Week 9 of the Alaska West season welcomed back some long time guests in the Bruce Cook Sr. group.
Photo: Cameron Miller
Bruce Cook Jr, Ray Smith and Bob Anderson all joined us again with Sr. They also brought a couple of the younger generation with them in Chandler and Tyler Cook just to keep it fresh. We also welcomed back Bill and Bridget Ward, Ed Novinsky and Rich and Maurice Holloway of Corn Nut fame. We had a few new guests to the Alaska West family as well, like father and son team George and Karl Bruce.
The fishing this week was very good as it normally is this time of August. Huge numbers of silvers crushed the river on every tide, quickly filling up all available space. The only way you could not catch a fish was to keep the fly out of the water – we had non-stop silver action no matter what technique you decided to use. Wet fly action was downright stupid and the only way to get a little break would be to throw poppers at them, and even then it was very consistent. Cam, our resident photographer, had so many jumping fish shots at the end of the week that it made for some amazing photos in the slide show.
Trout and dolly fishing was even better than the week before with some very large rainbows and dollies brought to hand. Both rainbows and dollies this time of year are so full of flesh and eggs they seem to be unreal. So fat and soft, with bulging stomachs it just does not seem right, and that’s the way we like it!
Flesh and eggs are the main diet of the rainbows this time of year, but it does not mean that they won’t take advantage of a little red meat now and then as many of the guests can attest this week. Throwing the mouse on both the Kanektok and Arolik in mid August may be one of the most exciting things a fly fisherman could ever do. Nothing like watching a rainbow destroy, with reckless abandon, the helpless little mouse pattern on the end of your line.
The weather this week was a bit temperamental. Some wind, some rain, and enough sun to make up for the wind and rain. Not bad for this time of year and really the only complaint was the extent of the no-see-um population which we all know is out of our control!
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