Fellow from across the Pond has asked me a good question, need your help.

[fredaevans]

Fellow wants to come to 'our side' and fish for Pacific Salmon, and it appears October is the target month.

Can give him lots of suggestions for Oregon, but the PNW is a darned big place. For October, where would you suggest?

Fred

 

[Vans]

Tillamook bay has four rivers that feed it and host a salmon run. Kilchis, Miami, Trask and Wilson. Lots of potential there.

 

[fredaevans]

Many thanks! I've passed on the web link for this thread and asked him to join in..

Fred

 

[jabster]

Hi guys. Sorry it took so long to chime in... First of all a small introduction.

My name is Jari Koski and I'm from Tampere, Finland - a fly fishing and fly casting nut.

Can anyone give me some info on Alaska? fresh salmon with a chance to fish for steelhead/rainbows.?

It maybe that I'll be doing a trip there in the summer and change the fall plans to Vancouver island.

 

[Ian Mann 4]

Hi guys. Sorry it took so long to chime in... First of all a small introduction.

My name is Jari Koski and I'm from Tampere, Finland - a fly fishing and fly casting nut.

Can anyone give me some info on Alaska? fresh salmon with a chance to fish for steelhead/rainbows.?

It maybe that I'll be doing a trip there in the summer and change the fall plans to Vancouver island.

One thing that may solidify your plans is the fact that its a pink year here in the PNW and, just like the last run, record-breaking returns are expected.

 

[Frank Whiton]

Hi jabster,

Fishing Alaska is all about being at the right place at the right time. You are asking for a lot if you won't be there long. The best of Alaska's fishing is remote and not easy to reach, especially if you want a variety of fish. So a little more information is needed to help you.

1. Are you thinking about a remote lodge that flies you to a different spot every day for different fish? This is the very best way to fish Alaska but it is expensive

2. Are you thinking a guided trip on the Kenai?

3. Are you thinking about a charter to a remote location and do it your self?

4. Are you thinking about fishing spots that you can drive to?

5. Do you have a budget?

So let us know what you have in mind and maybe we can help you find some fish.

Frank

 

[jabster]

Hi Frank!

No lodges or fly in fishing. Looking for a place that we could hire a guide for 3-4 days and then fish it DIY. Looking for decent road access, but we're not affraid to walk a mile or two to a good spot.

Fresh salmon is priority number one, but a chance to fish for something else would be a plus.

 

[Ard]

You guys all know that I will not "Hot Spot' my favorite fishing locations on the open Internet but I have sent the gentleman a PM offering my help if he wants to use it.

Ard

 

[fredaevans]

You guys all know that I will not "Hot Spot' my favorite fishing locations on the open Internet but I have sent the gentleman a PM offering my help if he wants to use it.

Ard

Now there's an offer you can't pass up!

"Good on You" Ard, "Good on You!!"

Fred

 

[nerka]

October is a bit late for most of the salmon in Alaskan fresh water. If you could manage an August trip the silvers will be bright chrome and the numbers will be much higher. October for salmon is generally scratch fishing. As I have said to others wanting to fish Alaska, this place is huge and varied. It depends on where you will fly into that is going to dictate what you will get.

 

[jabster]

The timeframe for the Alaska trip would be august-september. The original plan was to fish Oregon-California-Washington in october, but there was a change of plans for the fall trip and it has been changed to Vancouver Island.

The Alaska trip would take place this or the next summer.

 

[nerka]

The timeframe for the Alaska trip would be august-september. The original plan was to fish Oregon-California-Washington in october, but there was a change of plans for the fall trip and it has been changed to Vancouver Island.

The Alaska trip would take place this or the next summer.

That is a much better time frame for AK. In August the silvers are generally at thier height for most drainages, September still has some, but they are fewer and not as fresh from the salt water. The other game fish we have like Rainbows, Dolly Varden/Arctic Charr, Grayling are all munching heavily on flesh flies and egg patterns.
Personally I am a big fan of the mega sockeye runs of Bristol Bay found in July, but I really like silvers in August.

 

[jabster]

Thanks for the info guys!

Is there any other salmons running in august? Chums? Are the kings all done by august or is there some later runs available.

 

[nerka]

Thanks for the info guys!

Is there any other salmons running in august? Chums? Are the kings all done by august or is there some later runs available.

If you could narrow down what area of the state you are thinking you might visit that would help a bunch. From your earlier posts it sounds like you want to do a road system trip probably flying in and out of Anchorage.

A few things I will mention before I go any further that I always say to folks planning a trip to Alaska. Firstly bring rain gear and long underwear. Dont skimp on these. It is not worth it. If you do, you will be miserable and why go through all the effort to be cold and wet the whole time. Not to mention dangerous.
Then when you arrive in Alaska buy a can of bear spray and a bottle of what we call "bug dope" or insect repellant, for each person. You will use the bug dope. I hope you wont need to use the bear spray.

As for Kings, in August its not really practical. Most areas are closed to Kings by then to ensure the escapement can spawn with less fishing pressure. Not to mention those in river by then are darkly blushed and the quality of the meat is severly diminished and the quality of the fight they have is also severly diminished.

The great news is that in August the Silvers run thick in many easily accessible places. Silvers aka Coho are good sized fish that taste great and pound for pound put up the best fights. The most acrobatic of the family and fish over 10lbs are routine with some hitting 20lbs or if you look at hardyreels photos can be over 25lbs.
Also, the pink(humpback) salmon are running in massive numbers then. Most Alaskans turn thier nose at the meat, but on a 4-5 weight rod these are a blast to catch. The other thing is that silvers and pinks are much more aggressive towards flies than kings in my opinion. This of course has left the question of chums or "dogs" as they are often known here. There are some in August. But also are the Sockeye or Reds and while I might start an argument here they are the best. That is another post for another time.

 

[jabster]

If you could narrow down what area of the state you are thinking you might visit that would help a bunch. From your earlier posts it sounds like you want to do a road system trip probably flying in and out of Anchorage.

A few things I will mention before I go any further that I always say to folks planning a trip to Alaska. Firstly bring rain gear and long underwear. Dont skimp on these. It is not worth it. If you do, you will be miserable and why go through all the effort to be cold and wet the whole time. Not to mention dangerous.
Then when you arrive in Alaska buy a can of bear spray and a bottle of what we call "bug dope" or insect repellant, for each person. You will use the bug dope. I hope you wont need to use the bear spray.

As for Kings, in August its not really practical. Most areas are closed to Kings by then to ensure the escapement can spawn with less fishing pressure. Not to mention those in river by then are darkly blushed and the quality of the meat is severly diminished and the quality of the fight they have is also severly diminished.

The great news is that in August the Silvers run thick in many easily accessible places. Silvers aka Coho are good sized fish that taste great and pound for pound put up the best fights. The most acrobatic of the family and fish over 10lbs are routine with some hitting 20lbs or if you look at hardyreels photos can be over 25lbs.
Also, the pink(humpback) salmon are running in massive numbers then. Most Alaskans turn thier nose at the meat, but on a 4-5 weight rod these are a blast to catch. The other thing is that silvers and pinks are much more aggressive towards flies than kings in my opinion. This of course has left the question of chums or "dogs" as they are often known here. There are some in August. But also are the Sockeye or Reds and while I might start an argument here they are the best. That is another post for another time.

Thanks Nerka for your reply!

Yes, we would fly in and out of Anchorage and are looking for rivers that can be accessed by car. We are not affraid to walk a mile or two to good spot though, so we don't need to drive our car next to the pool or something like that.

Warm clothes and insect repellent are very familiar to us - we come from Finland so the climate and the insect are very similar here. The one thing we don't have that much are the bears, so that will be something different.

Okay, so august is coho and pink season - so it's fishing with reasonably light gear(6 and 8wt?). I'm a big fan of fresh Chum - is there any systems that have a decent run of them? Is the King run in july or june?

Fly fishing for pacific salmon is quite familiar to us as we have done a few trips to the lower mainland area in BC.

Sorry for all the questions and thanks in advance for your replys!

Jari

 

[nerka]

Thanks Nerka for your reply!

No worries I am always happy to help folks visiting here.

Yes, we would fly in and out of Anchorage and are looking for rivers that can be accessed by car. We are not affraid to walk a mile or two to good spot though, so we don't need to drive our car next to the pool or something like that.

This is a good start, because all of the easily accessible productive spots are generally filled with people. Dont be afraid to walk up or down river to find a nice spot.

Warm clothes and insect repellent are very familiar to us - we come from Finland so the climate and the insect are very similar here. The one thing we don't have that much are the bears, so that will be something different.

Fair enough, we joke that the mosquito is our state bird. Birds in many places are a concern. While I think a gun is a better bet, a can of bear spray is some added insurance. The biggest thing is to educate yourself and friends on avoiding encounters in the first place.

Okay, so august is coho and pink season - so it's fishing with reasonably light gear(6 and 8wt?). I'm a big fan of fresh Chum - is there any systems that have a decent run of them? Is the King run in july or june?

August is generally the height of the run for coho and pinks. Kings run mosty in June but the Kenai has a July run. June really is the best for kings in my opinion though. If you want to catch a bunch of chums I know some amazing places in Bristol Bay, but that is fly out. To be honest I dont know where would be a chum(we often call them dog salmon). I know the Susitna drainage has them in numbers but they are generally past thier prime in August.

Fly fishing for pacific salmon is quite familiar to us as we have done a few trips to the lower mainland area in BC.

Sorry for all the questions and thanks in advance for your replys!

Jari

It might be frowned upon to say this hear, but dont over look an opportunity to take a charter out into the salt water out of Homer or Seward for cohos as well. They generally use plug cut herring. But there is also some halibut fishing to be done as well. If you are flying this far, you might as well make the most of it.

 

[Dr.ChristainTroy]

Michigan has lots of options in early October for fresh chinooks & cohos still. november provides some steel in the mix as well! Nothing pulls as hard as a fresh Chinook!

here are a few videos of some opportunities that are a good time.

Rivers North Guide Service U.P. Michigan | Video