Nate is giving the last report of the 2008 season. With things rapping up he has great fishing to report. He definitely suggests dressing for the weather as it has been a little wet, chilly and windy at times. Good Gore-Tex is a must! Salmon fishing in the area has been off the hook. The Nushagak had a banner run of pinks and silvers, with many 35-50 fish days. The Togiak is continuing to see large numbers of silvers with the largest fish of the season showing up now. The Kanektok has had a great run of silvers. Try the typical furry beasts like Hareball and Egg Hareball Leeches, Dolly Llamas, Starlite Leeches and Lead Eye ESLs in pinks, fuschias, purples and blacks . Floating and light sink-tip lines matched with 12-16# leaders are ideal. Try 7 ½ to 9’ leaders for floating lines and 5-6’ for sinking lines. The rivers in the Dillingham area are on fire, which means very little time without a taught line. The sockeye spawn is in full swing on the Agulawak and Agulapak Rivers and that means 6 and 8mm beads. Mottled Troutbeads in Tangerine, Natural Roe, Dark Roe and Clear Orange are great bets, especially if you do not paint your own or are just getting into the bead thing. Try fishing them under an indicator on a dead drift in the open slots between spawning salmon. Be careful not to swing the bead at the end of the drift as that will often result in a foul hooked sockeye. In another week or two, the trout will start keying into swung flesh flies along with leeches and sculpin patterns in black, olive and tan. In the Iliamna area, the Brooks River is going off. High water conditions have made the wading difficult, but fewer anglers are on the river. With that said, the trout are seeing less pressure and the fishing is outstanding. Try using 6mm beads to imitate the sockeye spawn. The Kvichak has been fishing really well. Lots of fish in the 18-24” range with a few larger fish around. The real big boys should be dropping out of the lake as we roll into October. The same goes for the Naknek. Again fishing beads is the way to go now. On these rivers try 10mm beads with an 8 or 6mm dropped below. As October nears, get ready to start swinging flies again. Articulated flesh, leeches and sculpins in a variety of colors can be deadly. Check out our flesh flies, leeches and sculpins to get an idea of what to throw. This is our last report for the season. Until next summer, good luck and tight lines!
SE Report 9-5-08
If the weather has kept you from fishing this summer, now is
the time to hit it! The silver season is in full swing and the run has been
very good. Without a doubt, the run is far better than last year and river
levels are ideal.
For starters, Gastineau Channel has silvers all over it. It
has been like the times of old when getting a limit of silvers wasn’t
particularly hard to do. Salmon Creek, Lemon Creek, DIPAC and Bayview have all
been productive. The best fishing is from 2-3 hours before the low tide right
through until you get pushed out by the flooding tide. Chartreuse & White
Clouser Minnows and Pink & White Clouser Minnows are the best flies.
Montana Creek has been steadily producing fish. The best
fishing has been mostly around the confluence and just upstream from there.
Peterson Creek has had fish out front in the saltwater for
the last couple of weeks. They can be targeted as they stage before coming over
the falls on the high tide.
Our man Nate has excellent fishing to report from the waters of Bristol Bay. Silvers and pinks are continuing to flood in to the Nushagak. This should continue to fish good for another week or two. Hot pinks, fuschias and purples are kicking it. Try Hareball Leeches, Mega Moals , Lead Eye E.S.L.s and other bunny leech patterns on a floating line or possible a short sink-tip. If you feel lucky, try top water flies like the Popper Wog in pink. The fish run close to the beach so keep wading to a minimum. Silvers are also showing up in good, fishable numbers in other rivers in the area. The Togiak is seeing decent numbers in the lower river and should continue to show in good numbers throughout the next few weeks. Check out slower runs, sloughs and gravel bars. Try flies in pinks, purples and blacks in a variety of sizes. The Kanektok is seeing swarms of silvers coming in with the cooler wet weather of last week. Again the typical silver flies are good choices. Check out our silver selection to get a good idea of what to throw. You might even try some top water patterns like the Articulated Popper Wog or the Hammer Head Wog in pink. Sockeye are spawning or getting ready to spawn in most systems in the area. Rivers like the Moraine are in full-blown spawn. Beads, flesh and egg patterns are a must this time of year. Try 6 and 8 mm beads in fresher colors like the Mottled Tangerine. Remember that rivers in Katmai National Park and Preserve are fly only waters, so wrap those hooks! The Kvichak has been a leech show up until now. Chums are spawning in a lot of runs and the sockeye are not far behind. Try beads in sizes 6, 8, and 10 mm. If you prefer to fish leeches, try swinging blacks, olives and other natural colors. You might even try swinging articulated flesh patterns like Barely Legals and Articulated Lady Flesh. The Agulawak and Agulapak have yet to see the sockeye spawn, but it is not far off. Dries and nymphs are still working well. You might try fishing a bead above a nymph. When salmon start to dig their redds, they kick up lots of aquatic nymphs. This can be an excellent time to fish P.T.s and Copper Johns. Look for mayfly and caddis hatches in the afternoons. Green Drakes can often be seen drifting on the waters surface, drying out their sailboat like wings. Trout and grayling love them. Until next time, Tight lines and good luck!
SE Report 8-13-08
Although the weather this summer has left much to be desired, the
fishing has been very good. We are currently in the midst of great
Dolly Varden fishing in the streams. This season's chum salmon run has
been stronger than the last couple of years and this has meant the
Dollies are stacked in behind them. We are also seeing the first
silvers returning. Silvers have already been reported at DIPAC hatchery
and without a doubt there are some in the streams as well.
For coho, there are several places to go out and prospect. The
confluence of Montana Creek and the Mendenhall River consistently
yields early fish. It is a natural resting spot for silvers as they
make their way upstream. A large Hareball Leech in Chartreuse , Aleutian
Queen or all Pink fishes best. This spot usually demands a sink tip fly
line or a bunch of split shot to get the fly down where the silvers
lurk. Alternate between a dead drift and stripping the fly back in.
Lower Cowee Creek is another good early silver spot. The same flies
fished deep and retrieved quickly work well. Look for the "soft water"
where silvers can rest out of the main current.
A few silvers have also shown up in the ladder and in front of DIPAC
Hatchery. Fishing in the neighborhood of the hatchery around the low
tide is most productive. These fish usually come around North Douglas
on their way up the channel. Stretches of beach from Bayview
Subdivision all the way to DIPAC produce as the silvers move through.
Once again, bracketing the low tide is best since it tends to
concentrate the fish. A floating line, nine-foot 12 pound leader, and a
Chartreuse Clouser Minnow is the setup to have.
Don't let the weather keep you indoors! Put on your rain jacket ,
layer up, and go get after it. This season will be gone before we know
it.
See you on the water. Brad
Bristol Bay Report for 7/28/08
Our man Nate reports good things this last week. Despite slow salmon fishing in much of Alaska, the mighty Nushagak River continues to produce kings. As an added bonus, silvers and pinks are starting to stream in, making for a mixed bag of species to catch. King fishing should start to slow as the season officially closes July 31st. But those wanting salmon should be happy with the early return of silvers and pinks this year. Check out our silver , chum and pink flies for an idea of patterns to try.
Trout fishing is good. Nate reports good hatches of Green and Gray Drakes coming off on both the Agulawak and Agulapak rivers. This adds some excitement to the later parts of the day. Try fishing nymphs in the morning and dries in the afternoon. Nate also reports some spawning in the smaller tributaries of the Wood River Lake system. These are sockeye that are spawning so try smaller egg patterns and 6 mm beads like Mottled Clear Orange or Tangerine .
There are also chums and kings starting to spawn in the upper reaches of the Nushagak and its tributaries like the King Salmon. For those of you who have float trips planned, bring a variety of larger egg patterns and beads up to 10mm. Also bring flesh and mice. The Nushagak is a great river for drifting, stripping and swinging large flashy flesh patterns and pounding the banks and snags with mice can produce some hogs.
The sockeye have started to show up in creeks like the Moraine. Until the spawn starts, try fishing articulated mice and lemmings on top and swinging big leeches and sculpins in black, olive and tan. And even though the sockeye spawn hasn't started yet, beads can be a good bet. Fish tend to remember the good things in life!
George Riddle of Blueberry Island Lodge , located on the Kvichak River, reports that trout fishing has slowed down from June. This is typical for this time of year as the trout transition from eating sockeye smolt to eggs. A good number of sockeye have returned and they should start spawning in mid August, just after the chum spawn. George is expecting silvers to be returning soon as August is just around the corner.
All in all it has been a cold, wet year here in Alaska. If you are coming up be prepared with warm clothes and good Gore-Tex rain gear. Even though the weather has been unpredictable, the fishing is good. So come prepared and enjoy! Until next time,
