Chasing Rainbows, an end of summer TR

**ak_powder_monkey** · 08-29-2007, 11:07 PM

It comes to pass every August that the last rainbow will be caught and the last grayling will rise, to my fly anyway. Here in Alaska trout know borders unlike their bretheren south of the second border south, stocking trucks don't roll to every little drainage and mountain bounderies actually mean something. The trout don't leave but I do. From a birch forest to a rainforest of hemlock and sitka spruce. Moose don't dominate the woods but bears and deer and O. Mykiss makes an all but too breif apperence in the streams returning for a month to spawn. Replacing O Mykiss is O Clarki clarki, aka the coastal cutthroat trout, along with its char counterpart the dolly vardern there is little room for rainbows. Alas the journey is half the adventure, and like geese moving sound I must as well, a new beggining awaits. Before I leave I stop to enjoy my favorite fish, the rainbow trout, with my friends who make the southward migration as well.

When on a trout stream you see things and adapt, on this day I saw a rise out of the corner of my eye. In this part of the world a rising fish is rare but when it happens the fish is sure to eat on top. Switching from my egg patter to a humpy yeilded 3 hurried take, in typical grayling fashion the fish missed twice and ate on the third.

Grayling are a true gem of a fish, sure they fight like wet socks that kind of wiggle, but they hit dry flies and match colors with any fish of the north.

Sometimes when things all come together the teacher and the taught connect, and two friends find themselves in trout bliss

In late august in Alaska the rule seems to be eggs or flesh, leaving nothing to the fish giving them no chance to eat the abundant food of the river, it is at these times that fish will connect with those who make the extra effort and fish the wrong fly at the wrong time in the right place.

As I travel I move out of the realm of the rainbow and into the inteior rivers where the grayling and whitefish are chased by the pike and lake trout. I stop at one of these rivers on my southward journey (in ALaska you must go north before you can head south) My companion and I fish delicate dries to delicate fish, my the student of the rainbow now being the teacher of the grayling.

For the begginer there is no greater thrill than watching a fish take a fly on the surface, and for the expert there is none greater than watching the begginer be thrilled

As one travels one must remember to appreciate the land that flies by his window, here is my tribute to it.
The great Gorge of theMatanuska

Frog Pond with Rainbow

The mighty Copper

Sunset on the poplar

Doubled up

Eclipse 1

Eclipse 2

When we reach our destination, we can sit back relax and enjoy the show

**schwerty** · 08-30-2007, 08:50 AM

Good TR. What do you do? Travel AK and fish? That's one hell of a job!

**ak_powder_monkey** · 08-30-2007, 12:58 PM

Actually I count fish for a month in the summer leaving the rest of the summer for travel and fishing, its perfect!

**yesIsaidyes** · 08-30-2007, 01:56 PM

Patrick, that shot of the aurora is awesome - nice work. You got a tripod, huh?

**mushmouth** · 08-30-2007, 01:57 PM

Nice pictures. Must be hard to leave each time.

on another note...how does the expert/teacher feel when he walks in on the beginner and the taught in a moment of non-trout bliss...not thrilled?

**ak_powder_monkey** · 08-30-2007, 02:09 PM

actually I didn't have my tripod I just proped the camera up on the car!

and I don't leave Alaska, I just go south a little bit, tough life, I know

and the expert is drunk as fuck when that happens...

**Pow4Brains** · 08-30-2007, 02:47 PM

Great TR AKPM. And the pix are stellar too

**AKbruin** · 08-30-2007, 07:01 PM

Nice rainbows and graylings!

Do you by chance have a green Subaru with TGR and PM Gear stickers on it? I parked next to said car a couple weeks ago in the pink salmon parking lot on the Russian River and was wondering whose it was.

**ak_powder_monkey** · 08-30-2007, 11:53 PM

Originally Posted by AKbruin

Nice rainbows and graylings!

Do you by chance have a green Subaru with TGR and PM Gear stickers on it? I parked next to said car a couple weeks ago in the pink salmon parking lot on the Russian River and was wondering whose it was.

Thats the one

**Lumpy** · 09-05-2007, 09:08 AM

You never did say how your Ugashik trip went or what you were doing there...nice pics (but BTW many times most of our lower 48 trout trun their noses up at a Humpy or conehead leach...even if they are hatchery beyatchs)

.

Always enjoy your fishing reports AKPM.

**ak_powder_monkey** · 09-06-2007, 09:20 AM

Originally Posted by Lumpy

You never did say how your Ugashik trip went or what you were doing there...nice pics (but BTW many times most of our lower 48 trout trun their noses up at a Humpy or conehead leach...even if they are hatchery beyatchs)

.

Always enjoy your fishing reports AKPM.

Yea I did, its over in the Padded Room though, the fishing there kinda sucked, except the 800 salmon I could have caught each day...

**dankness** · 09-06-2007, 08:40 PM

Passed on a couple of jobs in ak this summer guiding. Thanks for making me regret every day I didn't go, anyway great pics, I'll be there next summer for some big bows. Damn job security here in the lower 48. Peace

**TyWebb** · 09-07-2007, 07:33 AM

Nice write up AKPM.

**dankness** · 09-07-2007, 09:28 AM

Wow I didn't know cloudveil made waters. Do you like?

**dankness** · 09-07-2007, 09:30 AM

I guess that would be waiters!!

**fez** · 09-07-2007, 09:44 AM

put down the pipe and walk away.

waders, like for wading.

**dankness** · 09-07-2007, 10:10 AM

damn wake and bake!!

**ak_powder_monkey** · 09-07-2007, 09:56 PM

Originally Posted by dankness

Passed on a couple of jobs in ak this summer guiding. Thanks for making me regret every day I didn't go, anyway great pics, I'll be there next summer for some big bows. Damn job security here in the lower 48. Peace

Just remember most guides in AK don't get much time to fish and get paid shit...