Photos: Rainbow trout fishing on the upper Kenai River

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Sam Lawson of Seward fly fishes for rainbow trout on the upper Kenai River above the highway bridge in Cooper Landing on Wednesday, April 15, 2015.

SOLDOTNA -- The chalky, turquoise water of the upper Kenai River murmured softly as Justin Cooley stepped into it from the smooth-cobbled shoreline. He paused a moment to take in his surroundings -- thin, wispy, cirrus clouds stretching across the blue sky overhead and evergreen spruce and still-leafless birch trees behind. In front of him flowed possibility.

"Nature is part of the draw," he said. "But so is the challenge. You ask yourself, 'Will this work?' and you don't know the answer until you hear the smack of a fish bite. Then the question is, 'Will this be a 12-inch rainbow or a 30-incher?' You don't know until you see it."

Cooley spooled some fluorescent slack from his fly reel and began the whipping motion necessary to build energy to compose a perfect cast. Unlike spin casting, where the lure's weight pulls the line out, in fly-casting the weight of the line carries the lure — a delicately crafted imitation insect. It requires timing more than strength.

"The whole thing is an art form, really, from tying the flies to selecting which one to use to laying it out there. There's a lot to the presentation, making it look as natural as possible. It's not easy to do and definitely not as easy as just sinking bait and bumping it along the bottom."

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