I suppose everyone is fishing!

[Daveinthebush]

It is that time of year for Alaskans to stock up on fish.  

I haven't heard anything on the Cooper dip netting yet.  

The pink run in Valdez is great.  Many reports from the seiners that it is a boom year.  I caught 2 in the 8-10 pound range. Limits are easy. Pixies: rasberry and orange or gold and orange. The fish also came in early.

Silvers....none yet but I would not be supprized if the run is early and big this year.

Halibut....oops......haven't found the fish this year.  I think a longliner hit my honey hole as not one fish this year.  May just be they haven't migrated there yet.

Heading out tomorrow about 70 miles if the weather reports are good.  :grin:  I will let everyone know if it goes well.  Matt is over here with his dad.  I have to do better for them than they did in Whittier! :yeah:

[DennisB]

Dave:

You meant "Copper" river, didn't ya?  :wink:  I'd a thought some silvers would be showing up by now.  

I hope the winds are calm and you guys get into some barn doors--especially Matt's dad.  Tell him we need pictures!

[Daveinthebush]

Yea Copper not Cooper.  I will scold the "o&p" finger for its speed or lack there of.

Heard from two other sources that the Valdez silvers might be 2 weeks early.  Thought I saw some being carried my a commercial fisherman the other night.

Poor night out there for pinks.  Had many on but no firm takers. Tomorrow!

[Paul H]

We spent the long weekend up at Tangle Lakes, on the Richardson side of the Denali Highway.  All I managed to bring in were a pair or lake trout, but unfortunately neither were keepers, as they have to be over 18" to keep.  Sort of a bummer as the first one I hooked was 17", the largest trout I've ever hooked  

On the up side, the drive along the Denali on the way home was incredible, very long, but definately worth it.

I'm looking forward to dipping my net in the Kenai next week, and God willing filling up the freezer with dime bright sockeye.

I used to dip the Copper, but haven't been back since the landslide.

Now if I could just get out after Halibut.  I'm thinking about renting a skiff out of Seward in the fall, when the silvers start dieing off, and the halibut come in close to gobble up the carcusses.

[Daveinthebush]

The pinks over here were early and about 4 million fish so the estimate goes.

A few silvers are already being caught out towards Galena Bay.  

Matt is working on a prop issue for me.  Garmin has a GPS problem they are working on and then I am out of here for more halibut and shrimp.

Will also do some deer scouting because that is not far away either!


Paul - if you place a flat board on top of those short fish and back across it with the truck a couple of times they will get longer! Figures though, biggest you ever get and still too short.

[Paul H]

I can't complain, I've done alright with the rainbows in local lakes, so have had some good fishing early in the summer.

It was fun seeing the ultralight rod I was using double over, with me wonderin if it would snap.  I was also suprised to see one of the hooks on the treble bent.

Now if I could have figured out how to hook up on the Grayling.  A co-worker told me this morning what one of the biologists that has to catch them for a living has found to work best, which of course goes against conventional wisdom, as well as what I was trying.  Oh well, maybe nest time!

[Daveinthebush]

When I was in Nulato we fished them a lot.

What worked there was: Light spinning gear and a small dark fly on the end.  About 4 feet up we ran a bobber so we could track the progress or lack of progress.

Also: In disecting one, one day, I found them full of a little black water beetle simular to a water bug about 3/4 of an inch long.  What worked then was a "0" or a "1" Mepps or Vibrex spinner, black or dark green.  No hair tail.

Hope this helps.  I haven't caught any over three pounds.  But this might help. :lol:

[Winter Hawk]

I haven't fished grayling in many years, but when I was in Fairbanks 30 years ago I did quite well with a plain gold Mepps spinner.  Also caught one by accident in the dredge pond at Fox with a fly.  A buddy had bought a fly rod, real & flies but didn't know how to use the outfit.  I had read about it, so was showing him what the magazine article said.  Durned if the fly wasn't taken by a grayling after I managed a whopping 20' cast!

-Kees-