The Upper Kvichak River is the section from Clearwater Lodge down about 4 miles. Large gravel islands occur up and down this 4 mile hotspot. We fish for large rainbows from these islands, (below the islands, small channels behind, as well as on the top end of the islands). This is a great area for wade fishing, as you can easily walk up and down the large gravel bars, while casting to holding Rainbows.
| This section of the river has the usual crystal clear water the Kvichak is famous for and nice gravel bottoms for easy wade fishing. |
 |
A lot of the fishing in this area is sight fishing, as the water is clear and shallow. The big rainbows are not as concentrated in one area as they are at the outlet of the lake, in front of the lodge, however by wading you can cover enough ground to make up for the fact that the rainbows are spread out. By slowly working your way up the gravel islands, you can spot the big rainbows and then stalk closer.
| We drift fish this area as well to take advantage of the deep stretches of the river. |
|
|
|
 |
Though Mousing is not a popular way to fish for Rainbows in the Kvichak, they do rise and feed on top. They will often hit mouse patterns if presently correctly as the picture below and the closeup to the left illustrates.
|
 |
| As you can see on the map, to the right, the first 4 miles of the Kvichak River has a combination of large deep runs in the main channels, with large gravel islands scattered up and down which provide a multitude of runs and holding areas for the giant rainbows of the Kvichak. |
|
In the larger channels some of these deep runs may be 10-15 feet deep. Even with the clear water, it's hard to spot even the big rainbows hanging on the bottom. There are also large Arctic Grayling, as well as ArcticChar/Dolly Varden which can get enormous. There are times where the bigger Rainbows tend to take refuge in these deep holes of the river and we do very well drifting these areas.
| The wade fishing/sight fishing can be good in this area, as shown by Fred's 32 inch Rainbow, at right. |
|
| While the Kvichak River is world famous for having the largest native Rainbow Trout in the world, not every Rainbow is 30 inches. We catch thousands and thousands every year that are in the "nice fish" range (20 to 24 inches). |
 |
Sockeye Salmon
The Upper Kvichak is also a great place during the massive Sockeye run. The Sockeyes travel upriver in a continuous line near the shores, in fairly shallow water. These lines of sockeye will bend around the top and bottom of these islands and the fishing is fantastic around these bends.
When we fish the Upper Kvichak, we usually start off at the upper islands, and hit 4 or 5 as we work our way down the river. We might spend one hour, or several hours, on each island, depending upon how good the fishing is. It's hard to keep moving when you're doing so good on one island, but the next island may be even better!
|
