Dolly Varden: Alaska Fish Species Guide

Dolly Varden char are a colorful fish with a darker body and light spots. Body color can range from olive to blue to silver, and spots are red, white or yellow. There are both anadromous and resident examples of the species, and the anadromous ones tend to be more silvery than the residents. Dollies are broken into two forms—northern and southern. The number of chromosomes and vertebrae are different for each form, and the northern form can attain a much larger size than the southern. An interesting fact about dollies is that they got their name from a brightly dressed character in the Dickens’ novel, Barnaby Rudge. Their spawning colors are especially vivid.

Southern form dollies rarely live more than eight years and reach sizes beyond 28 inches and 10 pounds. Northern form Dolly Varden have been documented to 16 years old, and can exceed 30 inches and 20 pounds. Dolly Varden char and Arctic char are similar fish and can be easily confused. In general, dollies live in streams and rivers while Arctic char spend their lives in lakes. Dollies tend to be greener colored with smaller spots, while Arctic char are more yellow with larger spots. Dollies have a bigger tail girth and a slightly forked tail, while Arctic char have a visible forked tail and narrow tail girth.

When and Where to Catch Dolly Varden

Dolly Varden char are widely distributed across most of Alaska. We have caught them in countless locations. Known hot spots are the Kenai River, most Kodiak rivers, Bristol Bay blue-ribbon rivers like the American, and countless waterways in Southeast. If you are looking for the biggest specimens in Alaska, head north to rivers like the Noatak or Wulik. They fight with a relentless bull-dog attitude, typically keeping the battle deep, with lots of thrashing and rolling. We’ve also seen fresh-from-the-ocean fish act more like rainbows, and spend their time airborne, but this is the exception.

Dollies are targeted from April through October; basically the whole open-water season. They are carnivorous, opportunistic predators. They primarily feed on winged insects (both adults and nymphs), and salmon fry, smolt, and eggs. From 1921 to 1941 there was a bounty on Dolly Varden in Alaska as they were wrongly perceived to negatively affect salmon populations. Research has shown that they primarily eat pink salmon fry and they eat eggs that drift out of the redd and were not going to hatch. 

Dolly Varden Gear

Dollies are a good fly rod or spinning rod species. Dead drifting beads (6-, 8- and 10 mm) is one of the most reliable techniques for catching them. Determining what rod to use first starts with analyzing the average fish in the waterways you intend to target. If the average fish is in the 12- to 16-inch size range, you can use a light spinning rod (something in the 6- to 10-pound-test range is good) and a 5-weight fly rod. Step up the gear substantially if the average fish is larger, and especially if you are targeting trophy, Interior fish. An 8-weight fly rod and spinning rod rated for 10- to 25-pound-test would be adequate medicine for big dollies.

Rivers:

• Kenai
• Most Kodiak Rivers
• American in Bristol Bay
• Noatak
• Wulik

Always check current area ADF&G regulations before fishing.