One of our favorite ways to target the Kanektok River’s rainbows in the late season at Alaska West is to fish a type of rig that we call ‘Steak and Eggs’ – a bead with a small flesh fly for the hook.
In Western Alaska, our leopard rainbows feed heavily on the biomass that salmon bring into the river – the eggs that they drop, as well as the chunks of their flesh that tumble down the river after they die. Yes, that sounds a little tough, but it’s all part of the circle of life in Western Alaska.
Bead fishing is a really effective way to go, but if you’re showing those fish an egg imitation, why not forgo the bare hook and show them some flesh as well? Some rainbows are feeding on flesh, and others on eggs. Fishing a small flesh dropper behind your bead may not double your chances, but for anything other than the spookiest fish, we think it’s got to help.
Here are some details on the photo above:
- That’s just another amazing underwater shot from Cameron Miller, our staff photographer at Alaska West.
- The bead is a custom fimo clay creation made by Rick Sisler’s mom. Really.
- The flesh fly is what we call ‘micro-flesh’ – one turn of cross-cut bunny fur in flesh
, tied on a Tiemco 105 egg hook. - The flesh fly is tied on with a non-slip mono loop, with the tag end left a little long, which keeps the bead the perfect distance from the flesh fly below.
Looks like it ate the fimo egg.