Alaskan Angling TR- July '08

[Alkasquawlik]

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.


Soon we banked and started doing a bit of this


Shortly there after, I landed this beaut.


Then my pops landed this 42 lb hog


Then Elyse strolled out after a quick nap and after a few casts pulled in a nice female with some beautiful eggs.


The pull.


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.



Elyse and I down at the sanctuary on the Russian a few days later.



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.



Elyse reeled in the biggin of the day with a mid-sized 45'er.


Then it was off to hit Ling Cod on opening day.
I pulled in the first fugly bastard.



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.



Someone caught a dogfish along the way.
He was happy to see us. The guide wasn't.


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.

[hartzejr]

Beautiful scenery, great fish and good times with loved ones; all key ingredients to a great TR. Very nice but I am very jealous. I just did a 4 day float down the Koolkana from Sourdough to the Rich Bridge this last weekend in this:


The king run was in its last days and I didn't get any bigguns', but a lot of these :


And a lot of these


Although I did see a lot of these:


Luckily the king run just began on the Chena so you know where I'll be every day after work for most the month. Hopefully be able to contribute a colored out king to the salmon thread soon. Be down on the Kenai shortly for some others and a Halibut charter early August. I'll get a some bigguns yet! Uh ya, Alaska rocks.

[G. Gordon Liddy]

Sweet Alaksa TR! Man O Man do I want to get up there! My current priorities are simple. Have first Kid (due in sept.), buy fishing raft, go to Alaska.

[The Dad]

Awesome.

[grizzle6]

Sweetness!

[72Twenty]

Although I did see a lot of these:

Must've been windy eh? Either that or you got that eagle drunk!

"Hey man, why is the room spinning.....woah...WOAH........THUD!"

[GoEhuge]

Oh man I want to get a chance to go fishing up there so bad. Looks like you really got to try a bit of everything. Awesome TR, looks like a legendary trip.