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Alaska Fishing Made
Easy
Below you will find our take on what is required to be
successful in the quest for the great Alaskan sized fish. We include
the basic requirements and techniques for you to be successful. We
support and practice 'catch and release' and concentrate on fly fishing.
So, in all
cases, these flies must be fished deep.
Fishing just off the bottom will produce the best results. Bouncing
along
the bottom spells lost flies, so be sure to get enough. The exceptions,
of course, are the Grayling and Rainbow which are also surface feeders.
To find out what the
perfect fly rod for Alaska is, visit
http://www.bestflyrods.com . And of course there is the old story
about Fisherman's Luck.
Remember
- our aim
is to make you successful on your trip in short order, so you do not have to experiment your whole
trip away trying to use a bunch of flies that are marginal. We show
you the best flies for the job anytime and anywhere here in Alaska.
Also it is very important to know your way around. We have selected
some videos and books to help you along. For
books click here, for videos click here.
Fishing in Alaska
is highly dependant on the actual times of the salmon runs at the location
you intend to visit, and depending on
that location, the run times will be different.
Plan your trip accordingly. If you are targeting the King Salmon, be sure
to ask about the times of the King salmon run at your target location. If you
leave this to chance, you may get zip for your effort. Like wise for
every other salmon species. In the case of salmon, what you want
to catch are the fresh run fish, not the spawned out, green headed red
bodied, old fish.
Rainbow and dolly fishing is influenced by the salmon runs. There are
resident rainbows, grayling, char, and dollies in most locations. The
big ones are the smart ones. As with every species on earth, they get
stupid when its time to mate, or food is overly abundant (thanks to the
spawning salmon), or if the rainbows are just getting mobile after the long winter. So these are the times to be here.
Pink Salmon run every year, but their big runs are on the
even numbered years. Pink salmon are not really considered a big sport fish
by Alaskans. They are fun to catch when they are in for everyone, and
you can catch them every cast. Most folks use a TAmary for fly fishing
these fish. Get the kids a spinning rig with a spoon and they will
have a blast! Chum Salmon also fall into this category of not being
considered a big sport fish. However, the chums are like fighting a
bull. Usually these are caught with a spoon or lined like sockeye.
Be
absolutely sure to inquire about the run times at your target location.
Being there at the wrong time will not be good. What to do, where to
do it, what to expect, what to bring with you, and all the big questions you
are asking or should be asking are covered in our
books and videos.
Tackle:
For King Salmon you will need a 9 weight rod minimum, for
Silvers and Sockeye a 5 or 7, and for Rainbow a 5. A 5 weight just
requires a little more finesse. Take a lot of flies, the fish and the
bottom will get many. Holding a 12 pound sockeye in the
Kenai with a 5 is sometimes very hard. If they run downstream, so will
you, and in the end you
just kiss 'em goodbye along with everything at the end of your fly line. A sinking tip line is a nice thing to have
also. Also be sure to have some good waders since the water
temperatures will be very cold in most streams. Be ready to run up and
down the banks following your fish. Odds are you will not be able to
hold them in one place. The bottom of the Russian River is very slick,
so there are many comical chases with resulting splashes amid the combat
fishing crowd. It is just too much fun for both the observer and
fisherperson. Oh, and did I mention the insect repellant?
Species:
Kings, Silvers, Pinks, Rainbows, Dollies,
Grayling:
All Alaska fly fishing follows these general rules below. We have
selected our fly patterns to bring you the highest level of success on all
days without having a million different flies of every color in your fly
box. If you use these flies, and the fish are there, you will catch
fish.
Kings:
TAmuddler,
TAartic, TAmary,
TAeggsucker,
TAegg
Probably a territorial response, but they do take the fly.
Silvers, Pinks, Dollies:
TAegg,
TAmuddler, TAartic,
TAmary,
TAeggsucker, TAflesh
Silvers do attack flies. They hit like a freight train. Have
fun.
Sockeyes:
TAmary
Sockeye salmon for the most part do not feed. So color
doesn't matter except to the fisherman. The technique for sockeyes is
called 'lining'. Whereby the lead weight is above the fly about 18
inches. The
weight and the fly drift at 90
degrees to the current, the line slips into the fishes mouth and eventually
tightens up. This technique seems crude, but this is the way it works.
Ok, Ok, so you say you have seen sockeye hit a fly - we have to, but we can
count on one hand those that we have seen actually take the fly. Just
use a big streamer with a hook size near the legal limit. There is
nothing like getting a big Sockeye in the fast water of the Kenai river. The TAmary
fits the bill with some possible side benefits - like a big silver, king, or
rainbow.
Rainbows
Any
Time:
TAmary, TAmuddler,
TAegg, TAartic,
TAeggsucker,
TAflesh
Big rainbow trout on these flies. Fish them deep behind spawning
salmon.
Grayling
Grayling are surface and sub-surface feeders, Small dry flies and
nymphs work best. Any floating or sub surface fly will work on
grayling. So just bring your own dry and nymph patterns. The
best pattern is - surprise, surprise, the mosquito. TAmuddler
will also work on grayling
quite well.
Dolly Varden
Fish these the same as the rainbow instructions.
Dollies are also known as Bull Trout in the lower 48 where it is against the law
in the many areas to catch and keep these fish. In Alaska they are
considered a little less than the rainbow and other species due to their
predatory inclinations. Which makes them fun to catch. You can catch
dollies anywhere there are spawning salmon. The
TAflesh is a killer for these fish when
fished behind a fish cleaning station, or downstream of dying salmon.
In General
And then there is the old saying the '90% of the fish are
caught by 10% of the fisherman'. This is still true in Alaska, but the
10% are catching so many fish their arms ache and they have to quit fishing.
So this leaves the rest of us out there fishing and catching fish all day...
Oh, I think that 10% are also our customers ;)
Good luck on your trip to Alaska. If the fish
aren't hitting, just take the time to look around. When in the boat
going up or down any river or across the lake, turn around and look. The scenery is
breath taking. Alaska, without a doubt, is one of the premier places to
visit on earth.
Have fun.... |
