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View Full Version : D.I.Y. Anchorage AK Trip Advice??????



BumpBailey
06-17-2015, 10:42 AM
Hi All. I am looking for some suggestions for a DIY trip out of Anchorage for the first two days of October.... My wife has to go to Anchorage for a conference and I think I am going to have to meet her up there to check it out! I've never been to AK so any and all advice would be considered! Including what we should do for a day while in Anchorage.

Now, before ya'll chime in with hire a guide..... I have contacted a few different outfitters up there already but, no one seems interested in a single client for a day or two.... and I am not sure I want to share a drift boat with 3 other strangers... not opposed just not sure that's the way I want to go....

I guess the most important question revolves around the bears....... is it even safe to be out on the Kenai or the Susitna(they both look to have a lot of highway access) fishing by yourself at that time of the year? Are the bears still around that late or, have they started heading for higher ground by then???

7wt two hand or 7wt Single hand or both?????

Thank you and I look forward to the responses!

johnsquires
06-17-2015, 11:48 AM
From the Alaska Fly Fishing Goods website:

"By October, much of the fishing is over for the year as the salmon have mostly died off following the spawn. The first snows of the year begin to fall in October, and by the second week, temperatures rarely exceed 40° during the day. The one shining light of the late September-early October period, however, is the trophy rainbow trout season. This is mostly focused in Bristol Bay and the Kenai. The late season represents the last opportunity for the trout to forage for the long winter, and they feed ravenously on the decaying flesh of the spawned-out salmon carcasses. Large articulated flesh flies and "dead" beads are the go-to combinations for rainbows during the late season. Bandit Leeches, Lady Flesh, and the String o Flesh can get you into the trout of a lifetime!

October is the Month of the Steelhead in the Kodiak archipelago and the Kenai Peninsula. As mentioned earlier, these sea-going rainbow trout are primarily fall-run in these two regions. Most systems hold moderate runs of fish, often numbering 200 adults or fewer. However, some rivers receive runs numbering in the thousands of fish. Most notable for its exceptional fishery is the Karluk River on Kodiak Island, which hosts Alaska's second largest run of steelhead behind the mighty Situk of Southeast. With a recent ten-year average count of 8,000 returning adults this jewel is certainly among the world's top steelhead-producing systems. Fall-run fish can be caught on a large selection of flies, but some of our favorites include the Thunder MOAL, the Sandy Kandy, and the Fish Taco. Be sure to have a wide selection of Glo-bugs and beads on hand as well, as these fall rockets often have a taste for eggs."

While in Anchorage, if you're a pizza fan, go to The Moose's Tooth. For a more upscale dinner and great beer, The Glacier Brewhouse. In Kenai, I like Louie's Uptown Motel for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Bears should thin out after the salmon are gone, but you should always be cautious of that "late-season" bear looking for just a bit more protein to see them through the winter (just ask Timothy Treadwell).

JasonB
06-17-2015, 02:39 PM
I wish I could give you some first hand fishing info specific to October! What I can comment on a bit is that there certainly are some steelhead to be caught in some streams on the KP, and that a 7wt switch rod would be very handy, I think a 7wt single handed rod would be pretty light for steelhead fresh in from the ocean. If you're fishing on some of the bigger rivers a spey rod could be very handy (and fun), but there are quite a few small streams where a 9' rod is "about right". I always like to bring a couple of rods, and an extra reel. Last August I managed to break two rods (both 9' 8wt), thankfully they broke in different sections, so I was able to hobble the various sections together to keep fishing.

Enjoy,
JB

BumpBailey
06-18-2015, 08:20 AM
Thanks guys- I am leaning more towards the Kenai and trying to find some of those 'bows. Just curious as to how wader friendly the Kenai's are? It looks like there is highway access but sometimes looks are deceiving... That time of year do fish above Skilak or below???

John- Who doesn't like a good Pie? I think i'll have to find my way into both of those establishments.

johnsquires
06-18-2015, 09:13 AM
I only fish the wilderness in AK, so I have no firsthand knowledge on fishing the Kenai River, but from what I read, you fish the middle Kenia in October for big (really big) bows.

"The season" ends in Anchorage on Sept. 1, so you may not need a reservation at Glacier Brewhouse, but they seem to be busy all the time, so it might be a good idea to make a reservation.

Moose's Tooth does not take reservations for small parties, and there's almost always a wait, so be prepared to have a beer or two before getting called to your table.

Looking forward to hearing how you do. Long ways to go to not do well, so it might be a good idea to hire a guide at least one day. Have you tried Mystic?

FISHEYE
06-18-2015, 10:22 AM
OK, I will add my 2 cents. I will start by saying that I have lived here for 38 years and I fish a lot. I will focus on the Kenai since that is your preference. The first 2 days of October on the Kenai are prime time for big rainbows and big dolly varden. Also, lots of silver (coho) salmon available then. Rainbows and dollies are feeding before winter to pack on as much weight as they can. At that time of year I fish both above and below Skilak and both can be fantastic. Below, there is very limited foot access. Above you can access many areas along the highway but you need to hope that is where the fish are. Below Jim's Landing down to the lake there is very limited foot access. My suggestion is go with a guide. It does not make sense to me not to be in a boat. The guides will know where the fish are and they adapt to rapidly changing conditions. So suck it up and go with 3 other guys you don't know and make friends. Your chances of getting into fish goes way up in a boat. Water levels can be high and unwadeable or low and very wadeable all depending on rain. And it can rain a lot in Oct and September. The last few years Sept and early Oct were kind of blown out. This year we have lots of fires now and who knows what they will be doing in Oct. Flies are leeches or flesh but beads are probably the best option then. Just as the fish are feeding before winter so are the brown bears. You can run into lots of bears or none at all depending on where they are and where you go. Not to many blackies then because the brown fellas scare them away. September and October are the months the locals dream about. Lots of big hungry fish. I mostly fish a 7 wt single hand rod but sometimes a two hand. In the boat I have 2 rods set up- one for floating and one for wading.

JD
06-18-2015, 05:01 PM
What Fisheye said. You have limited time, and do not know the area. Man up and share a boat on the Kenai. That late you might get lucky and only have a one or two other anglers in the boat. These are big drift boats, so not quite as bad as you would think. There are other rivers down the peninsula, but again with limited time might not be worth the drive. If you do commit to a drift, shop around a bit and find the right guide. Some of these guys really know the river, and some of them just pretend. Good luck.