That's a big grayling, very nice. Love all the rainbows too.

I see the Aniak River Lodge burned yesterday. That’s one way to unload one of those places I guess.

Yeah, I've never been able to capture the iridescence of these beautiful fish. Guess I'm not that great of a photographer. Still a great species to catch.

Phooey.

Right! Or to pay for a major remodel.
I don’t know who owns it now but if it’s the same folks who have owned it for a while, it’s good they are shut down.


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You know that's something the insurance company is going to want investigated...

It does happen, I don’t think they had opened up this year. Fire insurance on these places is expensive, arson a big concern.


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Nice pictures. Thanks for sharing and hope you get some of your season opened. Dan.

We had testing required before the state did in our contracts this year. Regardless of what you think of the various state responses, Covid is a tough bug. One guy getting up here, getting the staff sick and any guests sick would bankrupt us.
So far so good.
Everyone is worried about Com Fish. Every harbor fish processing facility is seeing spikes, State shuts us down now, we’ll we just loose our ass...
Fishing for trout has been good. Two groups come in this afternoon, 30% smaller then booked due to Covid. I’ll cover staff and fuel costs this week! Both groups are here for Sockeye and Kings, I’ve been seeing both but made no effort to catch them yet.
Summer solstice, it’s a big deal up here, probably lead to another spike in Covid.


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Our home river remains slow for kings and Sockeye. Hopped in the 185 and flew to Cabin Creek. Nothing big but very consistent fishing for 16 to 24 inch Arctic Char. First trip to Alaska for both boys.



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OT, but were many people work close together under less than perfect conditions, spikes will happen.
One of our biggest meat-processors is shut down - more than 1000 of the 7000 employees infected (most of them the ones that really process the meat, standing close together. Few of the office-staff) and spreading out to the communities around.
The whole area is close to being locked down again, while most other regions are slowly going back to normal - or at least the'new normal'...
Apart from that: I really enjoy your pics!
Alaska is a bit too far for me, but Norway and Sweden are calling loudly.
May have to give in one day...

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Go fishing, life is unpredictable. This is the first year we don’t have a group from Europe. Germans it a seems really enjoy Alaska.
Grizz across the river a couple mornings ago. Appears to be new to the area this summer. Still very long legs relative to his belly, that’s going to change with 1.5 to 2 million salmon hitting our river in the next three weeks.


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Yeah, make me drool

I will be 50 in two years. Maybe a gift to.myself?

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Been a good year for Grayling, getting some nice ones.
43, foggy and rainy right now. Hope you all are having a warm and dry summer.
It’s windy too. Dang it.


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Does a grayling get that size from age or good nutrition? That thing is a pig!

I have fished here in northern Saskatchewan and have caught a number of Grayling but never seen them as large and in these few photos .
SC please keep those photos coming.
Be safe and have a great summer up there in Alaska .

Blessings,
Dan

So these have come from streams around Ugashik. The state record for a long time came from Ugashik Narrows. Great genetics and great feed I guess.
Kings are slow, only spent two or three hours trying with poor results. The Nushagak is putting out some fish now, next drainage over so any day now we hope.
Sockeye started showing today. Took some work but the boys from Louisiana found limits today.


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Sockeye today, best eating salmon!


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Whats your recommended rod setup for your river?
I have a 11' 7 weight switch rod would that work?
Thinking ahead for a bucket list trip one day.
But I would love to catch a Steelhead

A 7 will work in experienced hands. I always recommend an 8 and that’s what we’ve been supplying for twenty years.
A number of guides I work with up here use 9 or 10 wt rods. Sockeye are great fighters and break more Sage fly rods then any other fish.
Sockeye follow the shore line. They don’t mind being in a foot of water. Best indicator of a rookie guide is his clients aren’t fishing from dry ground.
A
Switch rod, fished traditionally works fine, if you’re throwing more then twenty feet, you’re fishing beyond the fish, generally speaking.

As a bucket list trip Alaska should be near the top that’s for sure. I always recommend people do a complete cost analysis in picking your region.
You can have a great time on the road system but in reality the Bristol Bay region can be available for not too much more. There are lodges out here that cost 2 k per day and a few that are more like 700.

When it’s time for steelhead let me know. I no longer guide for them but I know three guides who are very good. Two in Oregon, one in Alaska.


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Thanks very much, that's very interesting.

Whenever I fish in another country I employ a guide for one day, then go off on my own, but appreciate that might not work where you are.

That's really appreciated in relation to recommending a guide for the Steelhead, it's high on my list, more so than a Salmon

For rainbows, silver salmon and steelhead a switch rod or Spey rod is very useful. I still prefer a more traditional single hand approach and I’m a basket case handling a two handed rod.


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Got jumped by a grizz Sockeye fishing today, slow fishing got interesting.
Young bear, probably first year on his own.


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Yep, that always makes things a bit more interesting. Really love those grayling in particular earlier in the thread. Absolutely beautiful fish.

People wonder does bear spray work, yep. You’ll see my brother dance across I’m on his left for a brief cameo.
Whoops the video didn’t load

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