A little rainbow

[Salmonchaser]

Our young guide found a good one today 32” x21” ya gotta love big rainbows.

 

[utah400elk]

Good god. My dream fish!

 

[JLS]

Ooooffff!

 

[ashersdad]

Wow! That's a dandy for sure!

 

[Salmonchaser]

The Naknek river is a magical place.

 

[Irrelevant]

Most of my steelies have been smaller... considerably.

How do you/they know that they're resident rainbows and not steelhead?

 

[Nutrioso]

Most of my steelies have been smaller... considerably.

How do you/they know that they're resident rainbows and not steelhead?

Those big Naknek rainbows look like steelhead, but mature in freshwater. They move from freshwater lakes into the river system to grow fat on salmon eggs fry and flesh. They don’t have the steelhead’s anadromous life history. Hard to tell the differnce, though, when one is on the line. That is a great fish.

 

[Irrelevant]

Those big Naknek rainbows look like steelhead, but mature in freshwater. They move from freshwater lakes into the river system to grow fat on salmon eggs fry and flesh. They don’t have the steelhead’s anadromous life history. Hard to tell the differnce, though, when one is on the line. That is a great fish.

How do they determine that? Is it some isotope analysis or pit tagging or something else?

 

[Nutrioso]

How do they determine that? Is it some isotope analysis or pit tagging or something else?

There is an intersting thesis published by AK Fish and Game entitled ABUNDANCE AND MOVEMENT OF THE RAINBOW TROUT SPAWNING STOCK IN THE UPPER NAKNEK RIVER, ALASKA. It details a study exactly answering your question. Sorry I am not tech savvy enough to paste a link here, but it comes up readlly on the Google machine. That whole fishery is fascinating.

 

[MarvB]

That folks is a BRUTE of a ‘bow right there!

 

[Salmonchaser]

What he said..... Another fun fact, there use to be a bounty paid on rainbows because they eat sockeye smolt. Ive guided on the Nak for the last 20 years. Only have seen a few much bigger than this one. My best was 34 inches and weighed in at approximately 17 pounds. This was my last season guiding. I might have to go back up and fish it for fun some day.