What’s a guy gotta do to get a little rain and cooler temperatures? Last I checked, the Tongass is still classified as a temperate rainforest but with the weather the last two weeks I’m just not sure. The fish haven’t seemed to care, and I guess that brings me to my first point.
- There are still LOTS of kings around!
We're assuming this king is getting prepped for the holiday weekend.
As of last weekend it seems the bite has transitioned more from the Thane side of town back towards the Fish Creek area. Fushia south of town has been the hot fly color, but on the Douglas side chartreuse and its various partner colors (chartreuse/pink, chartreuse/white, chartreuse/black) has been the ticket. The best way to get a king is to put the time in. Not every tide is producing a lot of fish, but some are, and you just need to be there when that happens!
There is just nothing quite like a king on the swing using a spey rod!
In other news, sockeye season is officially closed. With the high-water conditions, we did not hear of any fish being caught in Windfall this season, but if you got one, we would love to hear about it! When one door closes, another one opens as they say, and tomorrow marks the end of the steelhead closure at Peterson Creek. There are a bunch of dime-bright chums in front of Peterson Creek and as of tomorrow we can fish for them! If you haven’t caught a chum on the fly, you are simply missing out. These bruisers are underrated as a sport fish, and I would argue that pound for pound they will put up a bigger fight than most kings. Small flies that imitate squid or shrimp are good choices when targeting chums. The UV Calamari, Mini Krystal Shrimp, Keep It Glassy are great patterns. Black and dark purple flies are also quite good for chums. The Wildthing in black has served us well for chums over the years as has the STS Leech.
Pinks are just starting up at Echo Cove as well. The low tide is the most productive and right by the boat launch, directly across from the launch by the boulders, or out near the sand spit are the most productive spots. Look for rollers and jumpers and make a bee line for them! Humpy Hookers are the fly of choice for these little chrome missiles.
Southern Lynn Canal looking north on the way back to the float pond.
The Dolly fishing has continued to be good, though we should be starting to see them show up in the creeks very shortly. Chances are Cowee Creek out the road already has some Dollies in it, but with the hot weather it will likely be blown out until we get some rain or cooler temperatures. Sheep creek is another creek that gets Dollies fairly early. There are chums in the channel, so the bead fishing is not far off out there.
We hope everyone has a great Fourth of July weekend! The shop will be closed on the 4th, but we’ll be back open at 9am July 5. Stay safe and careful with your fireworks this year, we are living in a tinderbox currently!
Cory, Brad, Mike, and the rest of the crew at AFFG
*We love using our customers' photos in our future fishing reports, but we really want to encourage ethical treatment of fish. When practicing catch and release do your best to handle the fish minimally and get pictures with the fish in the water! With live fish, please avoid placing your fingers in gills, setting fish on dry ground, or holding them way above water with your dry hands. Remember this resource is only sustainable if we all help do our part. Submit your photos to cory@alaskaflyfishinggoods.com or tag us on Instagram (@alaskaflyfishinggoods)
