Alaska is big country with a lot of wild between the relatively few cities and settlements. The land can be generous with excellent hunting and fishing if you know what to do and have the right equipment.
Our timing was excellent. The week before, heavy rain deluged the area. All of the rivers and streams were up, and the Coho salmon run kicked into high gear.
However, we still needed to figure out what the fish wanted, which ended up being:
- A new custom fly
- One of the existing Salmon Slayer patterns
- The best colors were chartreuse and pink
- Presented with a sink tip line and very accurate casts
We were primarily catching Coho salmon.
Along with a few large dog salmon.
Both species are strong fish which require a ten or twelve weight rod. I prefer a twelve weight because it provides more control with 15-20 pound fish in a strong current.
The first day conditions were perfect and four of us kept 24 Coho salmon and released many more in four hours of fishing. The largest fish were approximately 15 pounds.
The next day the group caught 80 Coho salmon and kept 12. At that point, the ice chest for bringing back frozen fish was full and we released the remainder of the salmon caught during the trip.
Amazingly, the following day when we had everything dialed in (fly patterns, line type, location, and time) I caught and released over 60 Coho salmon which is the best I've ever done in a single day.
However, no rain had fallen since we arrived, so the flow in all the rivers and streams was dropping and the amount of fishable water was dramatically reduced.
In the smaller streams the Coho run had completely stopped and the fish began staging in saltwater waiting for the next rain.
Even then the group caught and released over 80 Coho salmon despite the amount of fishable water being very limited. I attribute this to great flies, the right line, and some pretty excellent casting.
Two members of the group were using the new custom pattern and were delighted with the results especially when the fishing got tough.
By the last day it became almost impossible to find good water, which was not already taken, so we just chilled out, politely fished the margins, and waited for people to leave.
In this situation be smart and give your fellow anglers plenty of room. Eventually, they will catch their limit and move on, or simply tire out.
To access fish on the last day I climbed out on a rocky point opposite a good pool. Footing was somewhat precarious but I still caught and released over 35 Coho salmon without interfering with the other anglers.
The custom fly used on this trip is available to you under the Custom Pattern Option, lowest price level. We also caught a great many Coho on the standard Salmon Slayer patterns in chartreuse and pink.
It is a total blast to show up at your destination with flies the fish have never seen and which no other anglers have. This is the Bear River Tackle difference.
Now that you've discovered Bear River Tackle flies you are destined to have fantastic fly fishing. Give them a try!
Glenn Personey
President
Bear River Tackle