6-Year Quest for a 30-inch Rainbow

Kenai River trout fishing in September means big rainbows and unforgettable moments. Read about the hunt for giant Kenai trout and the anglers who came north chasing the fish of a lifetime.

Story by Nigel Fox

The Kenai River is a very special place to fish for giant rainbow trout!

It is 86 miles of pristine trout habitat. It has all the right things to grow giant rainbow trout and that is why anglers flock there in the fall, in hopes of catching the rainbow of a lifetime. It’s a very special moment, landing a trout of a lifetime. I have been fortunate over my 25 years of guiding to land some incredible rainbows over that 30-inch mark but there is something about helping a client land one that is the greatest feeling. Out of 25 years of guiding clients for trophy rainbow trout, one client has stuck out to me. Todd put in significant time to hook and land one of these giants.

The First Trip That Sparked a Friendship

It started in September 2012 when I had new clients for a day of trout fishing on the middle Kenai River. Todd and Beth were a couple from Tennessee who fished the Kenai River several times previously but mainly for salmon. I had them for the next two days for trout fishing and from the first cast I could tell they both knew how to fish very well. I also clicked very well with them and enjoyed my days on the water with them. Those two days of trout fishing were amazing! We landed several trout in the mid- to high-20-inch range and hooked one that could have maybe made the 30-inch mark, but overall, just solid days on the water. At the time I did not know it would be the start of a great friendship.

Four years would pass before Todd and Beth would give me a call to book another fall trout trip. We kept in touch with text messages of big fish through the years. Fall of 2016 would be when I fished Todd and Beth again for trophy trout on the Kenai River. I had seen them earlier in the year sockeye salmon fishing in July. They consistently fished sockeye salmon every year on the Kenai from shore. Like the trip before, we had incredible trout fishing for those two days, and we should have, because it was a pink year.

Persistence and Patience on the Kenai

I believe the sockeye salmon fishing from shore helped them become better trout anglers in the sense that they could fight the fish well, but we still did not land a rainbow over 27 inches and encountered a lot of Dolly Varden which was unusual for that time of the year on that section of the Kenai River. I could tell both Todd and Beth enjoyed their trip but wanted more big rainbow trout in the net.

During winter of 2018, I received a call from Todd to book another fall trout trip. On previous trips I could tell Todd wanted to land the fish of a lifetime, but he was always happy with the catching and not so concerned about size. The fall trip of 2018 came and went with great success on the trout fishing for Todd and Beth. We did hook a ‘bow of lifetime, but it was a short-lived battle, and we could not get the giant in the net. That was the only big ‘bow we hooked, but hooking that giant ‘bow lit a fire in Todd, I could tell he wanted to land a rainbow of that stature.

A Pandemic Season and a Shift in Focus

I would not fish Todd and Beth again until the fall of 2020. It was pretty quiet that year with all the Covid lockdowns. Alaska was one of the few places you could go on vacation and still feel like things were normal. There were a few hoops to jump through, but it was worth it for Todd and Beth. It was a solid 3 days of trout fishing with many fish landed in the mid-20s. We also did some silver salmon fishing with a few days of limits. Even though the trout fishing was incredible, we focused more on the salmon and fished trout after our salmon limit was obtained. So, I did not get to put a lot of time into hunting big ‘bows. We still had an awesome time, had many laughs, and they went home with fresh salmon.

Todd and Beth had such a good time fishing silver salmon and rainbow trout in 2020, they decided to not fish July for sockeyes on the lower Kenai River and instead booked another fall salmon/trout combo for 2021. The silver salmon fishing was slower for us that year with half the productivity we had in the previous year, but we did not spend too much time fishing for silvers. There was great trout fishing on flesh flies this time because they came much later in September. Beth had the hot rod and landed her biggest rainbow with me. It was a beautiful trout, 28 inches long. It was a super-fat buck that battled us hard for several minutes and took us a couple hundred yards downstream. It was a great memory and a well-deserved fish for Beth, considering all the time she put in on the Kenai.

The Fish of a Lifetime

I did not hear much from Todd and Beth over the next few years, just a few random texts here and there. Then, in February of 2024, they booked two days of trout-only fishing in early September. This is typically a perfect time of the year as it coincides with the pink salmon spawn. I was excited to spend some time on the water catching rainbows and catching up with them.

Our first day, September 6^th, was solid with lots of catching and Beth lost one big trout in the upper 20s, but we did not hook anything at or over that 30-inch mark. It seemed to be the theme for my clients that year—we would get one shot at a big trout each trip and you had to make it count. I noticed Todd was not quite in the groove on this day and had some struggles early on but finished strong.

A Promising Start to the Final Day

September 13^th was our next day of fishing and their last day in Alaska. We decided before their trip not to fish for silvers because we were experiencing lower numbers of coho that year and it was their last day of fishing. I was keyed in on what the trout were wanting that week. With lots of pinks already spawning in that upper section of the middle Kenai River, I made a long run up from the Moose River where we put in early that morning. Our first long pass over a couple miles was nothing short of epic. By the end of that first pass we caught and released several nice trout in the low- to mid-20-inch range. On our second pass fishing was slower with more boat traffic showing up but we hooked one big trout and landed it for Todd. The fishing slowed more over the next few passes.

The Moment We’d Been Waiting For

Near the end of our last pass before our lunch break, I had Todd make a cast in a gravel-bar drop that had been productive for me over the last week. It was a perfect little bucket for a giant rainbow to sit in and feed without anything or anyone messing with it. Todd’s cast hit the mark perfectly; I can remember telling him he nailed it. His drift was right in the sweet spot and drifting at the perfect speed. Right when the bead came drifting off the gravel bar into the deep bucket his indicator stopped abruptly and started to shoot upriver. Before I could yell set the hook, Todd was already on it. When his trout came leaping out of the water, I knew he just hooked the one we had been looking for. I looked at Todd and said, “This is the one you have been waiting for, and it is now in your hands.” Todd had the situation totally under control and fought that giant rainbow like a pro. We fought that giant ‘bow for 15 minutes and chewed up 150 yards of river, with several runs of a 100-plus feet and many jumps in between.

At the end of that battle, I could tell that trout was ready because it was not jumping or running very hard, just drifting downriver with us and staying down. I told Todd to put a little pressure on it so it would come towards the net. But when Todd applied some pressure, he was fearful he’d pull the hook out or break the leader. I remember getting ready to net this giant and thinking Don’t mess this up, Todd has waited a long time for this. Once the giant rainbow was in the net I looked over at Todd and said, “You finally did it.” Both Todd and Beth were ecstatic with joy over this accomplishment. We floated to shore to take pictures of this beautiful rainbow that was over 30 inches long and with a massive 20.5-inch girth.

A Journey Worth Every Cast

As I watched Todd release his rainbow of lifetime, I remembered all their trips over the past six years of fishing with me. All the hard work he and Beth put in to get to that moment. It was well worth it and along the way I was able to build a great friendship. We did not end up getting Beth a big ‘bow this go around, but I am happy to say that I’ll get another chance to do it this September 2025. Fingers crossed!!

Nigel Fox has been co-owner/guide at Alaska Drift Away Fishing for over two decades. He is a lifelong Alaskan and avid bowhunter of the Alaska backcountry. When he is not spending time guiding clients on the Kenai River, he is on another Alaska hunting adventure.

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