I don’t know why I have not been on this site this year. We had a very hard Steelhead season due to weather, and I have been down about it all Sockeye season. There were some good days with Steelies, but not when we really needed it to happen. Sockeye season is the best I have ever been a part of up here, and the Kings are everywhere, but still not open to retention in the upper river. There were incidental catches along the way, and some nice pics taken of them before they were released unharmed. Here are some pics from the last couple months. I have not taken many Sockeye shots this year due to the amount of fish we have been catching, it is hard to take the time out to snap a shot. 130,000 Sockeye, 900 Kings, and some 40,000 Pinks roughly have passed the weir as of today. That’s a pretty good number of fish in this little system. If the Kings hit 1,000 they may let us keep one a day and hopefully only one for the year on the river so there is no real impact. With more than 75% above the cut off line even if it was open, the spawn this year will be big. Here are some pics for you.

Brian, the wives, and I:

Ed Fast visits:

Yakutat Lodge clients:

Good luck out there.

Flymstr;

This has been the toughest Steelhead season I have had the displeasure of fishing in. With several cancellations during the high water event, and then great fishing for a week, and then up with the water again. The last two groups left early today because of water height. Looks like the rain is coming back tomorrow, so we may get one good day on the water before it goes up again. Several trees have clogged the river several times in the last couple weeks, and now with three more big trees across the river the chainsaw will be more important than the fishing rods. I cut a path through yesterday, but now the water is going to drop again and the cutting will have to be done every day until we can clear the way. We have been able to get on the water between storms, and the fishing has been good. Here are some pics from the last couple weeks.

Good luck out there.

Flymstr;

Well it has been a week now since I arrived in Yakutat to guide for Yakutat Lodge again. The lodge is up an running smoothly, and the fishing is very good right now and looking to get even better as the month comes to an end. I have taken 2 sets of clients down the river so far, and they have landed nearly a hundred fish and hooked many more. Bud Gore returned for 5 days of Sun and great fishing. He absolutely killed it this year, with another 40” Spring Steel Buck.

Tommy is also kicking butt with Yakutat Lodge clients in the boat. He has been out every day I have, and the numbers are very good for him also.

We are mainly using float and jigs, or the aeropuff. (Multi colored yarnee). Those two methods are the key to success here. Although other methods do work for some, those methods very often have a learning curve that is to high to teach clients in one day.

If you have any want to catch huge Steelhead by the handfuls, then Yakutat Lodge is the place to be for the next month. We also have Sockeye just around the corner in June, and they are the best fighting Salmon there is.

Ok so here is the fish porn you are waiting for from the best pics of the week.… >>::::::>

Buds big forty incher (= 20LBS)!!!!

Steve with back to back 36 inchers.

Good luck out there.

Flymstr;

Well as you all know it has been a bit since my last post. There has been a good reason for it. I needed to keep quiet for awhile to take the heat off the water I was fishing. It did not seem to be all that effective, but at least I tried. So here is the skinny on the fishing.

I have been out everyday but one since my last post, and the fishing has been nothing short of awesome. I don’t really know how many fish my friends and I have hooked the last two weeks, but I know it’s nearly 100. The fish started out nice and fresh, but have now started to get a bit colored up and less dynamic during the fight. We are hoping for another shot of fresh fish to hit the river this week with the bump in water height the last two days.

My best buddy from Colorado, (You all know him as John, one of the best guides I work with in AK, and has been highlighted on this site several times), was here the last 8 days, and we really got into some nice fish. Got some great pics of some big Steelhead John got into.

Summer Steelhead should start to show themselves in the lower rivers also in the next two weeks. The summers are more aggressive and should be very fresh and ready to rumble.

Here are the pics from the last 2 weeks, hope you like em. Also there is a video to come in the next couple days.

Good luck out there,

Flymstr;

Well today was the day to remember for sure. Over the years I have been after a big native chrome buck. I have caught them in Alaska several times, but has been very elusive to me in the State of Oregon. I have caught several large bucks in Oregon, but never a big chrome one. Today I got one that was 38” by 21”, just around 20 lbs. It was also the best fight I have had in Oregon ever. I was shaking for an hour after landing this giant. He took me through the hole I was fishing, and then down some nasty white water rapids. With the help of my buddy, and a nice catch and release net, we were able to get this boy after about a fifteen minute fight. This fish will be in the memory banks forever. We also got 4 more today. I was able to get three, 1 really big native, one more native about 12 lbs, and 1 nice chrome hatchery fish. My buddy and his dad also each got 1 nice hatchery fish. All in all we were 5 for 7. Not a bad day at all.

One from buggy creek on Saturday.

Good luck out there.

Flymstr;

The fishing is slow, but not totally a waste. I had 3 days with no bites, and then today was great. We went 7 for 10, and no small fish all day. Nice fresh Steelies are entering rivers all over Oregon and Washington right now. The Brood stock fish are on their way, and they are big this year. Here are some great pics from the last couple fish catching trips. Check out the beautiful Native Steel I have had the pleasure of getting acquainted with.

Good luck out there.

Flymstr;

I got out today and what a day it was. I floated the Sandy with Ed Fast from http://edfastriveradventures.com. Again, Ed did not dissapoint. We got into about 10 fish, and landed 4 nice ones. I got two 3 salt fish, both over 30”, and the other 2 landed were nice bright fresh fish. The Sandy river should continue to get pushes of fresh fish for the next month or more. Here are the pics from today.

Good luck out there.

Flymstr;

Well I am still at home with the backlash of all that has been happening, but my buddy Ed Fast at http://edfastriveradventures.com/ is kicking butt still. He is the best at this stretch of water on the Sandy, and it is a great trip to go on. He runs his raft throughout the entire Sandy river with great success. I have made this trip several times and have had only one tough day. Here are some pics from his trip today,, they went  3 for 10 and some on the spey rod. That’s pretty good fishing right there.

Good luck out there.

Flymstr;

Been able to get out a bit this week, and success was good. There has been some personal stuff going on recently with my wife and I having a miscarriage. It has been tough, and the posts have been far and few between. I believe the worst is behind us now and we can get on with things. Also my beloved dog (Indy), had cancer removed from here stomach, and today she is finally free of all the stitches and she is ready to start showing up in pics again. Here are some pics from the coast and from the Sandy river with Ed Fast. He is kicking butt this year and looking for clients to get into fish. Visit his site at http://edfastriveradventures.com/ and get ready to hook up with some nice Oregon Winter Steel.

From the coast:

From the Sandy River

Nice fish and pics.

Back in Yak; When you could keep kings:

 

Good luck out there.

Flymstr;

Still been able to find a fish or two around. My truck was out of commission for some time, but now it is up and going again. The fish pics should start to flow on a regular basis once again. Hit up a local river today and got a nice Native hen, and a big hatchery buck. Another good day for the aeropuff. Here are a few pics and more to come tomorrow. I am floating a real nice section of a beautiful canyon dug river. Should have some big chrome on the books tomorrow.

Good luck out there.

Flymstr;