Fly-Out to Moraine Creek - 8/8

Ok, I will try to update the blog now. Things have been real busy with my new job at Brockport, helping the basketball team, and fishing being pretty good around here. Anyways, I guess it is time to get back to posting on a regular basis. My goal is to try to get this blog to expand and get more people posting.

After the previous two days, we thought we had seen the best that Alaska had to offer. Wrong again. We woke up to a cold morning, a great breakfast, and the anticipation of fishing for giant wild rainbow trout on the world famous Moraine Creek. It seemed like it took forever to swallow our made-to-order breakfast and get rigged and ready for the day. Unfortunately the fog took a little while to burn off, so we had to wait patiently for the float plane to be able to land. After about a half an hour (which seemed like it took an eternity) the plane arrived and we were flying over the tundra and on our way. Moraine Creek is not only famous for its giant rainbows and abundant sockeye (literally millions of them), but it is also loaded with bears. As we approached for the landing on a small lake near the creek, our guide pointed out several bears roaming the edge of the stream. We unloaded and began the short walk across the tundra to the stream. About halfway to the creek, we were joined on our journey by a brown bear who was as eager as we were to go fishing. We gave the bear the right of way and then made our way down the slope to the famed river. We trudged across the fast-moving water to an exposed rock bar where we could put our rods together and get ready for the day. Our guide for the day, Jim, said this was the safest place to set up because a bear could not sneak up on us here, we had a clear 360 degree view. It didn't take long for a bear to come meandering our way. Jim just kept working on the rods while we were anxiously wondering if he even saw the bear headed towards us. Jim kept working, the bear kept closing in on us. When the bear got within 20 yards Jim decided we better try to "turn" the bear. "Turning" the bear consisted of yelling at the bear to move on, which did not work this time. The next step was to skip rocks near the bear in hopes that the bear would be startled by the unfamiliar noice, again this did not work. So, we made our way to the middle of the stream and let the bear pass. Now it was finally our turn to begin fishing. We were rigged up with 5/6 weight fly rods and beads to immitate the millions of salmon eggs in the water. Carolynne got into position and made a cast while Jim and I watched. About half way through the drift, the strike indicator disappeared and she set the hook. As the fish felt the hook it instantly came out of the water eye-level with Carolynne. The fight continued for five long minutes and the fish was lead into the shallow water to be released. To quote Carolynne, "This is the most beautiful fish I have ever seen!" The wild rainbow trout measured 22 inches and was fat from eating eggs. The size, although world class, could not compare with the beauty. These leopard rainbows get their name because of the numerous black spots that cover their body. Some of these magnificent fish even have spots on their eye lids. The day continued with much of the same... bears fishing, eagles feeding on salmon scraps, thousands of bright red sockeye salmon, beautiful sunshine, and fishing for rainbow trout, arctic grayling, char, and salmon that can not be described. These fish fight harder and jump higher than you can imagine. Each one looks like it was painted by the hand of God. By day's end we had caught rainbows up to 29 inches and grayling up to 19 inches, all within close proximity to dozens of bears. Speaking of bears, we were able to observe many different ones doing many activities. We saw mothers with cubs fishing, 3 year olds learning how to fish on their own, and adult males who were expert fishermen claiming the best fishing spots and roaming the high banks of the stream. At one point during the day, I took a break from fishing and watched Carolynne hook a wild rainbow. The sun was shining and the sky was cloud free. As I looked around I was able to see seven different bears and an eagle sharing the experience with us. It is nice to know that their are places left on Earth that are this amazing. The day flew by and before long it was getting close to the time to leave. I continued to fish and found a nice school of salmon. As I peered into the water I faintly saw a large silver fish feeding behind them. I made several drifts before I got the right one... the fish turned towards the bead and sucked it in. I set the hook and proceeded to land another beautiful Moraine Creek rainbow. I released the fish, sat down on a rock and just took the rest of the time to take in the whole atmosphere.

It was time to trek back to the lake and meet the float plane. As we sat and waited for the plane, we reflected on the awesome day we just had. It was a surreal experience. We now understood why when the other guests were asked where they wanted to go on their one flyout trip, they resoundingly and without hesitation said "Moraine!" This turned out to be our favorite destination also. Enjoy the pictures!

Fly-Out to Contact Creek- 8/7

After our first day on the Alagnak River we thought there was no way to top a day of catching 140 salmon and seeing some unbelievable wildlife in a beautiful place. We were wrong. We were awoken with coffee in our tent and headed over to a breakfast that you would expect from Embassy Suites. We discussed the day's plans with the guides and were anxiously awaiting the float plane to arrive and take us to our day of fishing. The guides said we were in for a treat: a day of fishing on a remote mountain stream full of spawning kings, with dolly varden, grayling, and rainbows feeding on the kings' eggs. The plane arrived and we quickly loaded the gear for the day and were on our way. The flight was amazing as I was sitting in the front passenger seat and I had an amazing view of the tundra and the mountains. I also got a close-up look at how the float plane worked. The flight alone would have made the day amazing, but that was just the beginning! We set down on a small lake and started our mile trek to the creek. Walking on tundra is a very unique experience. It feels like you are walking on a giant sponge because each step you sink down a few inches. We arrived at the edge of the creek and it was such an amazing feeling to be able to take our time getting ready to fish, since there were no other humans within fifty miles. The stream was a small and intimate and was very similar to our home stream, except there were no people and more bears and fish than I can put into words. We rigged up our six weight fly rods and began to fish. Within two minutes, both of us had landed our first dolly varden. These fish were so beautiful. Each one looked like it was hand painted. We worked our way down stream a bit and continued to catch these beautiful fish. Mixed in with the dollys were beautiful grayling and both of us caught some of these stunning fish up to 19 inches. As we rounded a corner, we were blessed with a sight we had only hoped to see, a mother brown bear with three cubs fishing the water about 50 yards from "our spot". This was truly an amazing sight. Now I had a problem... watch these amazing animals or fish in one of the most beautiful, fish filled streams on earth. Luckily, the bears moved on and made my decision easier. Back to the fish. A few more grayling and dollys. Then I hooked into something different. The fish hit hard and took off down stream. I thought it was a spawning chum or king, but it felt different. I chased the fish and had to climb through a tree to untangle my line. Should I break off the big fish? I decided not yet and continued to fight the fish. Just then, a giant rainbow jumped clear out of the water attached to my line! Now, I am really nervous. The fight goes on and I guide the fish into some slower water where I was able to land it. It was a GORGEOUS 27 inch leopard rainbow. This wild fish had probably never seen another hook. The fish had a green back with a vivid red stripe and spots everywhere, including it's eyelids. After we took some pictures, and my hand stopped shaking, we returned to fishing. As we continued to fish our way upstream, we caught tons of dolly varden, grayling, and rainbows. Carolynne hooked and landed our biggest dolly of the trip, a clean fish in full spawning colors. The wind picked up a little bit and muddied the water. This was caused because the shallow lake that this stream runs out of was churned up from the wind, causing waves. Once this happened, the fishing slowed a little bit. Sounds like a good time for lunch! We found a spot on a gravel bar that had enough room for us to see bears coming and prevent them from sneaking up on us. We ate our lunch on this sunny, 80 degree Alaskan summer day thinking that we must be in heaven. The fishing after lunch was a repeat of the morning with even more rainbows, grayling, and dollys. The highlight of the afternoon's fishing was when I spotted another giant rainbow and decided I was going to catch it. I lost count of how many times I must have drifted to the fish, but after numerous fly changes, it finally hit a flesh fly and the battle was on. This fish was more silver than the first, but gave an exhilarating fight. Before we knew it, it was time for the hike out. Let me take a minute to explain this hike... we had to hike to a further lake because the first lake was too small for us to take off from. This one-hour hike turned into one of our buggest adventures. As we walked along the trail (bear trail), we startled the mom and three cubs from earlier as we walked through alders. The mother bear popped up only 30 feet from where we were standing, and made it clear that we should move. Caleb, our guide, took us off the trail and into even thicker alders that were now above my head. We trudged through this, falling every few steps for what seemed like an eternity. The brush was so thick that we could not even see where we were stepping, let alone if there were more bears or moose up ahead. As the hot Alaskan sun beat down on us, we weren't sure if we would EVER make it out. We finally came to a clearing where I found a huge moose shed that I unfortunately had to leave there. With the lake in sight, we finished the hike and dunked our heads into the water once we got there. I don't remember much of the flight back since we were all so exhausted we closed our eyes and were back at camp before we knew it. Once at the lodge, we were treated to hot showers, appetizers, dinner, and dessert. We went to bed early this night, as the guides warned that tomorrow's fly-out could possibly top today's adventure. Yeah, right! We took about a hundred pictures on this day. Here are a few.

Lake Ontario Salmon and Trout

Salmon and trout fishing at the mouths of the tributaries continues to be good to great at times. The few short trips we have made after work have been very successful. The kings have been hitting j-plugs and spoons in water from 10-50 feet and the trout are hitting smaller spoons of the boards. If the wind cooperates I really want to get offshore for some big steelhead. It is almost the time of year to hit the streams and I can't wait. I love being on the boat, but look forward to getting "lost" on the streams and fighting some steelhead in strong current.