Magical Rainbows

I sure do love Kodiak! The emerald isle sure is hard to beat for variety of fishing and hunting in fact I don't think it can be beat. However the one thing it doesn't have is something I am very passionate about....Big. Resident. Rainbows! Sure we have steelhead a fish I am just as passionate about but I have a special spot in my heart for big bows especially on big rivers. A few days ago several fishing friends from the lower 48 were inquiring about alaska and what species to go after and of course the mighty Chinook, tasty sockeye, acrobatic coho and barn door halibut were all mentioned but not one work about the rainbow trout I crave. When i mentioned it to them they dismissed the idea even though they love trout down there and they know how big the bows get up here. I told them all about how hard they fight and how beautiful they are and once again how monsterous they get! Their response was salmon fight hard are beautiful and are big! This really got me thinking as to why I have trout whether it be resident or andronomous atop the alaska fish pyramid by such a large Margin. Don't get me wrong I love all the salmon including fresh pinks and fresh chums which are both underated as well as a myriad of other fish. But Steelhead and Rainbows are by far and away my favorite quarry and I know that this is true for many alaska resident fly fisher. When I go back to the question I know the anwser is there but not a straight forward awnser like they are big but one of more mystic or magical properties. After all pound for pound a sockeye fights harder for me than a bow, kings and silvers are usually bigger and I still think grayling are the pretties fish in alaska. After some thinking I have come to several conclusions. First off Rainbows are just available more often throughout the year then chrome salmon. For Example on a river such as the naknek or Kenai there can be great fishing in April, June, July, August, September and october and even other months if there is a warm streak. I truly believe you really get to know the fish and there cycles. Another thing is the fact that C&R are the name of the game for these fish. I do love meat hunting for salmon especially sockeye but sometimes the fight of the fish can get lost in the fray and the enviroment can become less noticable when the goal of blood is on hand. When I am fishing for pure fun and not meat things slow down and seem a little prettier. Then there is something truly though provoking about a big trout because of how old that fish is and the fact that it's spent it whole life in freshwater. Most adult salmon are the same age and spend at least half their lives in the salt. When I catch a big Trout It makes me think of how it got to be 8 plus years old, where it's been and what it's seen in the watershed it calls home. Finally there is that thing I can't put my finger on call it whatever you want but there is something about these fish, an aura if you will. In the end why they haunt my dreams isn't that important. Whats important is that I'm lucky enough to that they do!