The 2017 fishing season is starting to wrap up for us here in Juneau and it was a good season to say the least. Lets take a look at the season
Spring came early with coldwater and sunny skies. This provided us with great estuary Dolly and cutthroat fishing. The water was low in the creeks in the beginning of the season, but the steelhead did play ball this year. From the Juneau roadside fisheries, to the Situk, the steelhead were around in good numbers.
As June began, so did the King salmon fishing
very slowly. And, well as we all know, the king fishing was shut down for the beginning half of June. As it opened mid June, we got a crack at a few chromers in the channel Auke Creek, Lena Creek, and Fish Creek turned up a few Kings, but as the hatchery return was low this year, so were our catch rates. Sadly, they closed the saltwater fishing at this point. Good news though, DIPAC did end up getting their escapement of kings this year, so we can all be hopeful for future returns. Sockeye fishing this year at Windfall creek was a great year, with customers finding sockeye willing to eat a fly almost every Wednesday and Saturday.
In July, like clockwork, the hoards of Pink and Chum salmon swarmed town (the second largest chum rum the hatchery has ever seen!). This translated into some fantastic Dolly fishing in creeks like Montana Creek and Sheep Creek, as long as you could get your bead below all the spawning salmon in the creeks. The Pink salmon returned in numbers like we have never seen and they seemed to be bigger than normal as well. From mid-June through August we were catching dime bright Pinks covered in sea lice. What this means for next years return is a mystery, the Pink run could turn in to a dominant odd year, big year
Only time can tell.
As August began, so did the Silver run. This year, same as last, the silvers have been bigger than ever. With their large size, and chrome bodies they really seemed to work people over this year a bit. This season vs last, the fishing was a bit more of a slow roll as opposed to full steam ahead. If you put in the rod hours, it paid off in full. Switch rods really seemed to pay dividends to channel anglers this year at Sheep Creek, 5 Mile, and 9 Mile.
Silver fishing has slowed quite a bit this week as the bulk of the run has entered into the freshwater creeks anticipating finding just the right spot on their spawning grounds. With rain in the forecast, this could mean water levels will be rising. When water levels allow, there will be some good stream fishing to be had. We expect the channel fishing to roll on but catches are more likely to be in ones or twos rather than limits. For creeks like Montana, dark colors can be more productive than the bright pinks and chartreuses. Try Egg Sucking Leeches, Hareball Leeches and variations of Dolly Llamas. Dont be afraid to throw small flies and dead drift them; late season fish can be sulky and often respond better to smaller, darker flies and dead drifts.
This time of year the Dollies and cutthroat are often getting ready for their annual spawn. Some Dollies and cutthroats may still be found in the deep pools and in log jams, in places like Montana and Cowee Creek. In the next few weeks, they should be transitioning from their spawning grounds back to the lakes where they will spend their winter in a zombie-like trance. Egg patterns or small streamers can be the ticket for fooling the last few hook ups for the season.
Note to all the local and non-local shoppers- We will be hosting our Fall Rainy Day Sale starting TOMORROW.
- First, October 6-8 (72 hours only) ALL FLIES will be 25% off online and in store!
- Second, we have put a bunch of items in store and online in the sale category. We will only have these items while supplies last, so get them while you can!
- Third, the Dolly Llama photo contest continues until December, 1. Send photos to: photos@alaskaflyfishinggoods.com
Finally, we want to thank each and every one of our passionate customers for your patronage and support this summer, it is because of you that we are around! We look forward to seeing you this winter, we will be hosting a series of events, so be sure to check in with us either in store, on our website, Facebook page, and Instagram account!
Happy Fishing,
Brad, Mike & Kayla
October Hours:
Monday - Friday 10:00am - 5:30pm
Saturday - 10:00am - 4:00pm
Sunday - Closed
