Skipjack Joe
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Fishing Alaska's Interior
My intention was to focus on Alaska's interior this year. However, we never pass up an opportunity to fish Peter's Creek. The water was low this year
which delayed the salmon runs. That's a king well into it's spawning colors.
Our adventure really started on the Denali Highway. This 'highway' is actually 120 miles of dirt road. But that was a good thing as it's almost
untraveled (picture baja over 30 yrs ago). The first time I really felt I had reached the 'interior' was at this spot, which, by the way, I grew to
love and kept coming back over and over. We arrived here at dusk and there were rings all over the lake. We quickly assembled our rods and virtually
ran down to the shoreline. I was so excited knowing they had to be grayling.
First cast - nothing.
Wade out deeper and put it on top of him - nothing.
Change to a smaller fly - nothing.
Change to a sinking line - nothing.
Strip the line faster - nothing.
Use a leech pattern - nothing.
A midge pattern? - nothing.
They were still rising as we walked back to the car and got ready for bed.
But what a wonderful spot. We'd wait for the sun to bake the vehicle to just the right temperature before even thinking of getting up. Breakfast was a
lazy affair interrupted by long pauses of staring blankly at the water. The entire area was covered by brush with virtually no trees to break it up.
Why I could probably spot a grizzly 500 yards coming towards our campsite.
The next spot I want to show you was the visual highlight of the trip. We went there for the lake trout and grayling but soon realized how trivial
that was. It's impossible to convey the feeling on film. We are at the end of a massive U shaped valley that was entirely filled by this body of
water. The distances were so great that my lens was incapable of getting it all. I finally chose the side with the more dramatic cliffs and hoped for
the best. There was a lot of wind at Landmark Gap but it was at it's finest when the lake was perfectly still. Some puffy clouds could have helped but
that was not to be.
We caught numerous grayling at the outlet and kept 5 for dinner. They were just small enough to fit into an 8" skillet. Alex had found 4 large wild
mushrooms which complemented the fish nicely. We met no one here for the entire time other than a canoer who pushed off from this spot to distant
shores. He paddled right through that little opening you can barely see in the distance and disappeared from view.
We knew that grayling were not going to wow us with their size but we still wanted something larger. I had heard about the Clearwater River that
crosses the highway at midpoint and 6 dusty hours later we arrived at the 'campground'. Campgrounds up there are different from what you and I have
grown to expect in California. They're usually just a patch of level ground layered with gravel and a outhouse in one corner. The Clearwater turned
out to be fast and wide. The fish were not numerous, but large by our standards, 14"-18". Wading was tiring as the river had to be crossed repeatedly
to fish the lies properly. I chose this image so that you could see some of the subtle beauty of this fish. The dorsal fin has the same coloration as
the pelvics you're seeing.
By this time we had become spoiled with the hamburger dinners at the Tangle Lake Lodge and soon left the Clearwater for a warm meal and a pancake
breakfast. As often happens on these journey I met a traveler there who told us about the grayling at Swede Lake. The lack of rain made it possible to
drive the ATV trail to within a mile of the lake.
Oh, heh, I guess I should tell you this episode. You might get a kick out of it. The trail was so narrow that the brush would scratch the sides of our
rented vehicle in many places. Eventually we came to a spot that looked like soft mud, a spot that spelled trouble, and I refused to go further. There
was no place to turn and backing up a mile on that trail seemed impossible. Fortunately I had bought Alex this enormous bowie knife with a 9" blade
for Christmas (which Alex tried to bring on board as carry-on, but that's another story) we used it to hack out a spot wide enough to turn around. It
was tiring, unpleasant work but fortunately there were blueberries everywhere making the task considerably more enjoyable.
The trail came down this cliff to a bog and seemed to disappear. Our waterproof shoes were useless here as we stumbled through ankle deep water.
Attracted by our sweat the mosquitos were all over us as we trudged through the mud to the lake's inlet. I think the sweat would wash away the deet
cause it didn't work very long in this bog.
Well, the guy had been right. It was wall to wall grayling. And they were of a good size. I must've caught 10 fish on my first 10 casts. Then I
switched to bluegill poppers and they took that. Then I switched to bass poppers and they took that. Then I switched to mouse patterns and they took
that. What can I say? We were in grayling heaven!
To be honest, after what it had taken to get there, I didn't think Alex would be up for another day at Swede Lake. But he surprised me ( and I never
say no to a fishing ) and we came back to this spot two more days. It rained the last day. All I remember now is huffing up that cliff in the rain and
then hauling back to that lodge. It was beautiful, though. Glistening leaves with blueberries beneath. And an occasional mushroom peaking through the
litter.
The last leg of our journey was the Brooks River again. The water was low this year which seemed to discourage the sockeyes from entering the river.
The bears were not to be seen, either. I felt sorry for the tourists with their expensive cameras because they had nothing to shoot.
Fortunately, however, the bears were gone because they had found the salmon in another watershed - Margot Creek. We had found out about Margot quite
by accident - from a vistor at the campground who had just come back from The Valley of 10,000 Smokes.
So we hopped on the bus and 19 miles later told the driver to drop us off. Another mile hike got us down to the river. Even before we reached the
water we saw signs of bear everywhere. They had been feasting on the abundant red berries leaving scat of every color imaginable, from pink to purple.
The water was teeming with amorous sockeyes. In a fevered state I assembled my bead egg setup and was into an arctic char almost immediately. He took
me down in the fast current past the island about 50 yards. After releasing I hiked back to where I hooked him and promptly hooked another which took
me back down to where I started from.
It was wonderful. A light rain started to fall but nobody seemed to notice or care. In fact we ate our sandwiches in the rain. Lunch was an affair
where everyone was talking at the same time about their particular encounter with a bear or char.
The bears were everywhere. They followed trails at the water's edge looking for opportunities. Then they would come dashing out in a spray of water to
pounce on some hapless salmon. These guys must have been stuffed with salmon cause we saw dead fish everywhere.
The protocol when meeting a bear was simple. If he crossed the river to your side you crossed to the opposite bank. The first bear made us real
nervous. But the more we encountered the less we worried. It was not uncommon to look down river and see someone wading from left to right with a bear
just below him going right to left. The only one that gave us trouble was this giant male that had parked his rear in the middle of the creek and just
sat there. The guide even had a name for him. I never developed the courage to advance on this one and just bushwacked it through the pines to get
around.
The arctic char is a beautiful fish that resembles our brook trout. I was told that you could tell the males from the females from the shape of their
fins. I believe the one in the upper image is a male with the female in the lower one. For some reason that nobody understands only char come up this
creek from the lake whereas only rainbows enter the Brooks river just a few miles away. Most alaskan rivers have both, so this was very unusual.
We made 3 all day trips to Margot and plan to return again some day.
Oh yes, the fly on Alex's right shoulder is a 'flesh fly'. It's the color of salmon flesh. Char will feed on dead salmon that come drifting by. They
work fine but bead eggs are much better in my opinion.
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Skipjack Joe
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There lots of rabbits in alaska. This one was leading a dangerous life.
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Iflyfish
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Fantastic photos. I hope to go there next spring. Thanks for sharing these wonderful photos. What a lucky kid and what a lucky dad. The best!!
Iflyfishinaweofskipjackandhiskid
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Skipjack Joe
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Iflyfish
Iflyfishinaweofskipjackandhiskid
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Ay, go awn wit ya.
I'm just a common flower girl.
[Edited on 12-7-2009 by Skipjack Joe]
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Iflyfish
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You are not that good looking.
Iflyfish
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Ken Bondy
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What a magnificent report Igor. Fabulous pictures and descriptions. Alex is a lucky kid  !!! And you a lucky dad to be able to do this with him. What month was this? ++Ken++
carpe diem!
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Pompano
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Igor, this is a great read with my morning coffee. Gracias.
And while you may not be as cute as a c-ckney flower gal.  ...
...these are superb photos and moods representing your trip and a young man's journey into manhood. He'll be carrying with him some truly great
memories of your time together.
You're on a great mission as father & son, as I know so well. I'm truly grateful every day for those same experiences with my own Dad. I
realized later in life what emphasis he put on Nature and what he knew it would teach me. We had such good times in so many places around the world,
including Alaska, all over northern Canada...and down to Baja.
Muchas Gracias, Igor y Hasta Pronto!
I'll be waiting for your next adventure & report...coffee in hand.
.
.
[Edited on 12-9-2009 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Iflyfish
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Great series Pompano. What a wonderful thread for those of us who want to cast a fly at those Alaskan waters. We hope to go next spring and I am
bringing my float tube!
Can anyone recommend a good resource for information on trout waters along the Alcan?
Iflyfish
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Pompano
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Iflyfish..I recommend getting the Milepost magazine for almost all things Alaska and Alcan Highway.
http://milepost.com/
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Natalie Ann
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I thoroughly enjoyed your trip report and pix, Igor. What beautiful places for you and Alex to spend time together - and obviously the fishing
rewards were excellent.
That pix of the U-shaped valley filled with water.... turn it on its side and it reminds me of one of the Rorschach pix - you know, is this two urns
or a couple kissing. 
You know I've been waiting to see these Alaska pix. They are definitely worth the wait.
Thank you so much for sharing.
nena
(*edit for grammar)
[Edited on 12-7-2009 by Natalie Ann]
Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
.....Oscar Wilde
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Natalie Ann
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Roger - Is there anyplace you've not visited?
Always I enjoy your pix and these are frosting on the cake Igor baked.
Please keep travelin' and sharin' with us.
nena
Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
.....Oscar Wilde
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stimbo
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Thanks Igor -- I've been enjoying your non-Baja posts. Your "visual highlight" still works well, clouds or not. Keep 'em coming!
jim
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Skipjack Joe
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Nena,
It took me a while to get it all together but I figured I had to do it before the Christmas baja trip or it may never get done. Our fishing club needs
stories in a bad way so this will help. I have to say that now my favorite is the one of the SUV over the lake. There were some very pleasant hours
spent on that bluff. I would go down that bank every morning to get water for coffee and teeth brushing.
Ken,
We were there during the 7/23-8/24 time frame. I got some information from ranger talk that you might find interesting. The lifeblood of the Bristol
Bay area are the sockeye runs. The nutrients from their enormous summer runs are responsible for almost all of the dense forests and foliage in the
area. Their nutrients from their dieoffs make it up the food chain and finally into the soil in that area that causes everything to grow. I found that
fascinating. A converyer belt of energy from the Bering Sea right up into that area.
| Quote: | Originally posted by Pompano
.... Finally, I landed a dink of about 6lbs and we had our meal. ....
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Hello? What have we here? You didn't think that would go unnoticed? That perked up my interest.
I had a huge rainbow this summer above the falls I didn't land. It still breaks me up to think about it (picture Allen Iverson). I was overmatched
with the 5wt. It just held in the current with no panic whatsoever. I had him on maybe 15 minutes before the hook came out. You just exhale deeply and
go sit on the bank for awhile staring vacantly at the water. Sort of like after a car accident.
I agree with your comments about rainbow fishing. Their lightning fast runs are just so exciting.
P.S. I really like the one of you on the bank holding the coffee mug.
[Edited on 12-7-2009 by Skipjack Joe]
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Skipjack Joe
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Iflyfish
I thought I would answer your U2U as a post to encourage others to provide more information and correct me.
I think bringing a float tube along is an excellent idea. Many salmon will gather at inlets and outlets where a tube would give you a great advantage.
Even in Kodiak a float tube could be used in salt water as salmon wait for the tides to rise before coming in.
I don't think grayling are a great gamefish but they inhabit some of the finest country in alaska. They are extremely willing to take the fly. The two
of us caught and released 132 grayling in Rock Creek in about 3 hours. To get big grayling you need to either (a) hike away from the highway or (b)
drive to extremely isolated country. If you are willing to drive up to the north slope a coupld of hundred miles north of Faibanks you can average 16"
grayling right off the highway. I didn't have enough time for this (that's 500 miles north of Anchorage) and was able to accomplish this by offroading
with the SUV.
The smaller grayling will take a #14-#16 parachute adams as well as any fly there is. Bigger water requires a #10-#12 high floating dry. However, we
discovered that the big fish will take a #4 wooly bugger more consistently than the dry.
We had trouble getting grayling in stillwater. I went down to 7X tippet and still couldn't fool them. A friend of mine, however, fishes Tincup Lake,
which you will be passing near Whitehorse, Yukon. He gets 22 inch grayling from a float tube with wooly buggers.
Since you will be traveling in Spring I would highly recommend you try for the lake trout from the float tube. They are supposed to be in shallow
water near shore at the time and readily available. A large white streamer pattern like a whistler should be ideal. I've never caught them myself but
I know the lakes that hold them.
If you do intend to fish the Denali highway here are some suggestions:
The eastern half of the highway that starts at Paxson is where you want to go. Here the landscape in some parts resembles Iceland or Norway. Paxson
has the only grocery store in the area so get your buger patties and eggs there. Twenty five miles from Paxson you come to Tangle Lakes. Cross the
bridge and pull over to your left to fish the small river connecting the lakes and catch your limit of dink grayling with dries. Another 5 miles takes
you to Rock Creek. Pull over under the bridge and hike up or down as far as you want with grayling on every cast. Landmark Gap is to your right
requiring either a 2.5 mile hike or a 4WD. Beautiful scenery and good lake trout fishing, the grayling are supposed to be large but we didn't find
that to be true. Swede Lake is a 5 mile hike or a 4WD followed by a 1 mile hike. The inlet is loaded with big grayling. Clearwater Creek is 25 miles
past Tangle Lakes. Hike down a hundred yards downstream from the bridge and start fishing. There are nice ones in there. There is another Clearwater
Delta about an hour north of Paxson that has trophy grayling but we never made it there.
We really like Peters Creek for rainbows. They run about 18-20 inches in there but are really hot. Fish them with bead eggs. Drive the dirt road from
the Parks highway to the bridge and then hike downstream for about 1/2 mile. Don't bother with that first 1/2 mile or you'll get the wrong impression.
Look of splashing salmon and the rainbows are right behind them. Incidentally, there are grayling in that river also.
Use a 5wt for trout and grayling. An 8 wt for all salmon except the kings.
I've written everything I can think of.
Good luck.
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Natalie Ann
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
Nena,
I have to say that now my favorite is the one of the SUV over the lake. There were some very pleasant hours spent on that bluff. I would go down that
bank every morning to get water for coffee and teeth brushing.
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Isn't it interesting how over time the photos we like best are not just the ones that are the 'perfect' shot photographically speaking, but those
quality pix which also bring up the best memories. I can understand why that particular shot would be a favorite.... it has that comfy feel of
'home'.
In looking at the pix again, I really like the one with Alex facing away from the camera (front right quadrant). The curve of the rod and that lime
green line connecting human to nature is especially appealing.
I'm also taken by the rich green of the grasses in that shot and the second one after it, where Alex has apparently crossed the water - perhaps to
stay away from a bear?  For some reason I'd never thought there was so much green in Alaska.
Really cool pix, amigo - story, too.
Now enjoy your Christmas trip to Baja. I'll be home in Berkeley, a bit green with envy, and will of course look forward to hearing all about it.
nena
Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.
.....Oscar Wilde
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Skipjack Joe
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The 'rich green' color seems to be the result of the camera setting. When it's overcast I set the camera to overcast which changes the color spectrum
to warmer colors. I actually often like them more than the ones I get from the sunlight setting. In my experience canon seems to generate less
saturated colors than other camera makers so I sometimes compensate with this setting. You'll notice that the greens on the sunnier days were
different.
Let me know if you think it's too over the top. I usually don't like saturated images.
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