Dolly Varden Char

Dolly Varden char are colored olive green or grey with white bellies. Their bodies have pinkish-yellow spots and small red spots on the lower half. Their lengths vary between 12 and 24 inches, depending on their age, and they weigh up to 5 pounds.

Dolly Varden Char are available in many Valdez streams and open year round in the Valdez area. Streams that host-spawning salmon are a good target for dollies; look for the movement of the juvenile salmon to find the spots where dollies are ravenously feeding. By August and throughout the winter months, fish for dollies in Robe Lake, or the Robe and Lowe Rivers.

Dollies can be taken on single eggs, dry flies, wet flies such as smolt, alevin or leech patterns, or smaller spinners and spoons. You can usually catch fish in the 10 to 18 inch range.

Check local regulations prior to fishing for accurate and up to date information. To learn more about fishing each species in Valdez please visit the following pages:

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