Southwest Alaska

[drift c]

Does Anyone have any experience fishing Southwest Alaska, wood river or Iliamnia lake system? I'll be up there from June 10th to Aug. 26th, anyone?:yay:

[Tillamook Born]

Are you working up there?? Or are you just up there for play. If up there for play, the Lower Talarik is exceptional for big rainbow trout and it flows into Lake Illiamna. But you will probably have to compete with some of the Lodges to get a place to fish. If you are there during the Sockeye part of the season, the Newhalen River gets a run of about 1-3 million sockeye and a place just near the town of Illiamna called Lower Rapids is a good place to catch sockeye. Hope this helps.

TB

[Grantspastor]

I have fished much of that area. Most of it on float trips. I've had great fishing on the Koktuli, Copper, Branch, and Alagnak rivers...along with with others. As has been been mentioned that area gets an astounding number of Sockeye. The are usually there in force in the week after the 4th of July

[FrozenFish]

Good advice here, make sure to work out your air taxi prior to arriving in Dillingham. It gets busy around there when the fish are in. Another thing that sadly needs to be said about fishing this area pertains to dealing with outfitters and their paying clients. Do not let them chase you off of any water or try to convince you that you are somehow on their turf. I will stop here before I get myself fierd up, hopefully you wont run into any of these types. Please educate yourself on how to deal with bears, as fishing among bruins is just part of the experience. -FF

[AlaskaKings]

Just fly into Aniak. Check out Aniak Airguides - they do guided, unguided, outfitted-unguided, etc. Float the Aniak River and see almost no one. Float the Holitna River and catch unbelievable numbers of kings and sockeyes, chum, huge char. The rivers around Aniak peak for kings between July 1 & July 24th! Silvers are even in the lower stretches and the Kuskokwim right at the town of Aniak toward the end of the peak of the king run. Clearly the best unguided remote float trips I have ever experienced are out of Aniak. www.AniakAirguides.com (http://www.AniakAirguides.com)

[drift c]

I am actually a research tech for the UW School of Aquatic Fisheries Science and I will be stationed in Aleknagik. I know there will be tons of coho, sockeye, rainbows, grayling. I have tied about 150 flies including sculpin, mice, moals, egg patterns, got a bead box. Has anyone ever been in this region before?

[NWaddict]

I guide out of Iliamna in the summer and fish pretty much all the lake Iliamna tributaries. We dont fly as far west as you, though we do go out to the nush. Are you going to be doing research on Iliamna tribs?

If you have any specific questions about the area or fishing gear you might need, PM me if you want. It's hard to know exactly what you are after otherwise. There's a lot of fisheries in the general area you are talking about. Sounds like you got the basics.

Early season is same stuff we fish down here for trout, along w/ streamers/sculpins/fry. Dry flies can be fun on the right river at right times. I've never moused them before, but I know a guy who used to guide on the kenectoc (sp?) that liked to use them. Sockeyes can be had on anything you can get in/on their mouth. Silvers bite just about anything stripped fast if you can get it in the vicinity of where they are holding. And most all you'll need are beads and flesh for the trout once the spawning gets going. Keep some streamers handy just in case.

- Dom

[BigSkyHunter]

Sounds like a pretty sweet job. I am sure you will take some incredible pictures as always. What will you be researching up there?

[duck_crazy101]

we fish out of ninilchick if you want to do some fishing pm me and i will make sure you get some fish :cheers:

[Steelie28]

I would bring some flesh flies as well (basically just a natural colored bunny leech). They worked good when the sockeye were dying off. Best method, slap that big sucker on the surface, I mean the worse the presentation the better.

NWAddict, which lodge you working at?

Steelie28

[NWaddict]

Steelie28,

I'm getting ready to start my 3rd year for rainbow king.

- Dom

[Grantspastor]

I'll throw in my vote for Flesh flies also. I've done well with them even before the salmon start dying off