Alaskan Angling TR- July '08
A benefit of dating the current world champ is that her family happens to be 3rd generation Alaskans. So every Summer I get the benefit of "visiting the family" which mainly just means "going fishing". This year was a plethora of angling that only scratched the surface of the amazing fishing in Alaska.
So to kick off this year's story, my parents decided to drive up to Alaska for their summer vacation and meet the other fam. We started off this year's trip with a float trip down some of the Copper River tributaries, specifically the Gulkana and Klutina rivers. We arrived to Sourdough camp at about 1 a.m. and seeing dry flies landing and fish rising, I excitedly whipped out my 5wt and went after some grayling and trout while everyone else slept.
The next morning we set off in the boats.
Me and with my mom trolling off the back.
http://photos-115.ll.facebook.com/ph...74443_2477.jpg
Soon we banked and started doing a bit of this
http://photos.l3.facebook.com/photos...89953_7831.jpg
Shortly there after, I landed this beaut.
http://photos.l3.facebook.com/photos...989923_664.jpg
Then my pops landed this 42 lb hog
http://photos.l3.facebook.com/photos...89922_9855.jpg
Then Elyse strolled out after a quick nap and after a few casts pulled in a nice female with some beautiful eggs.
http://photos.l3.facebook.com/photos...89924_1568.jpg
The pull.
http://photos-115.ll.facebook.com/ph...74444_3408.jpg
As the float trips ended I decided to push right on down to the infamous Russian river for some combat Red fishing. The bears were out http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...d.php?t=125755 but the fish were there. It took some more work dodging some big blacks and a few small browns but I headed up towards the falls and the fish were stacked like pancakes and lined up like West Virginians at a fried mayonnaise-ball giveaway. I got my limit within an hour and brought 'em home for the filet knife.
http://photos.l3.facebook.com/photos...89921_9024.jpg
Elyse and I down at the sanctuary on the Russian a few days later.
http://photos-115.ll.facebook.com/ph...74445_4343.jpg
Soon it was off to the ocean on a charter out of Seward.
Halibut fishing is amazing cause when you hit a hole, by the time your bait hits the bottom you've got a fish on.
http://photos-115.ll.facebook.com/ph...74451_5448.jpg
Elyse reeled in the biggin of the day with a mid-sized 45'er.
http://photos-115.ll.facebook.com/ph...74448_3277.jpg
Then it was off to hit Ling Cod on opening day.
I pulled in the first fugly bastard.
http://photos-115.ll.facebook.com/ph...74446_5255.jpg
Then after I got mine, the fish fest was on. We drifted a hole and soon 6 out of 6 had fish on with in the first minute of the first drift. Those uglies were hungry.
http://photos-115.ll.facebook.com/ph...74452_6194.jpg
Someone caught a dogfish along the way.
He was happy to see us. The guide wasn't.
http://photos-115.ll.facebook.com/ph...74447_6183.jpg
There was much more fishing on this trip, including a drunken, midnight, 4th of July paddle in a 6 foot boat to get some pike (which we got and promptly turned into drunk munchies). Some trout fishing on the Russian and some other trout fishing on some creeks I will not name. All in all in was an insane fishing trip and I'd recommend any addicted angler to buck up and get to Alaska. It's the shat.
Oh and we saw a bunny iceberg.
http://photos.l3.facebook.com/photos...89907_4153.jpg
