8/17/2023 Fishing Report

Even though we had the one of the wettest weeks of the summer last week, the fishing was good during the brief weather breaks.  The earliest salmon that have spawned and died got flushed out and the creeks have filled back up with more pinks and chums.  Montana Creek fished well when the water was around 11.5 feet.  When the creek is this high try adding a second 3/0 split shot to your bead rig.  With extra depth and current you need more weight to get down faster.  At the end of the drift, slowly lift the rod before you recast.  Sometimes the bead will hook up on rocks and the lift will set it free long enough to get eaten.

Bead color choice can vary greatly now.  Start with a known producer and go from there.  With a fresh batch of salmon fresher egg colors should start working again for a short period.  The high water can also stir up old eggs that are dead, so trying different colors and different sizes is the key to catching a bunch of fish.  If you fish a run you think should have produced, change your bead and go through it again.  Look on the bank to see what colors the eggs are and select the bead that most closely resembles the real eggs.

There were a few more cohos caught this last week and we suspect they are moving in with the high water.  After the water clears up it will be time to head out to the channel and give the usual 9-Mile, 5-Mile, Fish Creek and Bayview spots a try.  Sheep creek likely will not have many fish this year, but the pink return was much better than anticipated.  This early we are optimistic that this year will be better than last year.  By next week we will have a better idea of the places where silvers are stacking up.

*We understand that folks want fish, but, if possible, release most of the wild cohos after you catch them.  By all means, keep a fish for a BBQ, just leave the freezer filling for hatchery fish.

As always, we love featuring your photos for our fishing reports.  If you have a great fish, scenery, or action photo that has to do with fishing around town send it our way!  You can email photos or videos to cory@alaskaflyfishinggoods.com.  Please remember to handle fish with care, especially if you are practicing catch and release.  Consider getting a net with a rubber basket to help land fish quickly and keep them in the water until you are ready to snap a quick photo.

See you on the water!

The Crew at AFFG

• Listed below are the hot patterns of the week.  Fisheries change here through-out the season and we do our best to get you the hot flies.  Listed below are our recommended patterns for the particular species available.  Happy fishing!

Hot Beads - Dolly Varden

Hot Flies - Coho