Back from Kenai

[PaulC]

Overall a great trip. The abundance of life in the fishery out in Alaska is just incredible.
Here's a report from my home board. Definitely worth checking Alaska out if you haven't been out there yet. I could spend weeks in the Kenai area alone and not get bored for a second.
The graylings hammered dries like there was no tomorrow.
The rainbows in the Kenai were gargantuan and in numbers.
I've never seen my backing that many time on rainbows screaming downstream.
Dollies fight as hard as a big sierra brown.
Sockeye fought like their hair was on fire.
Even managed some nice sized bows on dry in the russian despite them keying in on eggs and flesh.
Watched some trout fighting over flesh on the russian one morning which was pretty darn cool.
No bear encounters, but we were making ALOT of noise. Never needed to uncock the saftey on the shotgun once, even hiking/bushwacking through beartrails. Pretty much every trail on the russian river is a bear trail.
Every guy that had encounters that we ran into was creeping and not making any noise. The occasional yell while fishing never hurts.

Thought you folks would like to check out the report and pics:
http://www.garybulla.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=2280

Thanks for the fly tips earlier.
-Paul

[David Lee]

Paul -

I couldn't be any more happy for you , what a great report !! Please put up photos here , I'm sure the guys would enjoy them .


How'd the plastic beads work :twisted: :P :?: (just kidding ....)

It looked to be like 9 days of fish madness ......great job , and thanks again for a GLOWING report !!

David

[Darian]

Hey Paul,..... Sounds like a great trip 8) 8) . Are you ready to move to Alaska yet :?: :?: :P :P

[flygolf]

Hey Paul, I checked out the website!! Great report and loved the pics, I hope you post more from the trip. I've only been to AK once but I plan on going back next year and hopefully I can make it an annual thing. I would like to talk to you more about the details of where you stayed it looked like a really cool cabin.

[PaulC]

I definitely started looking at riverside property out there:) I was yelling at my friend Dave, "Man you ruined me bringing me out here!" :)
Here's a cut an paste of the photo section from the other board for what its worth. I'll post the picture of the big bow when Dave gets it. Stacey estimated it in the 31-32 inch range at around 15 lbs. They definitely start to get fatter over longer at that size.
-Paul

Our Cabin on the Kenai, Dave with a Dolly, A Nice Kenai Bow
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/Cronin/AK_collage1.jpg


Homer Offshore, Nick with a small butt, Tom with a Yelloweye
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/Cronin/AK_collage2.jpg

Dave with a Russian Sockeye, Paul with a Soldotna Sockeye, Paul @ Lower Russian Lake
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/Cronin/AK_collage3.jpg

Skilak Lake, Alaskan Mushroom, Even Snaggers are welcome at Suzies.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/Cronin/AK_collage4.jpg

Paul on Quartz Creek, a Grayling, Crescent Lake
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/Cronin/AK_collage5.jpg

Dave with a real nice Kenai Bow, Paul & Stacey with another
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/Cronin/AK_collage6.jpg

-Paul

[Gregg Machel]

Awesome pics! So many places to go fishing, it's hard to decide where to plan the next trip. I guess the best thing to do is to pick one, and then keep going until you've been everywhere. :-k

[rrivera]

Great report and pics Paul..!! Are those grayling good fighters..? The one in the pic looks like trophy size one.

Glad Yogi didn't bother you... Better fish now than in the fall before hibernation. Those Yogi's look at fisherman as drumsticks if they don't have thier belly full..... :shock:

[Adam Grace]

Nice fish!

I will visit AK before I die.

Great pics.

[PaulC]

Hey Ray,
I thought browns out of the owens hit dry flies hard, but the grayling would literally dolphin dive hard on the fly and go straight down with it.
They were almost self setting and pulled hard the whole way.
There wasn't a hatch going off, so I was picking up cruisers with the dry.
Some were definitely trophy size and maybe even a record, especially given my use of a two weight and 6x for the dries producing fish of similar size to the one in the photo.
-Paul

[Rlynch]

Looks like a good time to me! I wish I could spend some time in Alaska catching some Rainbows like that. Its a shame the one time I was there I didnt have enough time to fish at all. Thanks for the photos!

[Hairstacker]

Wow Paul, great report and pictures! Sounds like you had a fantastic trip. I would love to catch some big fish that seemed like their hair was on fire! Good for you! 8) 8) 8)

[PaulC]

Hey Guys,
Here is the picture finally of the mongo rainbow caught by my friend on the last day. Beautiful colors on those fish. That guy was released in a hurry to get bigger for next year.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/Cronin/collage_7.jpg

-Paul