Category Archives: Salmon

Here we go again

25 Thursday Jun 2009

Posted by in Fish, Fly Fishing, Rivers, Salmon, Streams

≈ 1 Comment

Well these four guys can't get enough. As a guide for Yakutat Lodge, I have seen a lot of types of fisherman, but these guys are great. They are fisherman, not people that just go fishing. We caught a ton of fish today, and I have the pleasure of taking them for the next two days. Another one of the Yakutat Lodge guides (John),has been teaming up with me in the last couple days, and I can't say enough good stuff about him. With John and I joining forces, these fish don't have a chance. I like to use the line, "Let's catch every thing in this hole, and leave it empty", well with over 500 hundred fish in the hole, this maybe a stretch, but we put a big dent in them. Also I caught a large king on my fly rod today, and the got a great release vid of this giant. This king was only 2 minutes out of the ocean, and looks like he had a scrape with an otter on the way in. Here are the pics, and the vids.. Enjoy,,,,,,, More to come. All pics are of different fish.

P6230270 P6250008 P6250009  P6250011 P6250018P6250014P6250010 P6250015 P6250017  P6250019 P6250020 P6250021 P6250024 P6250025 P6250027 P6250029 P6250033 P6250036 P6250038 P6250039 P6250040 P6250041 P6250044 P6250047

Good luck out there.

Flymstr;

Silvers and Chinook on the Fly

12 Sunday Oct 2008

Posted by in Fish, Fly Fishing, Rivers, Rods and Reels, Salmon, Steelhead, Streams, Trout

≈ 1 Comment

Well it took me awhile to get off the couch and really go out fishing.

Today I went down to the Oregon coast to seek out some bright Coho, and Chinook Salmon. I found a bunch of them. We fished the Trask river, just this side of Tillamook, and the fishing was great for the fly rod. I went with my buddy Steve, and again I had to show him how it was done. Steve spotted the first fish of the day, on a quick stop along the side of the road to pee, he looked down and saw two nice Chinook. We got our gear together and went in for the slaughter. It took abit of time to get things in order and to start getting into the rhythm needed to successfully fish. After about 15 minutes worth of warm up time, we started hooking up. I got into four fish in the first hour, and Steve hit into two. That was the last I heard from Steve almost the rest of the day, but I had just begun. We headed up river, and found another location, where we could see fish. We got the gear out again, and now it was really time to start hooking up. In the next five hours, I hooked approximately 20 fish or more, landed about 11, and Steve touched one, and got another one to the bank.  Tough day on the Steve man!!!. It was a great day, and the best was the 35 pound Chinook on the 8 weight fly rod and 10 pound test. Here are the pics from today. Steve is holding the one that he was able to bring to the beach, the rest are the ones I talked into giving up. We did not retain any of these fish, for they were all natives.

 

Hit the fly Great Fish Bright one Red Silver Big Chinook Nice Fish Red Silver Bright Fish Big Silver Nice Fish Perfect Slver Steve's big one

 

Good luck out there!!

 

 

Flymstr;

Vacation Kings

01 Friday Aug 2008

Posted by in Creeks, Salmon

≈ 1 Comment

Well it has been 7 years since I have seen the sun shine in Oregon, in the summer. Damn it’s hot!!!. I know 70 and 80 degrees is not that warm, but from what I am used to, this is hot. Anyway, I am home on vacation now, and having a great time. The creek that I have been fishing for the last 30 years, for winter Steelhead, has Chinook returning to it for the first time in 20 years. When I was 18, I can remember days on the creek, where you could catch ten to twenty of these big kings per day. Then back in the mid to late 80’s, because of lack of funding, the kings run was shut down at the hatchery, resulting in the decline and eventually the end of the Chinook to Eagle Creek. I am glad to say that 6 years ago the state funded a private hatch box, and this is the first returns to the creek this year. It is not a coincidence that I am home at this time. I did not want to miss the first year the Kings came back. I called ahead to some of my friends before I returned, just to see if there were any kings in the creek. The reports I got were not good, but I had a gut feeling that they were there, and my friends had just not spent the time to really look. Well I am glad to say that in the 3 days I have fished, since my return, the fishing has been great, and the Kings I have found have been in great shape. I have got into about 20 fish, and landed about half of them. The biggest so far, being about 25 pounds. These fish have just a bit of color, but they still have white belly’s, and the meat is still bright orange, and they are very firm, and full of fight.

 

    About 20 years ago, I made a fly out of pheasant breast, and it was the best King fly ever. I have not been able to find this feather again, so I used yarn flies for these kings. I used the same tie that I use for the Steelhead, I just used bright reds and oranges, to mimic an egg pattern. It worked fairly well. here are some pics from the last trip with my friend Steve.

 

  Steve is the one I have to give the credit to, for starting me out with the fly rod. I have been fishing with Steve now for over twenty years. When I was just a  young fisherman, catching fish in any way that I could, Steve in the one that took me aside and showed me that you can catch fish with a fly pole, and you can be very successful, if you learn how to do it right. Since then, I have been fly fishing with Steve, and it’s a great fishing partnership. Of course we have come to the point that when we see a fish, (if we can hold back from yelling "Fish in the Hole!")  we try to keep it to ourselves, knowing that if we say anything out loud, the other guy will have there line in the water before the words are spoken. So we play some games with each other out there when it comes to fish, but the time we spend together now is great, and we can fish together without any problems. We are both freaks when it comes to fish, so with that in mind, if we see a nice big one, the river gets quiet, and fishing is the only thing going on. The less Steve talks, the more I assume that he has a big fish in front of him, but I back off, you have to let a guy have one now and then.

 

  nice little King 

 

So good luck out there. Remember if you have a place you want to fish, and some people are saying that there is no fish, then go check it out for yourself’s. I found a gem of a fishery at Eagle Creek, I also have not seen another soul down there. So it is the best vacation ever.

 

FISH ON!!!!!

 

Flymstr;

New Jersey Style

22 Tuesday Jul 2008

Posted by in Fish, Halibut, Ling Cod, Salmon

≈ 1 Comment

Well the Sockeye fishing has gone south, because of high water and very wet conditions. My friends, and clients of the Yakutat Lodge arrived just as the rain did. So needless to say, the fishing has been tough. The ocean, on the other hand has been very good to them. Here are some pics of Donnie Hunter and his group with some nice Halibut and Silvers. The pink salmon have also started to show up in the lower Situk. I expect they will over power the remainder of the Sockeye in the system, making it hard to even see the Sockeye. When the pink Salmon enter the river, they come in very large schools. There maybe over 500 fish in every hole on the entire river. Because of their aggresive attitude, they make it very hard to fish for anything else in the river. It also makes them a great fish to target for fun. On an average day, a client could expect to hook into well over 20 fish a day. On a good day, that number could easily go upto 50. So if your looking for a fish that is very aggressive, good for smoking (When caught fresh), and a load of fun to fish for, then check out the Situk River, and the Yakutat Lodge for some good times and great fishing.

 

Good luck out there.

Flymstr;
 

Kings and the Akwe

14 Monday Jul 2008

Posted by in Fish, Rivers, Rods and Reels, Salmon

≈ 1 Comment

Well as many of you know, the limits and river access on the Situk have been cut back, due to a lack of Sockeye over the weir. The kings are thick in the river now, but still no sign of them opening the river for kings. Today though I flew out from Yakutat Lodge to the Akwe river. The kings are arriving there in good numbers, and the Sockeye’s and the Dolly Varden are thick. Matt and I guided six gentlemen to the Akwe today, and the fishing and the catching were non stop. Although only two large kings were landed, there were others hooked and lost. There were five Sockeye’s caught, without even fishing for them. The guys were also able to land around 100 Dolly Varden. Here is a pic of the 30 pounder, and a pic of the rest.


Not a bad 5 hours.

 

Flymstr;

Sockeye

19 Thursday Jun 2008

Posted by in Fish, Fly Fishing, Rivers, Salmon, Streams

≈ 1 Comment

Ok the Sockeye have really started to hit the Situk River, but most are smaller fish. This may be contributed to the commercial nets just being in the river for 3 days. For the most part the smaller fish can swim through the mesh in the net, where the bigger fish get caught up. Matt and I walked up from the lower end of the river today with three clients, and came across some nice groups of fresh sockeye.The Yakutat Lodge clients were able to get their limit of 6 fish each within 6 hours.

                          All Sockeye caught in the Situk must be hooked in the mouth, if they are not in the mouth, then they must be released immediately and unharmed. If you know you have a fish snagged, then try to release it in the water, instead of dragging it up on the bank and then yanking the hook out, and kicking the fish back into the water. Remember every fish you kill, is a fish that won’t make it to the spawning grounds. If this happens repeatedly, everyday, by 50% of the people, then it could have a negative impact on the future runs, which in the long run will effect you. So respect the fish you foul hook, it’s not their fault, and they need to be release unharmed.

Here is a pic of Matt sitting in front of 12 of the Sockeye we collected today.

Sorry it took so long Donnie. But it has only been 3 days, not 5.

Flymstr;

Sequence of Events

26 Wednesday Mar 2008

Posted by in Fish, Salmon

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Sometimes you get just the right picture, but for the most part you struggle to get that perfect shot. Some photographers shoot just a few shots and try to make something out of it, and some just shoot until their thumb is numb. Some of these photographers don't really know what they are doing, and are just taking as many pictures as possible hoping to get just the right one. Few photographers spend the time to get to know the subjects they are shooting, and wildlife can be a difficult subject to shoot even for a pro. I have been very lucky in the short amount of time that I have been capturing fish on film. About 6 years ago while starting out in Alaska, I met an individual with a passion similar to my own. I have always been a fisherman since my first Steelhead at a very young age. My passion for Steelhead has taken over my life, and I there is little to no time in each day that I don't sit and think about these wonderful creatures. I am always plotting on how I can change things up just enough to fool one more fish. Maybe alittle green, mixed with pink and white will do the trick today. I often think in multicolors when I am out fishing. If a Steelhead is keying in on orange that morning, and I am throwing peach at them, I probably won't get a strike. By mixing pink, orange, and peach together, I have three times the chance that one of those colors will be the correct one. So I often pick two or three colors together that I know work on there own, as well as in combinations. Before I get lost here, lets get back to my photographer. Like I was saying, it takes a special passion to film still life photography. Soon after meeting with Brian Woobank (Of Seattle Wash.) we both knew what we would be doing together. I am still amazed now after 6 years, at the patience Brian has to wait for the right shot. I always thought that was what was happening over there under the umbrella, or off on the other side of the bank, while he just sat covered by his lenses, and his camera, always at the ready up to his eye, finger on the trigger. Well I could not have been more wrong. While I am fishing, or if I am helping out a client with a big fish, Brian is clicking away in the background. Unlike others who just click away randomly, Brian is systematically catching all any action taking place within the view of the lens. The most spectacular shots are not those cover shots, and they are not those pictures of fish five feet in the air, (Although Spectacular, and the ones the people want to see),it's the ones that show the reality of what has taken place. I am talking about sequence's that show the entirety of the whole event. I have the utmost respect for my photographer and the patience he shows every time we venture out, not only the patience to deal with the weather and the fish, but the patience to deal with a Steelhead fisherman. Now after 6 years, we have been published in Salmon Trout Steelhead Mag. (Grey Ghosts, Dec. 2006)    Fish Alaska Mag. (Cover Jan. 2008) ,  and I am proud to say that Brain has the cover for Fish Alaska again for next months May 2008 issue. Although it hurts that I am not the fisherman holding the fish, cud-dos to you Brian, see you in May.  Here are a couple of the sequence shots from the last couple king trips, July 2007.


http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf
                                     
http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

Hope you enjoyed;

Flymstr;

The Natives are coming? I Think!!

20 Thursday Mar 2008

Posted by in Fish, Rivers, Salmon, Steelhead

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Well to those who are waiting for the Eagle Creek natives they are still a no show. Recent conversations with the hatchery staff have led me to beleive that if the natives do show it will not be until April. The run came early this year and that was that!!!  Gene, at the hatchery said that around 35 fish entered the trap at the hatchery since the 10th of the month. The good news is that the fish that are arriving seem to be in good shape still, leaving me to hope that there are still groups in the Clackams River just waiting to shoot up. The cold water may be the biggest factor in the late arrival of the natives. With warming waters will bring new fish in and the natives will show up then also. On the other hand, this is the year of the return of the Chinook into the creek. Five years ago there were 60 thousand smolt dumped in at the Eagle Fern park just above the first ladder. Since then the number of smolts released has increased, and the dump site has been pushed up the creek to a private landowners property just below the hatchery. So eventhough all the Chinook may not return all the way to the hatchery this year, you can bet on a good run next year, since the number of smolts has gone up to 200,000 for the last 3 years.

So look for the big boys to return soon.

Flymstr;