After two solid weeks of sun and sight fishing, rain returned to Alaska West for Week 10 and brought with it an array of fishing challenges for our anglers. The first few days of the week saw high winds and rain, which made it tough to be outside, much less get a decent cast. The Silver Salmon love this type of weather, and with a little extra water in the river, began to push even harder than they had in the previous weeks of sun. Anglers who played “hide and go seek with the wind” found fishing to be excellent and many had limits of nice sized fish well before lunch. Top water fishing for Silvers is always best under a cloudy sky and Week 10 saw some epic Wog Sessions in the rain.
Fortunately, the harsh weather didn’t stick around all week, and the sun returned, giving anglers ample opportunity to sight fish for Rainbows and Dollies behind the spawning salmon in the side channels. The rise in water from the rain earlier in the week also flushed thousands of dead salmon carcasses from the gravel bars, giving way to excellent flesh fly fishing along the snag lines and deep drop offs. Some of the best flesh patterns are also the most simple, which is good because anglers tend to lose numerous flies probing the snags. Week 10 saw a rise in the use of the classic egg loop on an octopus hook as the most efficient way to present fleshy colored rabbit hide to hungry Rainbows.
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