6/20/2024 Fishing Report
It may only be mid-June, but there are piles of chums around already. For folks who haven't gotten the chance to reel in one of these powerful salmon, you should go give them a shot. Chums may not be considered the best table fare, but when they are chrome bright, they are just fine to eat and quite excellent smoked. Not only that, but chums fight hard. The only species of Pacific salmon that gets bigger than chums are the mighty king salmon. Try a super slow retrieve and small flies. Chartreuse, blacks, purples and pinks can all work well.
Reports on kings haven't been too good. In fact, it has been so poor that an EO came out stating the season will be closing on Monday June 24th. The only hatchery area that will remain open is Lena Cove. A link to the emergency order can be found here. Emergency Orders & Press Releases - ADF&G
On a happier note, the first few sockeye have officially been caught out of Windfall Creek. These fish get super finicky so bright sun and low water can make an already difficult to catch fish nearly impossible to hook. Do you best to not crowd out the pools and don't wade if you don't have to. Changing the depth of your fly can make a huge difference, but if you are standing on top of the fish they aren't going to bite.
For all of our Dolly and trout enthusiasts the fishing remains quite good. Now that the smolt have had a chance to spread out a bit the schools of Dollies aren't quite as concentrated as they were a few weeks ago. With the tides starting to move a little more this week it should help push fish around and help the saltwater pick back up slightly. There are already a few Dollies in the freshwater around town, so fishing those AK Clousers with a split shot can be very effective. This time of year focus on deeper, slower pools as there isn't enough food for the Dollies to hang out in the current. As of now, they haven't started eating beads, yet.
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, pinch your barbs 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 so do the best patterns to use. Below are some of the recommended flies for the current fisheries. Happy fishing!
Hot Flies - Dolly Varden
Hot Flies - Cutthroat Trout
Hot Flies - Sockeye
Hot Flies - Chum
