Alaska
I have made two trips to Alaska and, although centainly not an expert, wll offer this advise. Alaska weather is unpredicatable so make sure you bring a good (breathable) raincoat with a hood. Needless to say waders and shoes.
Because of the unpredictable weather, it is best not to have to depend on bush planes to get to the fishing. They (bush planes) are nice in that they provide the opportunity to cover more area and be able to find the fish, but if they can't fly you want to have alternatives other than sitting aroud the lodge waiting for the weather to clear. I would not recommend a float trip because you have to cover a certain amount of water in a pre-determined time in order to rendezvous with the plane to fly you out. There are some outfits in southeast Alaska doing "mother ship" trips that could be interesting. I also would prefere not to go too far (50 river miles max) inland. The fish are fresher closer to the sea.
Timing is everything so you need to know about the runs in the area you plan to fish. Most of the lodges can provide this information. On the Alagnac (Bristol Bay area) the Kings start showing up in mid June and continue thru July. Chum salmon follow and by mid July are running pretty good. Sockeye come in along with the Chums and are great sport when you can locate them. Coho's arrive in August/September and are highly sought after beacause of their highly acrobatic style of fighting. Humpies run ever other year ( even numbers I think) on the Alagnaak. The Rainbows are there all the time however, when the Salmon are really thick in the river, the Rianbows get pushed out. If you want to target the big rainbows, go in Sept or Oct. The trade off is the Salmon will all be dead or dying, but the bows will be big and fat, having gorged on roe and decaying salmon all ssummer long.
There are a lot of good books on fly fishing Alaska. Do your home work before going. Decide which species you want to target, study their habits and go from there. Many times you will luck out and have oopportunities at multiple species. Usually, long casts are not required and I'm not sure the fly makes all that much difference either, with the exception of pink. And, in the case of late season Rainbows, you will need glo bugs, flesh flies, egg sucking leeches and deer hair mice. Presentation, I think, is the key. Bring lines with interchangeable tips.
You can do Alaska in high style or you can rough it. Lots of opportunities still available. What ever turns you on.
I have made two trips to Alaska and, although centainly not an expert, wll offer this advise. Alaska weather is unpredicatable so make sure you bring a good (breathable) raincoat with a hood. Needless to say waders and shoes.
Because of the unpredictable weather, it is best not to have to depend on bush planes to get to the fishing. They (bush planes) are nice in that they provide the opportunity to cover more area and be able to find the fish, but if they can't fly you want to have alternatives other than sitting aroud the lodge waiting for the weather to clear. I would not recommend a float trip because you have to cover a certain amount of water in a pre-determined time in order to rendezvous with the plane to fly you out. There are some outfits in southeast Alaska doing "mother ship" trips that could be interesting. I also would prefere not to go too far (50 river miles max) inland. The fish are fresher closer to the sea.
Timing is everything so you need to know about the runs in the area you plan to fish. Most of the lodges can provide this information. On the Alagnac (Bristol Bay area) the Kings start showing up in mid June and continue thru July. Chum salmon follow and by mid July are running pretty good. Sockeye come in along with the Chums and are great sport when you can locate them. Coho's arrive in August/September and are highly sought after beacause of their highly acrobatic style of fighting. Humpies run ever other year ( even numbers I think) on the Alagnaak. The Rainbows are there all the time however, when the Salmon are really thick in the river, the Rianbows get pushed out. If you want to target the big rainbows, go in Sept or Oct. The trade off is the Salmon will all be dead or dying, but the bows will be big and fat, having gorged on roe and decaying salmon all ssummer long.
There are a lot of good books on fly fishing Alaska. Do your home work before going. Decide which species you want to target, study their habits and go from there. Many times you will luck out and have oopportunities at multiple species. Usually, long casts are not required and I'm not sure the fly makes all that much difference either, with the exception of pink. And, in the case of late season Rainbows, you will need glo bugs, flesh flies, egg sucking leeches and deer hair mice. Presentation, I think, is the key. Bring lines with interchangeable tips.
You can do Alaska in high style or you can rough it. Lots of opportunities still available. What ever turns you on.
