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Just getting on the internet briefly, still in Kodiak fishing and having a terrible time with fish far too numerous to count and far too heavy to carry! ;) Hope none of you are being so sorely taxed and your muscles do not ache like every last piece of organic matter being held together by this old hide!
best to all
art
What a problem to have hap........without pictures, there is no proof of this..........hardship?
Good for you Art.hope you have many days of such suffering .
Best,
Steve
Sounds like subliminal marketing, and very good at that. Wish I had the coins to make the trip and pay you to take me fishing.
What kind of fish?
Photos?
Last night we fished in heavy rain for several hours with three different 4wts. Nice wide stream and we got to spend the entire time in just one hole. There were legal king salmon in the hole but we just harassed the Dollies. I just got a TFO 10' for just this place and to match a particular old G Loomis Metolius a friend owns. I had gone through several Sages, a T&T, and a bunch more before trying this one... It is EXACTLY what I was looking for.
The dollies were as small as 10" and the best were well past 24". There were far more takes than casts as we were swinging a wet fly, the Kodiak Sea Louse I posted a SBS on a couple years ago. It is hard to keep the line tight and the takes are usually quick and over. Once it is figured out it works ridiculously well though. A friend from LA, CA, was having his first truly incredible experience as a fly fisherman and could not believe the fishing.
A 2' dolly on a 4wt is not exactly nothing... and they fight extremely well just a half-mile or so from saltwater. We are going back today and the rain has stopped for now so pictures will be possible.
I have also caught king, red, pink, and chum salmon on flies this trip. There have been a few rainbows and in salt; halibut, lingcod, cod, and at least a half-dozen species of rockfish. We dropped several hundred pounds of fillets at the fish processor for vacuum packing and freezing.
Pictures have to wait until I get home as the WIfi is spotty here.
Envy you this annual trip. Have to pick you brain one day to see how feasible a Kodiak DIY would be. Best of luck, Hap.
Really sounds like you are having a great time, can't wait to see the pictures.
I can't take credit for this quote but a sage gillie once uttered " no photos lad, no fish".. ( it was, of course, a "modern" gillie) .Actually the "proper" quote was :Sport to gillie " no fish, no Glendronach. Gillie to sport " no Glendronach, no fish". Legend has it gillie won that standoff.
That a bit off topic but, hap, I too would love to "see" those vast quantities.
Mark
MarkQuote:
Originally Posted by Marco
I seldom post Salmonidae killing pictures... but it took effort today to clean the blood off the waders for photos... ;)
Most folks would have to just gasp at the numbers of wild, native, anadromous char we fished over today. These were the bigger fish in the river and had segregated by size as they naturally tend to do. It was goofy how many fish were there, yet by numbers the smaller fish carpet some pools and completely block the river bottom from view.
art
DIY on Kodiak is very doable with a very high probability of great success. The AK Fly Fishers used to do an annual trip and many from outside made the trip with us. They get the advantage of local knowledge on the water and usually we make arrangements for cheaper housing. Usually I would have 6 people staying on my boat for these trips and it works/ed very well.Quote:
Originally Posted by whatfly
It was dead quiet until just seconds ago when the sky opened up and just dumped on us. It was good to be back on the boat.
Back on topic... many military retirees take advantage of the cheap billeting and food on the Coast Guard base. I know several that travel together with just a single military individual.
PM a number and time when you want to talk about options.
art
Oh, and I no longer run charters so there will be no sales pitch or similar...
ok how bout a kodiak fish in????
IME it starts out looking grand and then the cancellations start when folks actually get down to looking at costs. Few can drive their motorhomes there realistically and fewer will cough up the airfare. Kodiak's infamous weather is such that many do not want to risk the potential loss of fishing days and travel issues. I once sat in the Kodiak airport for 13 days waiting on weather... (not actually literally, just had my trip delayed by 13 days and was at the airport at least several times each day. That was later in the year than most fishing.
I would volunteer to help as much as possible and explain the risks, timing, options, and see about finding deals on lodging, but it might be shakey trying to put it all together.
I'll be there in 2-1/2 weeks. How much rainfall has there been this year - normal, ahead, or behind?
Normal, but that means all over the place with Kodiak. When I was there the levels were about perfect for quality fishing in the road system streams. That can ALL change in literally just a few hours. I will PM you my phone number in just a minute if you would like to talk about what you might find, fishing-wise.Quote:
Originally Posted by Orthoman
art
Hap, I have been going up there for several years and just fishing the road system. Pretty fun. Was wondering what the word is on the Coho return -- has it started or already under way. Big return or small? Last year they were early. Thanks.
Three friends and I spent 5 days on Kodiak staying on the Coast Guard base.
Rented a van to fish different rivers, rained every day.I Hooked one Silver for about 10 min till the hook came out.
My friends landed 4 and the guide gave them one he landed. They paid $80 to have them cleaned and packed.
One of the boxed fish was put in a carryall to make it easier to carry when we got back.
Guess which bad didn't get put on the plane.
Coho returns are looking good and they have started.Quote:
Originally Posted by Orthoman
Have you fished the saltwater flat in front of Kalsin Pond? One of my favorite spots...
art
I do not understand how folks have such trouble getting into silvers on Kodiak. Rain of course is an excellent excuse as those little rivers get out of shape fast!Quote:
Originally Posted by krauseb
Most folks insist on getting too close to the fish and putting them down and they use flies that are much too large once they have put them down.