A Tale of Two Rainbows

Two fish, caught from two rivers, two days apart.  One, a 20-inch fish that lives it’s life year round in a stream far from a lake connection, turns pigmented, spotted, green and bright red from exposure to sunlight.  The other, a 29-inch fish, remains chrome and without pigment from living it’s life year round  in the deep, turquoise waters of Naknek Lake, except for the few weeks of the year it migrates into the Naknek River to feed on salmon eggs.

The Sockeye Salmon are spawning in full force right now, many of the rivers, streams and creeks are but red stripes as we fly overhead, and the Rainbow Trout are right among them, feeding hard to pick up as many salmon eggs as they can in this 60 day bonanza of protein.

Thanks to fishing buddies Charlie and Noble, of Houston, Texas, for catching these fish and providing the photos.