Dolly Varden

A char, not a true trout: olive to silver body with round pink, red or orange spots on the sides, no black spots, and white leading edges on the lower fins. Sea-run fish are bright silver; spawners turn orange-red underneath.

12–20 in.

About 3 ft and over 15 lb.

Insects, salmon eggs and flesh, sculpins, smolts, leeches and small fish.

River and lake fish that hold behind rocks, at the tail of pools and along seams where slow water meets fast water. In salmon country they follow the spawning salmon to eat their eggs.

Found from Alaska and British Columbia. Coastal rivers, streams and lakes from British Columbia around Alaska to the Arctic coast; many run to sea in spring and return in late summer behind the salmon.

Coastal rivers, streams and lakes from British Columbia around Alaska to the Arctic coast; many run to sea in spring and return in late summer behind the salmon.

1–8 ft in rivers; along beaches and river mouths in spring.

1–8 ft in rivers; drop-offs and inlets of lakes.

Spring after ice-out, and late summer through fall when the salmon are spawning.

Morning and evening; overcast days fish well all day.

No tide — in rivers, steady or slowly dropping water is best.

Cloudy, cool days; avoid high, muddy water after heavy rain.

Salmon roe where bait is legal.

Egg beads, flesh flies, smolt patterns, small spoons and spinners.

9 ft 5–7 weight fly rod, or a 6½–7 ft light to medium-light spinning rod.

Size 6–14 flies; single barbless hooks on spinners and spoons where required.

4–10 lb mono, or floating fly line.

3X–5X tippet (4–8 lb), 7½–9 ft.

In spring, cast small spoons or smolt flies at river mouths as the young salmon head to sea. In late summer, drift beads behind spawning salmon, the same as for rainbows.

Where you see one Dolly you usually see a hundred. When the salmon are spawning, they stack up in the tail of every pool.

Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.

Good eating when fresh.

Bleed and ice it right away. Fillet, then remove the skin and any dark bloodline.

Pink-orange meat, mild and delicate; great pan-fried or smoked.

Cold, fast rivers — wear a wading belt and a life jacket in boats, and in Alaska and northern Canada carry bear spray and make noise.

Limits vary by area and some rivers are catch-and-release. Bull trout look very similar and are protected in much of British Columbia, so learn the difference or release both. In Alaska, rules are set by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (adfg.alaska.gov); in Canada, by each province and territory. Many trout and char waters are single-hook, artificial-lure or catch-and-release only — check before you go.

Keep only what you'll eat, release the rest quickly, and follow size and bag limits.