in search of the silver king

I for one am not much of a winter person. I don't really like to snowmobile, snowboard, snowshoe or snow whatever. I may go ice fishing a few times but really I put up with the winters in alaska for the spring summer and fall. A lot of people i know who live in the lower 48 will say how can you endure the long winter for a few fleeting months. Well first off i think many people are surprised how much fishing there is to be had. Many people think its just june july august and september but if you really love to fish like myself you'll go after many a species and honestly i can expect some sort of good fishing on kodiak or elsewhere in alaska starting in april and going through october and maybe earlier or later depending on weather. Of course when it's on its on summers in the great land are truly spectacular. However there may be something to be said for living somewhere warm with fishing year round. On on that note my thought transition to florida. One way i do get through winter is by constantly planning researching and obssessing over upcoming fishing trips and I don't think I have ever looked forward to a trip as much as I have for Islamorada in May. I've always dreamt of going to the keys, it's so different than what I am used to in terms of scenery, weather and style. Of course the fishing looks awesome as well!!! While I know someday i'll chase bonefish, permit, redfish or sea trout the fish i have been most enamored with going after is the tarpon aka silverking. I know with that nickname a fish has to be bad ass and ever since i began watching fishing shows detailing going after these goliaths with a fly rod and reading about them in magazines I have made it a goal to set the hook on one. So while the snow continues to fall and the cold wind blows I will try to just close my eyes and imagine myself on the bow of a flats boat casting to a 100 pound mass of silvery muscle.

Magical Rainbows

I sure do love Kodiak! The emerald isle sure is hard to beat for variety of fishing and hunting in fact I don't think it can be beat. However the one thing it doesn't have is something I am very passionate about....Big. Resident. Rainbows! Sure we have steelhead a fish I am just as passionate about but I have a special spot in my heart for big bows especially on big rivers. A few days ago several fishing friends from the lower 48 were inquiring about alaska and what species to go after and of course the mighty Chinook, tasty sockeye, acrobatic coho and barn door halibut were all mentioned but not one work about the rainbow trout I crave. When i mentioned it to them they dismissed the idea even though they love trout down there and they know how big the bows get up here. I told them all about how hard they fight and how beautiful they are and once again how monsterous they get! Their response was salmon fight hard are beautiful and are big! This really got me thinking as to why I have trout whether it be resident or andronomous atop the alaska fish pyramid by such a large Margin. Don't get me wrong I love all the salmon including fresh pinks and fresh chums which are both underated as well as a myriad of other fish. But Steelhead and Rainbows are by far and away my favorite quarry and I know that this is true for many alaska resident fly fisher. When I go back to the question I know the anwser is there but not a straight forward awnser like they are big but one of more mystic or magical properties. After all pound for pound a sockeye fights harder for me than a bow, kings and silvers are usually bigger and I still think grayling are the pretties fish in alaska. After some thinking I have come to several conclusions. First off Rainbows are just available more often throughout the year then chrome salmon. For Example on a river such as the naknek or Kenai there can be great fishing in April, June, July, August, September and october and even other months if there is a warm streak. I truly believe you really get to know the fish and there cycles. Another thing is the fact that C&R are the name of the game for these fish. I do love meat hunting for salmon especially sockeye but sometimes the fight of the fish can get lost in the fray and the enviroment can become less noticable when the goal of blood is on hand. When I am fishing for pure fun and not meat things slow down and seem a little prettier. Then there is something truly though provoking about a big trout because of how old that fish is and the fact that it's spent it whole life in freshwater. Most adult salmon are the same age and spend at least half their lives in the salt. When I catch a big Trout It makes me think of how it got to be 8 plus years old, where it's been and what it's seen in the watershed it calls home. Finally there is that thing I can't put my finger on call it whatever you want but there is something about these fish, an aura if you will. In the end why they haunt my dreams isn't that important. Whats important is that I'm lucky enough to that they do!

Quality over quantity

Back in the days of the late 90's early 2000's i was in middle school and high school and was just as fish crazy as I am now. I loved to fish and fish I did.... A LOT!!! Every other day at the very least during summer and a not to mention quite a few after school sessions. I always thought I would make room for 100 plus fishing days a year like i did then but alas it currently is not working out that way. Don't get me wrong i still fish a lot and just because I don't get out as much as i used too doesn't mean I'm bumming. Yeah one reason is the fact we all face when we reach a certain age which is we have to work for a living and there is no summer off for most jobs. However lets get to the positive, jobs make money and u can earn vacation and money plus vacation for me means fishing trip! This gets back to the quality over quantity perspective, sure the kodiak road system kicks major fish ass but mostly because of the people factor pretty much everything it has to offer is better in remote areas that require time and money i.e. vacation to get too. Pasagshak silver rock and fishing their every other day in september for 3 to 6 hours is great but if i had to choose i'd rather fish my brains out for silver in uganik for a week. Then take into account the species we don't have here, specifically the large river bows that make me weak in the knees and u come to realize it's not always about getting out all the time it's about making it count when you do. Right now i'm biting the bullet and not fishing as much as i want because i'm saving money for two of those trips. I can't reckelesly spend money on gas and gear because i don't make that much and i can't put my trips in jepoaridy. It may such now but when im on the nak in search of giant rainbows with my dad or on the karluk with my best bud tied up with steel then I will know it was worth it. To be a little nerdy i'll quote Gandalf the Gray "All you have to decide what to do with the time that is given to you". I'll fish as much as I can at home but i'll always be will be willing to sacrifise some pleasure of the here and now of the there and later!

Tying Mad

Most people have some sort of vice or activity they use to let off steam and I am no different. My number one way is fishing but last night after work it was too late too fish. The whole night i was steaming because anyone who knows me knows i am a crazy die hard nba fan. My team is the jazz but i have a borderling obssesive hate of the LA Lakers and last nights blowout win for them in addition to some very obnoxious customers had me irked to say the least. So when i got home i decided to put the anger to good use and get some flies done for my naknek trip in late August/early September. Que some blaring rage against the machine and the next two hours was a very productive hour of a mad scientist concocting some creations sure to wreak havoc on some big trout. Now those trout better hope for a game 7 boston victory or some truly evil fly may be headed their way!

Good to have options

My favorite part of of of where we are at now and for the next few months is the amount of options I have in such a small area. Currently the buskin is closed for sockeye but hopefully pasagshak will heat up soon and for the next month it will be an option. Pretty soon we will have king runs in 3 of our rivers and in july pinks big dollies and all summer good lake fishing for rainbows. I love having so much to do with so much water in less than 100 miles of road. Its why i put up with the winter.