Late Sept CohoDave Getting It Done!
Silver fishing has been at its peak this past week. Lots of coho all over the channel with Sheep Creek leading the way in terms of abundance. The majority of the fish are still bright and some of them don't even have set scales yet. There are some blush fish as well but the meat on them is still excellent. The photo shown below is a good indication of what an average limit looked like this past week. Mostly bright ones with a couple showing color but all still outstanding fish.

Still Bright CohoGood looking fish!
Killer flies continue to be Dolly Llamas in Black & White #2, Black & Black #2 and Chartreuse & White #2. A variety of other flies, such as Polar Starlite Leeches, S.T.S Leeches and Clouser Minnows also are working. But if you don't mind casting the Llama it is pretty hard to beat. 

The wild card this next week is the weather. We definitely have a wet fall weather pattern staring us in the face. Area river levels have shot up making them temporarily unfishable. Also, Gastineau Channel in the area of 5 Mile is muddy from Lemon Creek's runoff and 9 Mile/Bayview is being negatively affected by Mendenhall River water as well as small feeder creeks spewing dirty water. It will take a bit of drying out in order for the water to drop and clear up. We'll see if we get a dry spell or not......

Deep WadingA Little Team Effort.

When the rains hit hard the prime place to head is south of downtown Juneau. Gastineau Channel from the Rock Dump to Sheep Creek is far less affected by water clarity issues. There are plenty of coho down there so plan on focusing your efforts in this area until the weather gives a break. 

The Million Dollar Question everyone wants to know is "How long will the run go on?" That is always a tough one and this next week will likely give us some clues. Some years the coho just keep trickling in right through mid to late October. Most of them have some color by October but the fishing is still good. In 2016 we caught coho at Sheep Creek right up until Halloween. Other years, like 2018, the coho just vaporize in early October. Sheep Creek empties out, the Channel is barren and all those fish pile up in front of the hatchery. 

However it all plays out, the smart money is on getting out there this week while we know the fish are still around! Break out your best rain jacket and we'll see you on the water.