Back from Alaska (PICS)

[clacksteel]

Just got back a few hours ago from Alaska. The fishing was awesome. On the Naknek, the sockeye run was at its end but it was very easy to limit out each day we were there. Each person in our group ended up with about 90 lbs of sockeye fillets each to take home! Those have to be some of the hardest fighting fish out there...they just don't give up. And for all those non-believers that sockeye don't bite...you should tell that to the multitudes that followed and inhaled my teeny nymph.

I managed to fish for some of the big bows up there too. Hooked one that was probably close to thirty inches but lost it. I did land a few nice fish while they were smolting (quite a site to see). Watching the bows and the terns work was like being out in the ocean watching tuna attack a bait ball.

Went to Katmai national park and brooks falls. Didn't do any fishing there but I would suggest it. It was an awesome spectical watching the brown bears fish. They said there are upwards fo 80 bears within the immediate area around the falls. It was slightly unnerving walking through the forest trail only to stumple upon a grizzly a couple yards away!

All-in-all it was a great trip. My final tally of fish caught was: grayling, rainbow, king, pink, sockeye.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/deschutesteelhead39/Fishing/Alaska/IMG_0481.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/deschutesteelhead39/Fishing/Alaska/IMG_0477.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/deschutesteelhead39/Fishing/Alaska/IMG_0466.jpg
Bears at Brooks Falls
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/deschutesteelhead39/Fishing/Alaska/IMG_0484.jpg
A limit of fresh sockeye
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/deschutesteelhead39/Fishing/Alaska/IMG_0433.jpg
Good sized grayling
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/deschutesteelhead39/Fishing/Alaska/IMG_0487.jpg
Nice Alaskan rainbow...with the extend-an-arm technique :rolleyes:

[nehalemguy]

Very nice! Brooks is much better than McNeil for seeing bears. Was the grayling accidental?

E

[gottafish]

You suck!!!:cheers::grin:

[Mr. Sturgeon14]

wow what a trip i cant wait to go up there hopefully next year

[cphatts]

Love them pics!

(would love even better to have those fresh sockeye fillets for myself)

[clacksteel]

Very nice! Brooks is much better than McNeil for seeing bears. Was the grayling accidental?

E

Yes the grayling was accidental. I had seen a few in the run I was fishing for sockeye. It grabbed the teeny nymph and took off! At first I thought it was a small sockeye. I was really suprised by the fighting ability. My uncled said it was probably about 14-15"....supposedly a great fish for up there (I question his measuring ability).

[Wingdam]

How was Tom and the boys? Did you rent or run with Tom? How was the king trolling below the lodge?

P.S. A 14" grayling is large for the Naknek. Way to go!

[clacksteel]

Tom and Dan were great! We stayed at the lodge and they took us out a few times, than we were on our own with a few boats for our group.

The king fishing was pretty good for my dad and the few guys that really targeted them. For about an hour one night I decided to take a sled out on my own and go plugging for kings right out by the lodge. I was rewarded with a nice king. Although fly fishing is my passion, running the boat by yourself, placing the plug in the right slot, fighting the fish, and netting it yourself gives you an absolute high!