We will keep this report short, sweet, to the point and full of pictures! King salmon season is in full swing and as of yesterday retention is open in all waters around the Juneau area. Be aware that the regulations are different whether you are in the terminal area or not. Please check the regs and be aware of where you are fishing.
Forrest Bowers with a nice Fish Creek chromer!
The hot spots right now have been Fish Creek, Lena Cove, and out towards Sheep Creek. If you are going to be at either Lena or out Thane the best tides for success are on the incoming. Around Fish Creek the most productive tides are at the high tide and the dropping tide. When using a floating line such as a Rio Grand or Rio Predator focus on using heavy flies and stripping them in. The best patterns are the Mr. Bodangles and Mega Dolly Llamas. If you are wanting to try your hand at swinging flies you will need lighter flies as well as a 10ft sink tip to add onto the floating line (Airflo Polyleaders or Rio Mow Tips). The best swinging flies for king salmon are the Rockstars, Checkmates, Party Girls, and Stu’s Ostrich Intruder. When using a sink tip be sure to replace the 9ft Rio Tapered leader with either 16lb or 20lb straight mono, and only use around 4ft of tippet. For people wanting to break into the two hand game, Echo’s King rod is built for, well, king salmon. For something that is a little more versatile we just got a couple Sage X 8wt switch rods back in, and let me tell you, they basically cast themselves.
Aron Lambert finding fish on the other side of the bridge.
We haven’t heard many reports of folks heading up to look for sockeye, but by this time of the year in June there are almost surely fish in there. With the high water make sure you have plenty of split shot with you! Chartreuse Mini Krystal Shrimp are back in stock and this is one of our favorite sockeye flies around here. The color just seems to pop, especially when the water is high or slightly stained. Remember there are only four days left to try and get into a chrome sockeye on the fly!
The Dolly fishing has continued to be good in all the same spots. Sheep Creek is especially fun this time of year because when you are throwing a pink AK Clouser you also have the chance to tie into a king! As we move into the second half of June the Dollies will slowly start making their way back into some of the freshwater systems we have here in Juneau. Cowee Creek and Montana Creek are awesome early season streams to find Dollies waiting for the eggs to start dropping. Use larger streamers such as a Stinger Clouser or a Tungsten Mini Dolly Llama in black/white. Deeper pools are the best places to target Dollies in creeks during this time of year.
The fishing is hot right now and king season won't last long, so now is the time to put the chores on pause and hit the water! We hope everyone has a great week of fishing, and don't forget the head nets!
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! 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)
