Nate is giving the last report of the 2008 season.  With things rapping up he has great fishing to report.  He definitely suggests dressing for the weather as it has been a little wet, chilly and windy at times.  Good Gore-Tex is a must!
Salmon fishing in the area has been off the hook.  The Nushagak had a banner run of pinks and silvers, with many 35-50 fish days.  The Togiak is continuing to see large numbers of silvers with the largest fish of the season showing up now.  The Kanektok has had a great run of silvers.  Try the typical furry beasts like Hareball and Egg Hareball Leeches, Dolly Llamas, Starlite Leeches and Lead Eye ESLs in pinks, fuschias, purples and blacks . Floating and light sink-tip lines matched with 12-16# leaders are ideal. Try 7 ½ to 9’ leaders for floating lines and 5-6’ for sinking lines.
The rivers in the Dillingham area are on fire, which means very little time without a taught line.  The sockeye spawn is in full swing on the Agulawak and Agulapak Rivers and that means 6 and 8mm beads. Mottled Troutbeads in Tangerine, Natural Roe, Dark Roe and Clear Orange are great bets, especially if you do not paint your own or are just getting into the bead thing. Try fishing them under an indicator on a dead drift in the open slots between spawning salmon.  Be careful not to swing the bead at the end of the drift as that will often result in a foul hooked sockeye.  In another week or two, the trout will start keying into swung flesh flies along with leeches and sculpin patterns in black, olive and tan.
In the Iliamna area, the Brooks River is going off.  High water conditions have made the wading difficult, but fewer anglers are on the river.  With that said, the trout are seeing less pressure and the fishing is outstanding.  Try using 6mm beads to imitate the sockeye spawn. The Kvichak has been fishing really well.  Lots of fish in the 18-24” range with a few larger fish around.  The real big boys should be dropping out of the lake as we roll into October.  The same goes for the Naknek.  Again fishing beads is the way to go now.  On these rivers try 10mm beads with an 8 or 6mm dropped below.  As October nears, get ready to start swinging flies again.  Articulated flesh, leeches and sculpins in a variety of colors can be deadly.  Check out our flesh flies, leeches and sculpins to get an idea of what to throw.  This is our last report for the season. Until next summer, good luck and tight lines!