Rainbow

It was a rainy evening and as the sun went down and I had just got back from plugging for some Kings. Lucky I had my camera at the ready.

Alaskan Cherry

So I landed my first Adult King Salmon the other day and a Chum Salmon. It was an awesome night, the river warmed up during the day and the fish were holding in the slews. I went out with a guide named Justin and after losing my first King that I hooked ( a larger one maybe in the 25-30 lb range) I landed this jack and the Chum seen here. The river is coming down now and clearing slowly. Will share some more pics soon. Enjoy!

Collage

Here is a little collage of photos from week one of AK West, the pictures in the mountains are from Hatchers Pass near Wasilla.

Not too many fish in river yet and the water is still in the low fourties, but lots of fish porn to some soon.

Enjoy.

Rob

Kepler Bradley Lakes

It was another overcast day and rained off and on all day. I was not just going to sit around and wait to get to work so I decided I better head off to the Three Rivers Fly Shop in Wasilla to get the low down on the local fishing. I am always hesitant to ask fishing advice when I go to a fly shop, I liken it to walking into a mechanics shop and asking a vague question about what is wrong with my car and getting an equally vague answer from a guy who could just as easily tell me I need to replace my "watcha-ma-call-it valve". But the folks in this shop seem eager to help and don't seem to expect you to buy things first before they open up the valves of local fishing knowledge.

The word today was that I had better hit the run of the kings before they closed down the fishing on the local rivers. Seeing as I would certainly get my share of fishing for these prized fish I figured I could hold off on that and asked where I could fish for some bows or even grayling. The young lady helping me sent me off to the Kepler Bradley Recreation Area.

Turned out to be a series of roads that take you to some lakes with good access for fishing. My only two regrets are that I did not have my float tube with and I was not driving a four-wheel drive vehicle with some clearance. It seems if you want to get to the really good fishing you need both of these. All in all I caught a few fish from the two lakes I fished, nothing but small rainbows, but I enjoyed the time there. It was a great way to kill a few hours and be outdoors in the rain breathing the Alaska air.

I am not sure but maybe I should have taken the advice and headed for the bigger rivers to swing for some Kings, I guess I will never know, for my money though it was still a great day. Oh yeah, note to self....bring bug dope next time.

Forward

Forward into a new adventure. I landed in Anchorage yesterday around noon and walked around town for about two and one half hours. A very touristy place, but still that could not sour the experience as I was fresh with excitement and anticipation as to what the next three months have in store for me.
I stopped in to the BrewHouse and had a really good Imperial Blonde although after tasting the IPA I would have been happier going that route.

Today it has been raining so my plans of going hiking and having some photos to post were disrupted for the time being. I am not too let down by this as the good people of Wasilla need the rain, my only hope is that this weather system can some how make it down to Northern Wisconsin where it would be welcomed there too by all the green thumbs and fisherman.

The friends I am staying with are generous and truly great people and I will be eternally thankful for their generosity, providing me with a home, food, good beer, and a vehicle to get around for a few days. Tonight I am cooking Halibut that they caught out in Prince William Sound.

To all my friends out in the world, this is my compromise. As I still am weary of social networking/stalking sites I am using this medium to post my thoughts, photos, and experiences while up here in Alaska. I hope you check in once in a while to see what I have been up to.