.

Unhooking another trout for Lena From the Kenai River in Alaska.

Netting Lena's trout From the Kenai River in Alaska.

Lena with a trout on the line From the Kenai River in Alaska.

Sierra landing a trout From the Kenai River in Alaska.

Kenai River rainbow I caught on a leech pattern Perry tied From the Kenai River in Alaska.

Motoring up the Kenai River with Perry From the Kenai River in Alaska.

View 12 larger pictures»

Comments / replies

Troutnut	July 21st, 2016, 6:34 pm
Administrator Bellevue, WA Posts: 2737	Just posted this trip. Commenting to bump it up on the forum.
	Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D. Troutnut and salmonid ecologist

Crepuscular	July 22nd, 2016, 11:58 am
Boiling Springs, PA Posts: 923	Nice Jason. you are definitely correct about the scenery. Jeez it's gorgeous. and it's good to see you smiling in a photo for once. ;)

Jmd123	July 22nd, 2016, 2:55 pm
Oscoda, MI Posts: 2611	The color of that water just blows my mind...not to mention the color of those fish! And I love spruce trees too, fell in love with giant Sitka spruces in Oregon, they are so picturesque. Very nice Jason, and thanks for sharing. Jonathon
	No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...

Martinlf	July 22nd, 2016, 9:59 pm
Moderator Palmyra PA Posts: 3233	Looks like a great trip, with great folks. Hope to get up that way sometime soon. Thanks for posting.
	"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'" --Fred Chappell

Oldredbarn	July 23rd, 2016, 11:47 am
Novi, MI Posts: 2608	The color of that water just blows my mind... Jason, Jonathon lives a little "off-the-grid", we won't tell him about Photoshop...:) Spence
	"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively "Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood

Jmd123	July 23rd, 2016, 1:22 pm
Oscoda, MI Posts: 2611	Don't think that's Photoshop Spence...I've seen some mighty pretty blue waters here in the Great lakes and out in the ocean, but never quite that shade, somewhere between royal blue and turquoise! (Did see a lake in Chile that was emerald green, too, no kidding.) I'm wondering how much that has to do with mineral content, spring fed waters in Texas from the limestone Edwards aquifer are a very pretty blue-green as well, also some sinkhole lakes. Whatever the cause, it's stunningly beautiful. And yeah Spence, I'm so far off the grid that I teach at a community college! You want off the grid? Take a boat ride to Isle Royale (and see some pretty Lake superior blue on the way) and hike into the backcountry there...your smart phone won't work!! Jonathon
	No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...

Troutnut	July 25th, 2016, 2:46 pm
Administrator Bellevue, WA Posts: 2737	Yeah Spence, that's what the Kenai really looks like. Its color is almost otherworldly. Most rivers that get most of their water from melting glaciers are dark gray/brown and as clear as chocolate milk. But some, like the Kenai, have a big, deep lake between the glacier and most of the river, where most of the silt settles out, and only the finest particles remain. Apart from adding some clarity (it's still not the cleareast water, but usually you can see 1-3 feet into it) the ultrafine remaining silt gives it a bright emerald green color. Like Jonathon mentioned, I've also seen that color in some non-glacial streams from limestone country, like the Soca in Slovenia. I would guess it has to do with similar physics of extremely fine suspended particles, but I don't know how that works exactly.
	Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D. Troutnut and salmonid ecologist

Oldredbarn	July 26th, 2016, 12:28 pm
Novi, MI Posts: 2608	Nice!
	"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively "Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood

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