The fishing at Angler’s Alibi starts with our trout opener in June (always on June 8th) every summer. We do two weeks of trout, grayling, and char fishing in June for a small group of 4 anglers per week (learn more: a unique trout fishing experience). This small number of guests allows us to enjoy the rainbow resource we have on our home river, as well as various other rivers in nearby Katmai National Park. This opening week features trout that have just finished spawning and are eager to pounce on mice, leeches, and dry flies. You read that correctly: mice! This is the featured fly we use for early season rainbows in June and it has proven deadly. The trout of Alaska have a desire to eat mice because there are a lot of them, they do occasionally fall into the river, and yes, the trout love a huge meal! We also use streamers and dry flies these early weeks as the trout are looking up for food this time of year, more so than any other time of the year. We target trout from the opener on June 8 throughout the entire season until we close down in early September.
After this early rainbow trout season, we anxiously await the start of the salmon run. This run usually starts every summer on or about July 1, with both sockeye and king salmon coming in on the tides. The weather in early July is often warm and with sockeye salmon coming into the river system by the millions, it is a great way to enjoy Alaska fly fishing while harvesting plenty of salmon to take home. We fish for king salmon on both conventional and fly gear. The main way we target king salmon is by drifting cork egg imitations called 'cheaters'. These represent salmon eggs to the kings, and they strike them out of an instinctive response to crush other salmon eggs. This method is done by drifting or casting into likely runs where kings have taken a break from their migration (we call this method 'pitching'). We like this method, as it entails strong angling skills and enhances the guest experience more than simply trolling lures.
King season also coincides with the start of the huge calico salmon run, also referred to as chum salmon. These salmon have gotten a bad rap over the years for not being good to eat or fun to catch. Both are erroneous! Most rivers in Alaska that have chum salmon get their fish after they have been in the estuary for a long time and are in full spawning color and past their prime for both eating and catching. In our case, Alaska's Alagnak River receives these chum salmon only miles from the sea on a daily basis, so they are a joy to catch and fresh to eat!
Silver season starts in late July to early August, and we start targeting them daily once they arrive, until the end of our season. Silvers are one of the prized salmon to catch on a fly. Sure, we will use spinning gear from time to time with those guests that want to or prefer it, but most of our time fishing for silvers is on the fly.
King season also coincides with the start of the huge calico salmon run, also referred to as chum salmon. These salmon have gotten a bad rap over the years for not being good to eat or fun to catch. Both are erroneous! Most rivers in Alaska that have chum salmon get their fish after they have been in the estuary for a long time and are in full spawning color and past their prime for both eating and catching. In our case, Alaska's Alagnak River receives these chum salmon only miles from the sea on a daily basis, so they are a joy to catch and fresh to eat!
Silver season starts in late July to early August, and we start targeting them daily once they arrive, until the end of our season. Silvers are one of the prized salmon to catch on a fly. Sure, we will use spinning gear from time to time with those guests that want to or prefer it, but most of our time fishing for silvers is on the fly.
