Bob Thomas cast a silver spoon into the Kvichak River and worked it enticingly. Wham! A monster rainbow trout smashed the lure and bore down into the swift current like a ballistic missile. Thomas held on for dear life and let the drag do the work to protect the 10 pound line. Although the outcome was in doubt for a while, the lunker rainbow trout was finally whipped by the excited angler and landed for a few pictures. Astonishingly he did the unthinkable; Bob Thomas released the trophy rainbow into the swift river current to fight another day.

Thomas was living the Alaskan dream and released the trophy fish to “Feel the thrill again and again”. In fact during his five day fishing trip Thomas caught a large number of trout, landing and releasing more than 20 magnum trout in a single day.

“That’s the most rainbows I’ve ever seen caught by one angler in a day,” said guide Tom Mahan. But Thomas didn’t stop there, he caught almost every species of fish in the area on the trip.

“We caught arctic char, Dolly Varden, lake trout, northern pike, humpback salmon, silver salmon and a lot of rainbow trout during our five day trip,” Thomas said. Thomas was joined by fellow anglers Dennis Riley and Kyle Temple who also caught more than their share of fish.

“We caught most of our fish on the sides of the river on light line,” said Thomas. “The water was really clear and you had to be careful not to spook them or you’d never get a bite.”

Thomas fished each day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. stopping only long enough to eat breakfast, lunch and supper as the long Alaskan days gave them more than enough time to catch fish each day.

“Mike McDowell owns the Kvichak Lodge and it’s the oldest lodge on the river,” Thomas said. “More trophy rainbow trout are caught here than anywhere in the world.”

During their trip they used spoons with modified barbs so that they wouldn’t hurt the fish, allowing them to live and grow bigger to catch another day. Each morning they motored up the river and put their lures out and trolled back and forth hitting the hotspots as they fished.

“We caught more fish at the mouth of the Kvichak River where it pours into Lake Lliamna,” said Thomas. “It was definitely the trip of my lifetime and I’ve been to Alaska several times but never caught that many rainbow trout, pike, and salmon before.”

Thomas and the group caught so many 15 to 18 pound trout and salmon that it was hard to keep count of the numbers. The Alaskan Wilderness was a sight to behold and something that everyone should experience according to Thomas.

To view the lodge and Alaskan fishing opportunities check them out online at www.kvichaklodge.com.

For information on fishing Alaska contact Mike McDowell via telephone at 907-230- 6370 or by email at mikemcdowell2002@yahoo.com.