Incredible AK Lake Trout Fishing
Just returned from a week of chasing grayling and lake trout in the AK interior. We ran my jet sled across a large lake with a strong red salmon run. At the outlet to the lake we set up camp and proceeded to catch grayling in quantity. Seven of us camped at the outlet for two nights and three days.
The grayling ran to 24" which is exceptional and seldom were less than 14" with most running 18-22". They were tiny-headed, low-slung belly fish with guts looking ready to pop. Small gold beadhead PT nymphs proved the most effective, though most flies worked a little, including dries. A 6wt was the heaviest rod any of us used and my new 2wt was the lightest. Most casts were short, but the current is pretty heavy. We took some photos of the entire fly rod arsenal and it was impressive as everyone fished at least a couple rods.
The grayling were feeding heavily on tiny alevines of about 1 1/4", huge stoneflies, small stones, mayflies including sulphur yellows and BWOs, caddis, blackflies and many terrestrials. The bellies were enormous! We only killed two fish, a grayling and a trout, both with regret, but both were eaten with relish. The particular system we fished has no special regulations of any kind and we could legally have killed a pile of fish.
As the evening deepened around midnight the lake trout started to show. As it was the solstice we fished all night without auxillary light and did fine. As the schools of smolts started migrating out of the lake the feeding started and it was beyond awesome! The lakers atarted slashing through the schools and loudly launching themselves above the surface to descend on the schools from above. The water was being thrashed in all directions by countless fish and the terns helped concentrate the bait also. Two terns were hooked when they took flies before the lake trout could.
The naturals are about 4 1/2" long and hefty, so flies were large to match. Proper presentation involved rolling the fly through areas with slashing trout and hanging on. early in the evenings they were not terribly selective, but became more so as the gorging continued through the night.
The trout averaged about 22", with 25" the largest I saw landed, though I broke one off I easily could have confused with a very large silver salmon.
When the right silvery-white fly was presented the takes were vicious and instantaneous. At one stretch I hooked a trout on ten consecutive casts.
The afternoon of the second day while fishing with a 2wt TFO Finesse I hooked and landed a lake trout of about 15" in heavy current. By keeping the fish headed upstream I managed to land him very quickly and release him without undue stress. A little later, using the same copper john I hooked another in the 22" range and had a great deal more difficulty landing him. He did revive quickly, but it made me question again the value of ultra-light rods with big fish.
There were only a few lakers caught during the day, so I was a bit surprised to catch the two I did. My wife and son (14-year-old) both caught many trout and grayling and thoroughly enjoyed the trip.
We then continued and rove all the way to the Tangle Lakes to fish grayling. My wife and son each caught a lake trout there on flies, too. Then the weather descended and after a couple days in the rain we headed the show home. I am trying to figure out how to change my schedule enough to go back in the next day or two!
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