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Thread: anchorage, ak

  1. #21
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Sacramento, CA
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    594

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    Purple MOE egg-sucking leech.

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Ross Valley
    Posts
    414

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    Quote Originally Posted by gitt View Post
    Bob makes a good point. Check out ABC RV Rentals on the web. Their price drop occurs after Labor Day to get one. They pick you up and drop you off at the airport and they are close to the airport. A 30' RV is doable.

    If your wife is flying up, stick to your Denali run. Sounds as though this is no longer fishing only week.

    There actually is fantastic Grayling Fishing at the park entrance. Horseshoe Lake holds swarms of Grayling and fun on a 5 wt.
    No beast so fierce but knows some touch of pity

    But I know none, and therefore am no beast

    -William Shakespeare

  3. #23
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    Jan 2015
    Location
    Sacramento, CA
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    594

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    So how did it go?

  4. #24
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    Jul 2006
    Location
    Petaluma Ca
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    686

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    John,
    Your trip has ruined me for fishing anywhere with company.....especially locally!
    Pics on the way......FINALLY!
    ....lee s.

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Sacramento, CA
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    594

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    Thanks, Lee. You are a top-notch fly fisher, more than willing to help with anything, and fun around a campfire, a great client. I hope you can go again sometime. Not so sure the rainbows want you back soon.

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    lodi, ca
    Posts
    76

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    The trip went awesome. I never understood why people would want to go to Alaska to catch trout. Now I am already starting to plan next years trip.
    Day 1 - Landed in anchorage sep 8 and got picked up by great Alaskan adventures and picked up the 26 ft motor home. Easy process. This turned out to be an awesome idea, thanks guys. Went to Mossy's fly shop ( a few blocks from the rv place) and picked up some beads and flies and some information. Then off to Fred Meyers for my food. Then hit the road to cooper's landing. Pulled in to Russian river campground around 6 and went down to the Russian river to try my luck. Looked in the river, it looked about a foot deep and packed with sockeye salmon with tons more dead on the shoreline. Nice Boardwalk system with access points. Saw a few people fishing but I figured no way there were trout in there so I headed to the mouth where it dumps into the kenai. Lots of guys fishing there but I walked down from them and fished the kenai. Got a large rainbow, 2 whitefish, and a sockeye.

    Day 2 - met the guide stacy corbin at a place called sportsmans. We drove down to skilack lake and fished the mid section. The other 3 guys in the boat were from Colorado and had been fishing with stacy over a decade. All really good guys and we caught a ton of fish. On the drive back we talked about silver fishing and some of the access points along the highway. So after I got back to the rv I went back out and fished from sportsmans. Ended up getting a few Dolly's and trout but no silvers. Walking back ran into a guy from anchorage with a Spey Rod, talked to him a bit, then went back and got my switch Rod and we then swung flies back through the run. Got a sockeye but nothing else

    Day 3 - after talking with a bunch of guys decided to drive down to the anchor river to try for some silvers and steelies. Stopped in the fly shack in anchor and picked up some flies and info. Headed to the river. Caught a smolt or something else small, another sockeye, but no silvers or steelies. Went down river and found all the locals. Fished with them awhile, got some tips from an old timer but no luck, saw 1 lost but none caught. At 5 everyone left so I went back through a popular hole behind another older local but no luck. Talked with him at the car and he said that yesterday was good but today slow, oh well. Drove back to coopers and got yo a pull out spot with about an hour of light, hit the river and caught 4 rainbows and Dolly's.

    Day 4 - just had a couple hours before I had to pick up my wife at the airport, so I hit the Russian river. Started fishing and walking up stream and was just nailing trout. Epic !! Off to Denali.

    Day 5 -7. Couple days in Denali, got snowed on!!, then to Seward for a glacier cruise. After the cruise, drove back over to Russian river and fished till dark. Again, lots of willing trout.

    Day 8 - back to anchorage to drop wife at the airport with a stop at the wildlife conservation center. Then back to the kenai. Fished Russian river again in the rain and again, great fishing.

    Day 9 - second guide day, met at sportsmans with mike from kenai river fly fishing. The other 2 guys didn't show so I was alone for the first part. We drifted from sportsmans to jim's where we picked up a guy he knew, then floated the canyon to upper skilack lake. Epic. This float had it all, clouds, sun, rain, class 3 Rapids. Caught dollys, rainbows, a whitefish, sockeye, and finally caught a silver. Mike was awesome. After I got back went down to the confluence and broke a rod on a sockeye.

    Day 10 - hit the confluence of the Russian and kenai at daybreak but no luck, was walking up to try the next hole but guys already had it full. One silver had already been caught. Figured since I had an hour left I would just go above them and catch some trout, caught 10 more and when I caught an 18 inches decided to end on a high note and head out.

    Back to the rv place to drop the rv off, painless process and then not only did he drop me at the airport but he carried one of my bags to the check in counter !!!

    Day 11 - back home to work and having cold weather withdrawls

    Notes about the trip
    I brought a 6 wt, 2 8 wts, a 6 wt switch, and a 10 wt. never used the 10.
    The rv was awesome for moving around, was always able to dry my stuff out and never had to break down rods, with another guy I would prob get a longer one. All told w/ extra insurance it was 150 a day.
    On the kenai I camped at Russian river every night, 18 buck, last night no charge as no one was at the gate and all pay envelopes were gone. The campground was supposed to be closing at some time but every night I went it was open. They had sewage dump and water fill up so it worked awesome. Before Labor Day I think it is a 3 day stay. You could also stay at sportsmans for free.
    2 fly shops in town with lots of gear and info and guides available. The trout fitter is the one I mainly went to
    Lots of hotels and a few restaurants. Stuff was definitely shutting down while I was there. The one BBQ place everyone said to go to was never open.
    Every local I ran into was super nice and helpful, even on river. I never felt like anyone had any attitude and some guys would even volunteer advice and suggestions. I did not expect that at all.
    The "combat" fishing wasn't anything like I thought it might be. Most of the time I was by myself and would run into someone occasionally. Not bad at all.
    Never saw a bear on the kenai, not sure why as it was a smorgasbord of sockeye. Although the stacy said a couple of years ago the state issued a bunch of tags and about 60 bears were killed. So, maybe there were more.
    Trout were all caught on eggs, the silver on a streamer
    If you're in a 4 man boat and you know what you are doing I would recommend the back seat, if you don't then front is fine.
    Bring a net, I don't usually use one but here I found it very helpful, I ended up buying one.
    These trout are crazy strong. The small guys will fold over a 6 wt Rod no prob.
    gas and grocery prices were about the same as here
    I will try to put in pics of my big rainbow, the silver and my last one

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    lodi, ca
    Posts
    76

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  8. #28
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    lodi, ca
    Posts
    76

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    Also the reddington rain jacket finally got some real use and worked great and the reddington zip top waders are the bomb !!!

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Sacramento, CA
    Posts
    594

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    Thanks for the report. Sounds like you got more than your money's worth. Be careful - Alaska gets under your skin.

  10. #30
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    West Sacramento
    Posts
    288

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    What a great thread.....all positive and good info.

    I love the Kenai Peninsula.....Rainbows and Silvers all the way!

    John is not kidding......Alaska is addicting and for many a slow day or trip in Alaska is better than many trips some take in the lower 48.

    One of the reasons why I am jumping on this post, is to mention a car rental tip to those who read this hoping to find some way to find a deal in Alaska. Especially when you are looking for an SUV! So, I know that you can find deals if you look long enough and rent at the right time by using points or finding specials on airport rentals. However, in most major cities, if you check the nearest Toyota, Ford, Chevy lots where they sell cars, they often have a rental fleet which is more times than not, cheaper than the airport. You just have to plan a little extra time for Uber or Taxi ride there and back. In Anchorage, call Kendall Toyota of Anchorage and see what their rates are. Sometimes you can haggle with them a bit as well. They usually do not list their rental prices anywhere. You just have to call or fill out the inquiry online. In Alaska the SUV rental rates go up and down with the different runs of fish......so when it is busy there, the prices are higher and we have always save a few hundred dollars or more by renting from a non- airport location, mainly auto dealerships.

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