The Upper Kenai is starting to ramp up for the fall trout madness. Plenty of sockeye are in the river but the egg drop has not started in earnest, yet. Hopefully in a week or so the spawn will be going in full force and the best fishing of the year will be upon us. If you put a gun to our head, August 25 would be a best guess for when the sockeye spawn should really take off.

Currently anglers are fishing large (10mm) beads behind spawning kings. These big bruiser are out in the middle of the river so a boat is a must for effectively reaching them. Use plenty of lead to get your offering down deep.

Swinging leeches, flesh, and sculpins in the area of holding sockeye is also a good tactic. There are trout milling around waiting for the egg drop and they will often grab a streamer if it is in the neighborhood.

Silver fishing is still fairly slow. There are a slew of pink salmon in the river this year and they are inhaling any pink colored fly that goes by. These eager grabbers make it hard to get your fly in front of a silver. More coho should be on the way and in the river soon.

Finally, good trout and Dolly fishing can be had in Quartz Creek and the Russian River. Try beads in Quartz and nymphs or small streamers in the Russian. These are both good options if you don't have a boat or are looking for a change of pace.

See you out there!

A big thanks to Keith at Worldwide in Anchorage for this week's Kenai report.

Juneau Report 08-11-10

Pinks: Roadside fishing for pinks remains fair to good. The run is starting to taper off out at Echo, but still offers a chance at brighter fish. There is a good number of fish that have entered and continue to enter Cowee Creek. Look into the deeper pools and slower runs to find fresher fish. There is a lot of spawning going on in the shallower runs and tail outs. Be careful when crossing these areas as to not walk into the spawning redds.

Good numbers of Pinks can also be found at the mouth of Fish Creek. Try a few hours before or an hour after the high tide. These pinks will be cruising around in schools and will readily take wet flies and the occasional dry fly. Most will be be in full spawning colors with large humps already showing, but there is still a few brighter fish to be had. Try Humpy Hookers, Pink Star Lite Leeches and Pink and Purple MOAL Leeches. For top water try Techno Wogs and Articulated Wogs in pink. For the best top water results, try a long slow strip creating a wake behind the fly.

Silvers: There has been a continuous buzz about the upcoming silver fishery and everyone wants to know: “when is it going start?” Well there has been rumors trickling in of the first fish coming to hand over the last week. And with the massive tides this week, we believe it. Please do not go out thinking that the silvers are in, but go out and fish. When the your first silver of the season comes to hand, smile, enjoy the moment and hope for another. If that other silver doesn't come, just remember that it is still early season. Try Clouser Minnows in Chartreuse & White, Pink & White and the Tutti Frutti. Other flies to try are the Jig Spanker Series, L.E. ESL's and Dolly Llamas.

Dollies: Dolly fishing is fair to excellent right now. Look for spawning salmon and fish the deeper runs and slots behind the redds. For those of you who like to bead, try 10mm beads in deeper pools and in higher water. Once the water drops, move down to 8mm and even 6mm beads. These smaller beads can fool even the finickiest of fish. Start with fresh colors like Tangerine and Natural Roe and try some of the deader colors like Fluor-Orange, Sun Orange and Apricots. If you have any questions of which bead to use, give us a shout. For those of you that prefer egg patterns, try #8 and #10 Glo Bugs and Gorman's #10 B.H. Eggs in lighter colors like Champagne and Washed Pink. These will often do the trick.

We hope to see you out there!

-Brad, Mike and Cory

Lots of good fishing to be had this week. A break in the weather has even made it pleasant to be out again.

Echo Cove shows no sign of slowing up. Pinks are plentiful and still up near the head of the bay. For more on this fishery check out our last few reports.

Montana Creek is full of chums all the way up to its headwaters. The Dollies are right behind them and a well chosen and presented bead is deadly. Have some variety in sizes as well as color. Last weekend 10mm beads ruled. With the water dropping, 8mms are more effective at the moment. If it rains in the next week that could flip back again. Mottled Tangerine or Orange Clear have been super hot.

Cowee Creek also has plenty of Dollies as well as a slug of pinks. You don't have to move far from the bridge to get into fish. For the pnks try a larger profile pink fly such as a Starlite Leech. A steady strip or slow swing is effective. The Dollies are feasting on beads of the variety we mentioned in the Montana Creek report.

Silvers are showing up in the troll fishery and should be near shore in a week or two. Point Louisa, Lena Point, and Auke Bay are all good early silver bets. More on that soon.

Get out there!  Brad