5/18/2023 Fishing Report

Last week was another good week for steelhead.  During the low water periods the fish were selective, but anglers who were persistent found success.  Both Cowee and Fish Creek were productive.  A couple anglers reported seeing paired up fish this last week, so the spawn is likely reaching its peak.  Please be aware of this and be mindful of your route through the river.  Please avoid walking on redds and fishing to paired up fish.  There are still angling opportunities to be had, but for the sake of future runs, it is best to just observe the spawners and target other fish. 10 and 12mm beads, Galaxy Worms and Liquid Wrench have been the best producers.

The Dolly fishing has been heating up the last week.  Low tides in the evening have started to consistently produce fish around Sheep Creek.  Sheep Creek all the way up to AML has good access and lots of different tide rips and this section of Gastineau Channel is worth exploring.  Under the Douglas bridge near Overstreet Park should start picking up in a big way this week as well.  Bracketing the low tide is still your best bet for these locations.

Historically this is about the time when places out the road will start having fish.  Echo Cove near the sand spit as well as Boy Scout Beach are going to be worth looking at, especially with the forecast we have over the next week.  For spots out the road, try to get there at high tide and fish the outgoing.

Join us this evening (Thursday May 18th) at Twin Lakes for our annual casting night with Trout unlimited.  The event starts at 6PM.  Gets some pointers on your cast, go toe to toe with other anglers, or cast the coolest new rods of 2023. The weather looks ideal for the event!

As always, we love featuring your photos for our fishing reports.  If you have a great fish, scenery, or action photo that has to do with fishing around town send it our way!  You can email photos or videos to cory@alaskaflyfishinggoods.com.  Please remember to handle fish with care, especially if you are practicing catch and release.  Consider getting a net with a rubber basket to help land fish quickly and keep them in the water until you are ready to snap a quick photo.

See you on the water!

The Crew at AFFG

Listed below are the hot patterns of the week.  Fisheries change here through-out the season and we do our best to get you the hot flies.  Listed below are our recommended patterns for the particular species available.  Happy fishing

Hot Flies- Steelhead

Hot Flies- Dolly Varden