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FERTILIZED EGG
Hungry trout will root through spawning redds for fertilized
“eyed” eggs trapped in the gravel.
ALEVIN
Alevin are incomplete little fry still emerging from their egg
sack. They are generally available to hungry trout in late winter
and early spring when few anglers are present. They wriggle from
the gravel and are washed downstream.
FRY
The Alevin become fry and are taken by trout before the smolt
run.
PARR (Juvenile Salmon)
Salmon Parr are juveniles living the freshwater phase of their
life cycles before “smolting” and migrating to the
ocean. There are always Parr available for trout somewhere.
Juvenile Sockeye tend to live in lakes where they feed on
plankton. Kings usually stick to the main river edges and Silvers
tend to seek out sloughs and beaver ponds adjacent to the main
river.
SMOLT (silvery juveniles bound for ocean life)
Smolt are juvenile salmon migrating to the ocean. Their bodies
undergo a chemical transformation allowing them to make the
transition to salt water. The migrations often begin in April and
extend in some river systems through June. While many trout
rivers are now closed during the height of the smolt migrations,
most open in early June. The best areas to find smolt and trout
congregations are where river systems enter and exit lakes.
ANGLERS
Anglers catching salmon often create an early food supply after
disposing of filleted salmon bodies into the rivers. Hungry trout
quickly attack the bright flesh, guts, and immature eggs.
ADULT SALMON
Trout are not big enough to feed on live adult salmon, but when
salmon are migrating and digging their redds, the trout will be
right behind them. The salmon often dislodge insect larvae and
send sculpin and Parr scurrying about. This presents some
opportunistic targets for hungry trout.
FRESH EGGS FROM SPAWNING SALMON,
Once the salmon are spawning and eggs begin falling, the trout go
nuts.
LIVE, DEAD AND DECAYING EGGS
During the middle of the spawn, there are eggs available in a
variety of colors from translucent red and orange to opaque milky
orange, amber and grayish white. Bright orange fertilized eggs
can be dislodged from the gravel by salmon digging out new redds,
changes in stream flow or determined trout.
CARCASSES (flesh)
After the salmon die, their bodies break down. Rapids, snags,
birds and bears help tear salmon carcasses into bits that trout
eagerly slurp up. Large trout will actually tear chunks directly
from the carcasses.
MAGGOTS
River levels often drop in the fall. Dead salmon that are beached
or pulled ashore by gulls, eagles and bears, become infested with
maggots. Occasionally, the maggots get washed in from rains and rising waters to become trout food. |
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| Flies |
May
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June
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July
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Aug
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Sept
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Oct
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Egg
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xxx
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xx
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xxx
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xxxx
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xxxx
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xxx
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Flesh
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xx
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xxx
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xxx
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x
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xx
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xxx
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Alevin
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xxx
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xx
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x
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Smolt
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xxx
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xx
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x
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Sculpin
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xx
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xx
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xx
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x
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x
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xx
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Streamer
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xx
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xx
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xx
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x
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x
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xx
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Nymph
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x
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xx
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xx
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xx
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x
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xx
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Dry Fly
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x
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xx
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x
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X - Works occaisionally
XX - Works about half of the time
XXX- Strong Choice
XXXX - The Obvious Choice
Note: By regulation, we can only use one single hook. Two fly
rigs are not allowed.
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Many of my guests have asked about the indicators we
often use. The following is all the info you need to make your
own. If you are having trouble or would like to buy some from me
directly, just let me know.
Yarn: Polypropylene Macrame
I use Maxi-Cord™ Braided Macrame (White)
Size: 6mm / 100yd.
Product Number: 36684-W01
Manufacturer: Maxwell
Use any color you like. I like white, because I feel that the
fish do not shy from it as much as from higher visibility colors.
It will also pick up some natural color (dirt) as it is used.
Cream is also a good non-obtrusive color. Orange and yellow are
good for high visibility situations. For heavy nymphs and lead,
use two strands of 6mm yarn. For smaller indicators, use one
strand of 6mm or two of the 3.5mm size. Trim yarn to appropriate
height.
Creation:
Cut two strands of yarn and lay parallel. Pinch together between
thumb and forefinger. Wrap the strands together (down the center)
tightly with kevlar tying thread. I finish off the last 8 wraps
as a whip finish (finger technique). You can also just half hitch
it off, although it may unravel eventually.
Note: For large indicators, it works best to use 4 sets of
approximately 8 wraps spaced slightly apart. The total width of
your thread wraps should be 8-10mm wide.
Next, fold the doubled yarn together to close a loop over the
thread wrapped portion. Now hold the yarn tightly together
between thumb and forefinger and wrap the sections together. Use
approximately 8 wraps followed by two sets of 6 whip finish
wraps.
Your indicator is now tied and ready for fluffing. Use a tooth
pick or a bodkin to pick apart the yarn fibers from the weave.
Then use Velcro to fully separate the yarn fibers and fluff them
out.
To use, liberally apply floatant and work through with Velcro.
Indicators are attached to the butt section of your leader by
simply pinching the line, feeding it through the loop and folding
it over the indicator. If the indicator won’t stay put,
wrap the loop once around the indicator before drawing it
tight.
Yarns are available at many craft stores or online at:
http://www.alpineimport.com |
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Not all fly fishers like fishing with
indicators, but no one can argue their effectiveness. I enjoy the
visual aspect of watching them just like a dry fly. Indicators
are an important tool in a successful fly anglers arsenal.
In fast water, the general distance from indicator to split shot
or weighted fly should be twice the depth of the water.
In slow water, use an indicator to suspend your fly above the
bottom or specific structures.
In big water, extend your drift by feeding downstream slack to
cover more area. This technique is deadly and can only be
achieved with an indicator. The trick is to feed the slack
without drag and still be able to set the hook when a fish takes.
Mastering this method is very rewarding and fun.
One deadly trick for extending drifts is to lead your indicator
with a very small belly of fly-line (about the size of a
basketball). Feed slack smoothly as fast as the current takes
your fly-line and do not drag the indicator.
For close in fishing, hold most of the fly line off the water and
follow the indicator (at current speed) with your rod tip. This
is known as high sticking. Many anglers excel at this technique
without use of an indicator. Using an indicator often allows one
to use less weight on the leader. |
When Sockeye are plentiful, they are quite easy to
catch on fly-fishing tackle. Often anglers fishing with
conventional gear are amazed to watch fly rodders catching fish
regularly while they may be missing out or occasionally foul
hooking fish. I thoroughly enjoy the battle of a fresh sockeye on
an 8wt fly rod. Hook one up and you will to.
PRESENTATION
To catch sockeye with consistency, the fly must be presented at
their level. Sockeye will seldom move up or down in the water
column to intercept a fly. The key is to get the fly right in
front of the fish. This can be accomplished several ways. A
variety of sinking fly lines can get the job done. I like the Jim
Teeny lines best. Generally a 300 or 400-grain line will get in
the zone. The one drawback to this approach is that you will have
to find exactly the right water for the density of line you are
fishing. In order to get your fly to the fish, you might also
need a fairly long cast to give the fly line time to probe the
proper depth. Fishing a sinking line is an acquired skill and
certainly worth mastering. If your goal however, is to get right
into the fish, there is a quicker way.
The easiest solution to staying with the fish is to use a
floating line. By adjusting the amount of weight and leader
length you are fishing, you can work any depth. The other
advantage to a floating line is in creating a perfect swing.
Varying the amount of fly line actually drifting in the water
will allow you to swim your fly horizontally past the fish.
By sweeping your rod tip downstream ahead of your drift, you
will also maintain a tight line and know the moment a fish has
intercepted your fly. Once this happens, set your hook downstream
with your tip low above the water. This will maintain tension on
your leader, causing your fly to find a strong purchase in the
corner of your Sockeye’s jaw. Then hang on to the rod and
let go of your reel handle. Chances are your Sockeye will be
streaking downstream.
FLY PATTERNS
The best sockeye flies are simply tied with yarn. I start with a
Mustad 7970 in size 4. This is an extra heavy hook. I find that
the heavier wire helps to hold sockeye better than standard
diameter hooks. I always carry a hook file and keep the points
sharp. I start by building a thread base from the eye about
midway down the shank. Then I tie on a piece of yarn leading
forward past the eye of the hook (about 1.5”). Next, I fold
the yarn back to and tie it down to form a bullet style head. I
typically tie with green, yellow and red yarns.
Another simple pattern favorite starts with the same hook. I
build the body with black chenille and collar the fly with a soft
hackle of black, pink, orange or blue. |
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As an Alaskan guide, most of my time is spent sharing
my favorite river, the “Upper Kenai” with others.
However, the best thing about Alaska in mid summer is that
daylight extends beyond midnight. That means that on occasion, I
can guide an entire day, take care of preparations for the next
trip and still grab a few hours of fishing with a friend.
On one such summers evening, my friend Stacy Corbin and I were
sight fishing to big trout in one of the Upper Kenai’s many
eddies. We had spotted several trout over 20” moving around
some sockeye carcasses lodged in a snag. I maneuvered the boat,
while Stacy crouched low in the bow and cast carefully into the
zone. His fly was immediately intercepted and Stacy hit the fish
hard not expecting the result.
Instead of a 24” rainbow straining for cover, a little
8” trout missile was flying straight at Stacy. For a
moment, time was suspended. The tiny trout seemed to be swimming
in air. Then, splat went the rainbow right in the crotch of his
Simms waders. I had a brief moment to view the shocked look on
Stacy’s face as he examined the slime spot. Then my eyes
filled with tears of laughter as Stacy bent over and attempted to
capture the hapless fish now flopping in the bottom of the drift
boat. Even in Alaska, small fish happen.
After the tears dried and I could see again, we regrouped. Stacy
and I each managed to land a couple nice fish from the eddy
before moving on. We were targeting rainbows feeding on salmon
flesh, something unfamiliar to many fly-fishers. We also
surprised a young grizzly doing the same thing.
The Kenai River experiences an early influx of salmon flesh from
the concentrated sockeye fishery adjacent to the Russian / Kenai
River confluence. Many anglers from outside Alaska are surprised
to learn that their standard trout flies are not often on the
menu. A large rainbow is more likely to cruise around carcass
piles and graze on a buffet of rich salmon protein then expend
lots of energy chasing emerging caddis. While I occasionally
enjoy delicately presenting dry flies to rising fish, there is
something about throwing a chunky fly and having a big trout
wallop it that gets me going.
Salmon flesh in the form of fins, guts, immature eggs and scraps
of meat come from Russian River bound Sockeye Salmon. Sockeye
carcasses would not normally be available until late fall after
the spawning cycle, but the Upper Kenai experiences a unique
circumstance. Thousands of sockeye salmon are caught at the
Kenai/Russian River confluence. The byproduct (flesh) of their
capture results in thousands of filleted sockeye salmon carcasses
washing downstream. This creates a smorgasbord of protein that
the trout immediately feast on.
Flesh can be imitated in a variety of ways. One favorite local
pattern uses one or two colors of yarn and some variegated
chenille we call “peaches and cream”. Two colors of
“Glo-Bug” yarn lashed above and below the hook shank
also creates an effective pattern. Rabbit fur is used on the
popular “Ginger Bunny Fly” as well as the
“Battle Bunny”. The key ingredient, as in all trout
fishing is to match the natural food source. One of my favorite
flies is the basic “Flesh Bunny” fly with the
addition of dumbbell eyes. The weight of the eyes allows me to
fish tight to cover without using split shot. The eyes also
provide a keel effect and keep the hook upright thereby
decreasing the number of snags.
Catching rainbows on flesh flies is easy, but you can increase
your catch by focusing on specific target areas. Simply put, the
best water is where the most carcasses are. Look for logjams, and
sweepers that collect the carcasses like autumn leaves. Eddies
and the top portion of converging seams will also hold carcasses.
Trout will frequent these areas and are often spotted as they
dart around after drifting bits or even tear chunks from trapped
salmon. Dead drift your flesh imitations in these areas and you
will be rewarded with some impressive catches. Don’t be
afraid to fish heavier than normal tippets. Pulling a large
rainbow from a root ball is similar to pressuring a bass from
heavy cover with the added dynamic of current to make things
interesting. |
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