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Bristol Bay Report for June 24, 2008 |
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Our man Nate reports that the weather is still on the cool side in the Dillingham area. The melt off that had the rivers up, has subsided with the cooler days and the rivers are dropping. The Wood River lake chain is now low for this time of year along with the Nushagak. But plenty of snow in the mountains ensures that there is more melt to come. That will be a good thing as long as the melt doesn’t happen all at once. The Nushagak king run has swung into full gear over the last few days. Gear guys are doing the best, but some nice fish are falling to the fly. Nate recommends flies like Pick-Yer-Pockets , Jumbo Critters and various Guide Intruders . Chartreuse has been best, but Pink and Fuschia is working, too. With the water being a little lower, try a lighter sink tip like a type III. There are rumors of a few fish being caught on the Togiak, but the first good push of fish has yet to come. Sockeye are starting to flood into the river systems over in the Bristol Bay drainages. Large schools of reds are now finding their way up the Wood River where they will follow the chain up to find their spawning grounds. The best fishing right now is on the Agulawak. Try smaller flies like Mercer’s Sockeye Fly or Sockeye Lanterns . Fishing for sockeye is set to pick up soon on the other tributaries and rivers, such as the Agulapak and Wind Rivers, that hold later runs. Rainbow fishing has been good and steady. Rivers like the Kvichak, Agulapak and Brooks have been very good. Lower than normal water may helping the trout fishery. With the cooler air temps, river like the Agulawak, Agulapak and Brooks, haven’t been producing much in the ways of insects. Try swinging leeches or sculpin patterns in black, olive or tan. M.C.’s Sculpin , McCune’s Sculpin and S&B Super Sting Leeches are good bets. Char fishing at the mouths of rivers like the Agulawak and Agulapak have been on fire. With the outpouring sockeye smolt this time of year, it is pretty hard to match the action of fishing for arctic char. Even though sockeye smolt are very small, try swinging or stripping big bait fish patterns like Ame's Smolt . Or try S & B Super String Leeches in black, pink, flesh or white . Pike fishing remains hot. The shallows are producing the best. Try big leech patterns like Thunder Moals or Articulated Hareballs in black and white. Large red and white Clousers and Flash Tail Whistlers are working too. Pike fishing should remain good for the next few weeks. That’s it for this week. Keep an eye out for the next Bristol Bay report. Hopefully the king reports will get better and better. The sockeye should continue to fill the rivers and the dry fly fishing for trout and grayling should get good when the rivers start to warm. Until then, Tight Lines! |
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SE Report 6-19-08 |
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June is in full swing and there are almost too many fishing choices!
Kings, sockeye, sea-run Dollies and cutts. It seems like there aren't
enough hours in the day. I guess it is not a bad problem to have.
The Dolly and cutt fishing is still going on off the beaches and in
the river mouths. Due to our long and cold spring, there are salmon fry
that haven't headed out into the deep water and the Dollies are
grabbing every one they can. Larger Clouser Minnows (#2 and #4) are
working well. A quick strip retrieve on top of a boil is the best
technique. If no fish are actively feeding try a slower retrieve and
let the fly sink 10 to 20 seconds before bringing it back in.
Bracketing the low tide (2-3 hours before the low until 2-3 after the
low) is the prime window. Amalga Harbor, Salmon Creek, Echo Cove,
Juneau/Douglas Bridge Beach, and Eagle Beach by the Boy Scout Camp have
all fished well lately. The lower reaches of some of the rivers have
been quite good as well. The fry will soon migrate into deeper water
and the Dollies will relocate to the rivers to await the return of the
pink and chum salmon. This usually happens in mid to late June. Now is
the time to get the last of the sea runs!
The king salmon season is also going strong. DIPAC's prediction of a
larger than average return seems to be coming true. This is a great
year to get into king fishing or to give it another go if it has been
awhile. These kings are hatchery fish and return either to DIPAC
Hatchery or Fish Creek. A ten weight rod is ideal but an eight will
suffice if you just want to give it a try. A medium sink tip line is
great for getting the fly down into the strike zone. Fish the dropping
tide just after the high at Fish Creek. Kings move into the estuary on
the high tide and slowly cruise around until they drop back out at the
low. The incoming tide is generally less productive. A Fuschia Hareball
Leech , Pink Fergus' Rockstar or a Chartreuse Stinger Prawn are three
great patterns to entice a vicious strike. Be prepared for hoards of
no-see-ums (tiny little biting flies.) We carry no-see-um headnets and
lightweight fingerless bug gloves that will save your bacon out on the
creek! To fish the DIPAC return, try the beaches around the hatchery or
the mouth of Salmon Creek around the low tide. Kings cruise in this
area before finally pushing into the hatchery.
Finally,the sockeye run at Windfall Creek is on for the month of
June. It is open Wednesdays and Saturdays for the month of June ONLY.
The creek is closed to all fishing on the other days. It is a very
"social" fishery so don't go up there for the wilderness experience.
However, it is a great chance to catch what is pound for pound probably
the hardest fighting of all the salmon. An eight weight rod, a reel
with a good drag system, and a floating line is best. A 9-foot 12 lb
tapered leader, strike indicator, and split shot round out the terminal
tackle. The #6 Sockeye Lantern and #6 Red Hot are two of the best
flies. It is also good to have a few Copper Swans , Montana Brassies ,
and Shad Flies in your fly box. Practice getting a nice deep dead drift
with a tight line so you can feel the strikes. Good luck!
See you on the water! Brad
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June 9, 2008 Bristol Bay Report |
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As with the rest of the state of Alaska, Bristol Bay is a few
weeks behind schedule with spring just kicking into gear. Heavy snow
pack left over from winter will help insure good water levels for the
year. The rivers and lakes are just now starting to swell with melt
off. June 8th marked the opening of the rainbow season.
Decent reports are coming from the Kvichak and Naknek rivers, but
both water and air temperatures are cold. Try swinging leeches or
smolt patterns.
Trout fishing in the Wood-Tikchik area is slow to start. The spawn
is late this year and cooler water temps are keeping the spring
hatches to a minimum. Char fishing at the mouths of the Agulawak and
Agulapak rivers is up to par for this time of year and should only
get better as more sockeye smolt start their migration out to sea.
Swinging and stripping smolt, baitfish and flashy flesh patterns is
working.
Grayling can be found in decent numbers right now. Fishing nymphs
and small wooly buggers is producing.
With the ice just recently off the lake within the past few weeks,
pike fishing is action packed. Hungry from the long winter, now is a
good time to target these toothy critters. Big ugly leeches produce
well along with mice on top.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) is estimating a
return of 160,000 king salmon for the Nushagak River, with an in
river goal of 75,000 fish. Rumors of a few fish being caught in
subsistence set nets in the Dillingham area is a good sign. The first
good push of kings usually happens sometime between June15-17 and
fishing is usually hot by the 21st.
Both the Alagnak and Naknek river king salmon forecast are for
average returns, which should number in the 5,000 fish mark. The
parent years for this years returning fish were normal or close to
normal returns. The Togiak River is predicted to have an average to
above average return this year with an estimated 10,000 plus fish
expected to return.
ADF&G predict average runs of sockeye to the Bristol Bay
drainages this year. This is the prediction every year. What the
actual returns will be is something only nature knows. To see ADF&G's
Brisol Bay sockeye forecast go to:
www.cf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2/finfish/salmon/bbay/brbfor08.pdf
. To see ADF&G's Bristol Bay sport fish forecast go to:
www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/Management/Areas.cfm/FA/BB.forecast
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SE Report 5-30-08 |
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Ahhhh, summer is finally here and the fishing is good! Air and
water temperatures are warming, lots of fry are swimming off the
beaches, and Dollies and cutts are showing up in good numbers. The
steelhead season is past its peak but isn't over yet. Many of the
fish that are currently in are paired up and spawning. I can't
over-emphasize how important it is to leave these fish alone. Look
for single fish particularly near the mouth of the streams where the
freshest fish tend to be. Often the fish farther up the creek are
already in spawning mode. Use some discretion and we'll all be able
to fish these magnificent runs long into the future.
Probably the best bet right now is sea-run Dolly Varden fishing.
DIPAC is going to release their chum fry the first week in June. This
is 2-3 weeks later than normal but due to the cold spring they are
holding the fry longer to allow them to mature. There will be two
releases, one in early June and one later in the month. All told they
will release over 35 million fry in Gastineau Channel and over 47
million fry in Amalga Harbor. The Dolly fishing is already very solid
in the channel. Once the DIPAC fry hit the water it will go into over
drive.
Fishing the lower half of the tide is most productive. Three hours
before the low until three hours after the low is best. The higher
end of the tide tends to spread out the fish. Expect a lull in the
fishing right around the low, too. A few spots to try include Sheep
Creek (from the creek mouth all the way around to the Thane Ore
House), the beach near the Douglas Bridge, little Kowee Creek on
Douglas Island, Salmon Creek, the area where Peterson Creek flows
into Amalga Harbor, and Echo Cove. Eagle Beach by the Boy Scout Camp
will open on June 1 as well. This is by no means a complete list of
spots. Dollies move all over in their search for a meal so try your
luck at other spots. Another good technique is to look for birds
(Arctic Terns in particular) feeding on fry. Birds can often lead you
to the fish!
A five or six weight outfit and floating line with nine foot 3X
leader is the best setup. If dollies are splashing around eating fry
try to cast a fly right on them and strip it quickly. When they are
in a feeding frenzy they tend to be much less selective and will
recklessly grab a fly zipping away from them. If you don't see much
going on, move around covering the water with casts in all
directions. Also try letting the fly sink 10-20 seconds and then
strip it in. Keep your strip short and quick. Don't let the Dollies
get too good a look at your fly. Some good patterns include the
Gray/White Clouser Minnow or the Olive/White Clouser Minnow in sizes
2, 4 and 6, Salmon Fry in size 6, Epoxy Mini Minnow in size 6, and
Stinger Clousers in Olive/Whit e and Gray/White .
See you on the water. Brad
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SE Report 5-16-08 |
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FISH REPORT 5-12-08
Its another cold
spring. Spring 2008 is looking a lot like a repeat of 2007 with cold
temperatures, low water, and a slow start to the fishing.
So far, the
steelhead fishing has been tough due to very cold water temperatures
and gin-clear low water. The stream survey guys at Fish and Game were
recording river temps of 1-2 degrees celsius! While some steelhead
have moved in, they have been skittish and hard to hook.
What we need is
a dose of warm rain and it looks like we are going to get it this
week. If things play out like they did in 2007, steelheading is about
to get really good. Here is the scenario. The rains set in and this
starts melting the snow pack and bringing river levels and water
temperatures up. This in turn causes a bunch of big, happy, grabby
steelhead to push in. Now through the end of May should be primo
fishing for chromers.
Don’t be
afraid to swing a big seductive fly when the water is up. Try a Pink
Articulated Hareball Leech or a Foxee Prawn in Popsicle. Fish deep
and vary the action of the fly. MOAL (Mother of All Leeches) in Pink or Black , Frank's Fly , Polar Caballeros , and Black Egg
Sucking Leeches are all successful patterns. Both Peterson and Cowee
Creek are good bets on the Juneau road system.
The beach
fishing is just starting to pick up for sea-run Dolly Varden. The
salmon fry are late in emerging and the Dollies are taking their time
coming out of the lakes. The channel has been slow but fish have been
taken around the Douglas Bridge, the Shrine of St. Terese, Dupont,
and Gastineau Channel.
As we all know,
when DIPAC Hatchery releases their Chum fry the Dolly fishing goes
crazy. Usually the first Chum release is in Mid-May. Due to cold
conditions and slower growth rates, DIPAC is looking to start
releasing around the third to fourth week of May. The releases will
be staggered but when all is said and done over 30 million Chum fry
will be released in Gastineau Channel! The Gastineau smolt releases
will occur at both Salmon Creek and Sheep Creek. Let the feeding
frenzy begin! In addition to the the Gastineau Channel release,
nearly 50 million Chum fry will be released at Amalga Harbor. Clouser
Minnows in a variety of colors, Salmon Fry , and Stinger
Clousers are all great producers. Keep your eye out for feeding birds
(usually Arctic terns) to help locate schools of fry.
Fishing the
lower half of the tide for Dollies is most productive. Three hours
before the low until three hours after the low. The higher end of the
tide tends to spread out the fish. Expect a lull in the fishing right
around the low, too. A few spots to try include Sheep Creek, the
beach near the Douglas Bridge, Kowee Creek on Douglas Island, Salmon
Creek, the area where Peterson Creek flows into Amalga Harbor, and
Echo Cove. The Dollies move around looking for fry but these spots
are good starting points.
See you on the
water! Brad
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