Alaska, 15 seasons and counting.

salmonchaser

Handloader
Dec 13, 2013
4,524
3,572
Making my final preparations before heading north for my 15th season guiding on the Naknek river.
That number is a little misleading in that when I was still on the job I only guided for a month, burning all my comp time and some vacation time. This will be my forth season guiding the entire summer.
Takes a week to get everything up and running, the river opens June 8. Our first guests arrive on the 7th and typically want to fish for rainbows at 0001 hours, ugh.
I had the great good fortune to have my dad stationed at Fort WAINWRIGHT in 1959. Dad took full advantage of that post, packing us all over the state fishing and tagging along on some hunts. In 1961 I caught my first King on the Kenai.
We left Alaska in 63 so dad could get his doctorate in Engineering at Oregon State but almost every year since we came back, most often to fish sometimes to hunt.
Alaska has changed immensely in that time, but the Bristol Bay region is remote enough to still have that old Alaska feel, and excellent fishing.
Alaska gets in your blood or it doesn't. Some guys hit the perfect week, of the perfect year, catch more fish than they can.count and never come back. Others find a way, selling body parts whatever it takes to come back. My wife calls Alaska my fickle mistress.
Regardless my sincere hope is each of you make the trip at least once. Every one should visit THE GREAT LAND.
I will miss the forum very much while I'm gone, our bandwidth is too limited and the satellite feed to expensive to support my visits. I wish you all a fine summer and thank you for the help on my loading issues.
 
Should be a great summer! Enjoy.

Alaska is well worth seeing. I've had the good fortune to make the trip quite a few times, backpacking and fishing.

Guy
 
Trust it will be a great summer. 'Course, spending the time guiding can be very rewarding, especially being allowed time to drink in the scenery. We'll hear all about your summer when you're back.
 
Quick update on Alaska. Weather sucks this season, until today. We transitioned from rainbow fishing to Salmon yesterday. Picked the right day to do so. Entire camp came in with limits of Sockeye and Kings, yesterday and today. One of my clients hooked 9 sockeye on nine casts this morning.
Bigest king so far came in today tipping the scale at 40 pounds.
We have yet to brake the 30 inch mark on rainbows this year. 28 inches has been the best so far.
have a great summer guys.
 
Still and all, that sounds like a decent season for those who aren't used to the norm. That sounds really good on salmon so far.
 
Thank you for the information & then the update :).
Looking forward to your return with some great stories & photos of your adventure!

Blessings,
Dan
 
Limits on sockeye again yesterday and today. Not much effort on the kings yesterday and none so for today. Had to share our sockeye water with a very old sow and her one remaining cub this morning. She fished through quickly so we didn't mind sharing.
We have 12 guests in camp and all the groups have at least 10 years experience with us, so there was not too much excitement when the bear showed up.
Most of the sockeye are running a little small this year, so far, but we started picking up more double digit fish this morning.
 
It's funny when a group is used to sharing the river with a grizzly... We just sort of keep an eye on it, the bear hardly pays any attention to the anglers. It fishes, we fish. And all is well. Normally...

Sometimes the "teenage" bears make more of a problem, same as teenage humans!

Hope the season turns out well. I'm not heading to Alaska this year... Phooey.

Guy
 
The season is winding down for us. Cold this morning but mostly clear and dry, damn fine weather in the Bristol Bay region. Late July saw king fishing get pretty slow in Alaska. We did not get put on limits as some of the more famous king rivers did, but we had to work for our fish. The commercial fishing nets and set nets were out 28 tides in a row after the fourth of July. Contrary to what the state will tell you they do catch a lot of kings fishing for Sockeye. Silver fishing while always good on the Naknek has been fantastic this year. The only issue with silvers has been the huge run of pink salmon. Early in August I had guys catching 10 or 12 pinks for every silver. We are still catching a few pinks but they are spawning and dying in huge numbers this week.
Flyout fishing to small tributary streams has been very good, to "best day of my life" according to some of our guests. We like happy campers.
Lots of bears, no issues other than giving up a fishing hole. Did get surprised by one the other morning that was fishing right below our dock. Molly my 20 month old GSP went after the boar barking and carrying on. Glad she is quick and agile.
The record book so far: Kings 45 pounds; Silver 18 pounds; Sockeye 12.5 pounds; Chum estimated at 20. Most fish caught by two guests, 75 pinks, 10 silvers. All the pinks were released.
Most fish hooked and lost; 62 silvers hooked for 10 landed. Bad case of butter hooks.
Biggest Rainbow; 31.75 inches; Artic Char 30 ish inches.
Heading home soon to get ready for elk and pheasant hunting. Deer hunting in Washington is probably out as my two primary areas burned to the ground last summer.
and my lovely bride drew a cow tag in Oregon so she'll be on her first elk hunt this year.
Hope you all have had a great summer, will attach some pics when I get back.
 
Dad just returned from another year of fly fishing for silvers in Alaska. Had a great time and caught a mess of fish. He's in his 80's now. I haven't been since 2012. We're planning on going together again, in 2015. Already in the process of making our reservations at the lodge, for about a year from now.

Alaska gets in the blood!

Guy
 
I have a place down on the Kenai in Sterling (have had it since 1988) and spend pretty much every vacation day every year up there for the past 25 years. I am glad I bought it when I was young and before I was married with kids! Best investment ever mentally.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
emtrescue6,

Welcome aboard. Good to meet new people posting on the forum. Sounds as if you have a little bit of Heaven there on the Kenai.
 
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