Update

I guess I should try to get this thing going again. I have been out fishing a lot more recently. Most of the trips have been successful and we have been catching some nice fish. I would really like to get this blog going again and will try to report on a more regular basis. If anyone has any ideas let me know. Also, if anyone wants to be able to post lrt me know and I will get you set up. Here are a fewpictures from some recent trips.

Update

Well it has been awhile. I have been real busy with getting ready to move and finishing up school. I have been doing some fishing both on the lake and bass fishing on Erie. The early season smallmouth fishing on Erie is unbelievable, we caught so many 4 to 5 lb bass that you would not believe it. I can't wait to really learn that fishery and put a six pound smallmouth in the boat. The fishing on Lake Ontario has been good with a lot of kings and steelhead, but the fish have been a little smaller so far. Hopefully the numbers will stay high and the size of the fish will increase.

Spring is Here

The fishing in the creeks continues to be good, but is slowing just a little. That is alright though because the warmer weather has everything else staring to get good. The perch are biting in the ponds along the lake, the crappie are staring to get active , and the browns are all along the lake shore. It is now time to get the boat ready and start to hit the lake. Soon it will be time to hit the lake for some spring salmon. Here are a few more pictures from lately.

More Browns and Steelhead

Hit the stream today with Joe for a few hours. The weather was real cold and the wind made it even colder, but the sun felt great and the stream looked good. The water was on the high side and flowing strong, but the visability was great. We strated slow, but then ended with a flurry. The totals for the two hours of fishing was 10 browns and 1 steelhead. The cold water allowed the fish to fight hard and we were surprised with how healthy and strong the fish were. One of the smaller browns we caught today was stuffed with bait but still inhaled a spinner. Check out the picture we took of the bait that the fish had in its mouth. If the rain holds off this week should be real good.

Hungry Browns

Finally hit the stream for some fishing today. The creek was actually on the low side and visability was pretty good. I fished a few spot after work and was happy to see that there was still a fair amount of browns left in the stream. I was tossing spinners and the browns were cooperating. The surprising part was how cold the water was and in turn the fish were lethargic. It looks like it is a good time to do some casting for browns or to start searching some spots for steelhead.

Last Few Days on the Alagnak

Our last few days at Angler's Alibi were spent on the Alagnak River. At this point of the trip we were concentrating on fighting through the constant chum salmon we would hook to get to the more desireable silver salmon. We wanted to fill our cooler to bring fish home and hopefully catch a few big male silver salmon. We succeeded at both. The weather continued to be warm and sunny. This allowed us to fish in comfort all day. It did however slow down the fishing a little (if you call 30 salmon per person slow).
On our final day we both caught fish on our last cast. Unbelievably as we were breaking down our rods for the boat ride back to the lodge a bear joined us on the gravel bar we were fishing as if to say good bye. Back at camp we reluctantly packed up and were treated to one of the best meals we had ever had. Before long the float plane arrived and we began our long journey home. We had five flights that went through the night and the next day before arriving home at 4:00 in the afternoon.
The trip and our experiences are hard to put into words. I guess the best way we have been able to describe it is that it was "life changing". It is a good feeling knowing that there are places like this still on Earth. This was a trip of a life time that we look forward to doing again as soon as possible.

Niagara River Steelhead Fishing - December 12

Well conditions were finally right to hit the Niagara River to do some steelhead fishing. Luckily Mike and I had a trip booked at the right time and with the right person. Captain John DeLorenzo once again put us on a great day of fishing. We fished Artpark the entire day and almost never made a drift without a fish. The morning started off with a bang and we had multiple fish each drift. The steelhead were fresh from the lake and full of fight. The fishing slowed a little during the afternoon, but we ended the day with an amazing 40 steelhead. All the fish were quality fish that were chrome and clean. The best fish of the day was around 16 lbs. The only downfall of the entire day was that with the constant action we did not take enough time to take enough pictures. Here a few of the many fish from the day. When conditions are right, this fishery is one of the best steelhead fisheries in the world. Anybody looking for a good trip should contact captain John DeLorenzo.

Alagnak River Braids

On this day ,we were excited to take the one hour jet boat ride up river to the braids. The Alagnak River is also called the Branch River, because it splits into so many brances or channels. These branches are called The Braids. This is the place on the river where some of the salmon spawn, the place where salmon and trout smolt grow, and the place where the best rainbow trout fishing occurs.

The ride upriver was long and cold, but it was absolutely amazing. Our guide Caleb expertly guided the boat around tight corners and through water as shallow as six inches. Along the way, we saw bears fishing, young eagles learning to fly, and a volcano in the distance. The water in The Braids is much more intimate and we felt at home fishing the swift gravel runs.

We arrived at our first location and once again it did not take long to catch fish. From the first cast of the day to last cast, we were catching fish almost continuously. Many of the fish were smaller rainbow trout, but there were larger trout, grayling, char, and even some salmon mixed in. In this area of the river, we were surrounded by huge spawning king salmon. These giant fish looked like red logs slowly moving through the water. In fact it would not have been to difficult to hook one, landing one on the five weight fly rods we were using would have been a different story. So despite the temptation we concentrated on the beautiful rainbow trout that were ready to do battle.

Each spot we fished rewarded us with nice trout with a few big ones mixed in. When I say we caught fish all day long I am not exaggerating. In fact, if you let your bead sit in the water by your feet too long a baby trout would be on before you could make a cast. An amazing occurance that is fun at first, but quickly becomes annoying.

Our day in the braids was ending too quickly, but in the final minutes of fishing one of us was able to complete the salmon grand slam (king, silver, sockeye, chum, pink) by landing a small jack king salmon. This was a welcomed surprise since we did not target king salmon all week because the season was closed. The ride back to camp was just as exciting with beautiful scenery and wildlife around each curve. We arrived back at camp, ate some delicious food and relaxed for the evening.