Additional info: well be there late july to early august. All bank fishing and I have no f-ing clue how to salmon fish other than throw big streamers, big spoons or big spinners and see what happens.
Rod choices are fine. You want a spinning/casting rod that can handle a 1/2 oz lure. You will be tossing a lot of weight on the main Kenai to get the fly down fast. Fly rod needs a fighting butt, and most 8wt rods have them. Make sure the fly reel has a good drag. Many fly rod flippers do not use fly line, just 25lb mono and a 15lb leader.
The one issue with bank fishing on the kenai and Russian is the overhead and behind you brush. Too long a rod and you will be having issues. Most my rods are around 8ft. Can you use a bait caster? Level wind reels are a lot more useful to pull fish in and to flip. Whippy tips and stiff butts work well for me. Lots of side arm half casts in the thick stuff if I can't flip.
BTW: flipping is basically roll casting. Real easy once you get the swing down.
One of the things to do on the first days is to take a raft float down out of Cooper Landing for a half day and get knowed up by a local guide. You will get away from the boatless horde.
Reds eat krill and shrimp, so anything "big" is not going to work. Pinks also like smaller flashy stuff. Silvers like flashy pink and purple stuff.
Fishing on the Kenai and its tributaries is heavily regulated as to the type of lure system you can use and where you can use it. You really need to download the kenai specific regulations, or wait until here and get a paper copy.
Most Kenai fishing is with flies. And not some super fancy royal coachman stuff. tie a two inch piece of glo-bug yarn to a circle hook of the right regulated size for what area you are in, and you have a fly. yarn has to be tied to the hook, and not the line above the hook. It is best if it is snelled on as some fish cops frown on the egg loop method of making a "fly". This only applies to fly fishing only sections, which is the Russian and the short area down below its confluence with the Kenai.
For first timers to flossing/flipping, I recommend buying some orange "comet" flies. They have chain bed eyes when give you a little weight to the fly and help it sink at a rate that gets it into the fish's face. That way you don't need as much split shot on the line above the fly to get it down. Easier to flip or cast if you know how to cast weighted flies.
Also find some flash flies in purple, orange, and pink.
You will need wading boots with studded sticky rubber soles. By the time you are here the rocks will be slimed up and hard to walk on. Felt soles are illegal.
I recommend heading up into the Russian River canyon and skipping all that shoulder to shoulder crap on the lower river and the confluence. Take your bear mace and some mental fortitude. The bears up there are eating and you are not on the menu, but you may upset one or two. Not that big a deal till you start doing stupid stuff.
If you want to try to catch some 'bows they can be maddening on the Russian. Way too much food and people. Tight lipped. However, they tend to like to pick up bead headed nymphs to eat something different that salmon awful. Highly restrictive size limits on 'bows and dollies. I always toss mine back no matter what size they are.
