9/4/25 Fishing Report

What a stretch of sun. It sure is nice to dry out, but it makes the fishing tough. There have still been some good days of coho fishing, but its spotty and the fish have been rather tight lipped. In tough conditions like these sometimes trying a smaller fly like a Clouser Minnow can make the difference in getting bites and not. We did hear a pretty funny story this week though. Often times we are asked by anglers if they can use their tropical lines up here, or cold-water lines in the tropics and the short answer is we don't recommend it. These lines are built for different temperatures and will at best not preform and at worst fail completely as one of our unlucky visiting anglers learned the hard way. The coho above not only had a Black/White Dolly Llama hanging in its mouth, but there was an entire bonefish line attached to it! Just goes to show that not only are there hungry cohos out there (this one was caught again trolling), but they are bruisers this year and full of fight. Thane between AML and Sheep Creek continues to perform the best, but fish are starting to show up on the North side of the channel.

The freshwater fishing has been decent lately as well. Fish Creek and Montana Creeks are low and slow, but Cowee Creek remains excellent. Beads are still working the best for the Dollies out there. Try and find old eggs and match your bead to them, but generally deader eggs are working better. Keep in mind that coho fishing in the Montana Creek drainages as well as Peterson Creek are closed.

Entries keep stacking up for this year's coho derby, but there is still plenty of time to participate. Send us your three photos by 10 AM September 20th for an entry into our drawing. Once you are entered, submit another photo of a top water caught coho for a second entry.

The 2025 COHO DERBY is going now, have your photos submitted by 10 AM September 20th to be entered into the drawing! This year we will be blending last year's coho contest and this year's king contest. The contest will run from August 15th till 10:00 AM September 20th. Like last year you will need to catch three coho on three different flies. Here is how it works:

Come into the shop and pick out three different flies you will use to catch three different coho.
We will record your choices at the shop.
New rule for this year: You cannot choose Dolly Llamas as any of your three flies(!)
Once you have come into the shop to get your three flies and register, those are the three flies you must use for the contest (you can use and many as it takes, but the pattern and color can't change).
All three coho must come from the Gastineau Channel anywhere between the mouth of Fish Creek and end of Thane Road. All coho must be caught from shore and photographed with the fly in their mouth.
Either come in to show us the photos, send them to our Instagram page or email them to cory@alaskaflyfishinggoods.com.
All anglers who complete the task of catching their three coho on the three chosen flies will be entered into a drawing for three awesome prizes. We will draw the winners on Saturday September 20th; you don't need to be present at the shop to win.

COHO CONTEST PRIZES

First Place: Echo EPR 890-4 fly rod.

Second Place: Simms Dry Creek Zippered Backpack

Third Place: Grundens Dillingham Tech Hoody with Alaska Fly Fishing Goods Logo.

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, pinch your barbs 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 so do the best patterns to use. Below are some of the recommended flies for the current fisheries. Happy fishing!