The Best Time of Year

After you've picked the type of accommodation that suits you best, the next question is, when do you want to go? The answer to this is integral with the species of fish you most desire: choose what you want to catch, and the "when" will follow.

King Salmon. The first major push of fish up into the southwestern Alaskan rivers is the mighty king salmon. They start to show in early June, with the run normally peaking around the end of the month. Many rivers enjoy excellent king fishing all the way through early July. King fishing with a fly is a serious endeavor, appropriate for the hard-core angler willing to sometimes spend long hours between hookups. The payoff is fish size — kings often average 20 to 40 pounds!

You'll need an 8- to 10-weight rod, a reel capable of holding 200 yards of backing (if fishing in a large river, less in a smaller stream), and an assortment of fly lines spanning floaters through very fast sinkers. Most anglers should feel fortunate to average one to three hookups daily, though there are places where you could reasonably expect to double that, with good fishing skills. Expect excellent fish numbers, and crowds, at the lodges within a quick flight (20-30 minutes) of Anchorage. This is close enough for the locals to access, and they often do. Watersheds farther from Anchorage generally only see lodge anglers.

On many rivers, fishing for kings doesn't offer a lot of other species options. Other salmon haven't yet begun to ascend the rivers-rainbows, dollies, char and grayling, if present, are generally scattered. King anglers, like fanatical steelhead fishermen, plan their trips around catching fewer, but larger fish.

When fishing for kings, I prefer smaller streams, when possible. They concentrate the fish in reduced areas, where they're easier to cover effectively with fly tackle. A 30-pound king on an 8-weight, tearing up a small pool, is truly something to behold — if you're connected, it's almost frightening! Remember your heavy tippet. Kings are generally anything but leader shy.

Sockeye Salmon. The next big run of salmon are sockeyes, the most prolific run of all. Some rivers will see these ferocious battlers as early as late June, but most runs begin in earnest in early July. Not only do they enter Alaska's wilderness waterways by the millions, they are also commonly believed to be, pound for pound, the strongest fighters of all the salmon species.

Averaging six to ten pounds, these are the original Energizer Bunny fish. Unlike most species, when tired they refuse to roll over and be unhooked. Countless rods have been shattered by their incredibly persistent fighting style, usually during the largely impossible stage of trying to land them. I'll usually enjoy the initial reel-screaming, high-flying, line ripping acrobatics, then throw slack. I've been drenched, mud-showered, tail-slapped and otherwise physically abused too many times to actually want to land one of these guys.

Interestingly, despite these impressive qualifications, few serious fly anglers schedule their trip to coincide with the arrival of the "reds." The reason primarily revolves around the controversial belief that, as filter feeders, they won't actually take a fly. Though my experience doesn't agree with this, the fact remains that they are often reticent eaters. The necessity of having to swing flies through immense, tightly packed pods, resulting in a high percentage of snagged fish, feeds this notion. I've been able to largely eliminate this problem by fishing small (#8-#10) flies and using floating lines and split shot to better control my drifts. I still "line" a small number, but find a majority will actually break from their school, track, and take my fly with an open mouth.

Happily, for the fisherman who wants to wear his arms out catching big fish, the sockeye run sometimes overlaps with both the king and chum salmon migrations. Many lodges take full advantage of this mid-summer phenomenon, wearing their anglers out with day after day of non-stop hookups. If this sounds appealing, go equipped with 7- and 8-weight rods (bring a spare), durable reels, a combination of floating and sink-tip lines and aspirin for those aching muscles!

Chum Salmon. Following the sockeyes in this anadromous parade comes the Rodney Dangerfield of the fish world, the chum salmon. They just don't get any respect, and that's a shame, because they deserve it. Chrome-bright and fresh from the sea, I'll put this fish up against the much more popular silver salmon any day, for its eager willingness to suck in a fly and the sheer power of the ensuing battle. What they lack in an aerial arsenal, they more than make up for in brute strength and rod torturing tenacity.

I recently fished a small coastal river with a highly respected lodge owner/pilot/guide who has landed more big salmon in his decades in Alaska than most commercial netters. Giving him a couple of new, high-tech rods to sample, I watched, incredulous, as both were unceremoniously reduced to graphite rubble, courtesy of a pair of oversized chums. These fish are beasts!

Expect chum runs to be heaviest during July and August, depending on locale. They love big streamers in various shades of chartreuse, fuscia and purple, hammering them with consistently solid takes. Chums average 8 to 15 pounds, so a strong 7- or 8-weight rod is most appropriate, matched with a high quality reel holding 150 yards of backing. Sinking-tips are generally most useful, though chums will take big Pink Pollywogs off the surface just like a silver, so make sure and pack a floater.

Pink Salmon. On even-numbered years, Alaska experiences huge runs of pinks, or "humpies," as the smallest of the salmon species is affectionately known. Odd-numbered years will see very few, or none. The pink run closely mirrors that of the chum salmon, with plenty of fish in most river systems by July. If your timing is right, and you choose the lodge carefully, it is sometimes possible to catch a "slam" of four species of bright salmon at this time, including kings, chums, sockeyes and humpies.

Pinks have been accurately described as "God's gift to the angling challenged." They are aggressive almost beyond belief! Due to their relatively small stature (averaging 3-6 pounds), they are often considered a nuisance while fishing for other, more glamorous species. The fact is, matched against a 4-or 5-weight rod, they're a blast, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a fly they won't eat. Time and again I've watched roving pods of hyper-competitive humpies race each other 10 or 20 feet for a poorly presented fly. For fun, try skating a small Pink Pollywog past a school of pinks — it's like dropping a cat into the dog pound!

Silver salmon. The very name of this wonderful gamefish conjures up memories of fog-shrouded mornings at the edge of the world. Chrome shadows, perfection with fins, coursing in pairs up gravelly tundra rivers, just as they have for centuries. Heavy shouldered wakes erupt in impossibly huge, heart-stopping boils. The electrifying tighten in mid-strip, angry headshake, followed by sheer, awe-inspiring power, ripping the surface, filling the air with violent, tearing cartwheels. Are you ready?

Easily the most sought after salmon by the serious Alaska flyrodder, the coho has earned its reputation as a warrior. Averaging 8 to 10 pounds, with the occasional monster topping 20, these fish are about all a seasoned angler can handle on a 7- or 8-weight outfit. They are aggressive to a fly, but pleasantly fickle, not unlike steelhead — some days you have to work for them. More often, though, you'll have to quit, arms aching with fatigue.

Silvers begin returning to their natal rivers by late July and early August. Depending on the watershed, either August or September may prove to be the peak run, with some southwestern rivers enjoying fresh fish well into October. Generally speaking, you'll find them in long, gentle runs with lots of "soft " water, or stacked in backwater sloughs and back eddies. While sinking-tips and bright streamers are standard fare, many silvers will attack a Pink Pollywog "chugged" across the water's surface. You'll never forget the first "Wog" grab you get, the big bow wake suddenly appearing behind your fly, tracking it briefly before the inevitable massive "toilet flush," as the salmon inhales your bug. Nor will you forget the incredible, glowing, perfectly scaled translucence of the fish, fresh in from the sea. They truly are a magnificent species.

If silvers are a major target quarry for you, it pays to ask very specific questions about their availability. Will there be chrome-bright fish when you are there? What kind of hook-up numbers are normal during your week each year, given your honest angling abilities? Are the fish average-sized (6-10 pounds), or are there good numbers of larger fish (12-15 pounds)? What kind of water will you be fishing — backwater sloughs, long pool current seams, tidal water? Are there good Pollywog opportunities? Silvers vary significantly from one part of Alaska to another, so such questions are appropriate. Finally, don't shortchange "upstream" fish that have begun to color. While admittedly not the crazed beasts ocean-fresh fish are, they are often even more aggressive to surface flies. Matched against a 6 or 7-weight outfit, they're still a handful.

Rainbow Trout. You've heard the stories. Great, steelhead-like rainbows flooding autumn rivers. Huge, leopard-spotted trout deliberately sucking skated mice (that's right, mice!) patterns from the surface. Dozens of crimson-barred beauties, each a trophy anywhere else, sprinkled liberally behind an endless procession of spawning salmon. The actual facts? It's all true if you can get on the right water at the right time. Despite an increase in the numbers of people accessing Alaska's remote wilderness trout rivers, the rainbow fishing remains an unparalleled experience, unduplicated anywhere in the world.

It's important to understand the many faces of trout fishing in Alaska. Early season, June and early July, means dry fly and nymph fishing, fast-stripping smolt patterns, and bottom-bouncing meaty leech and sculpin flies.

The arrival of salmon into the watersheds dramatically changes things. First, salmon are big, and routinely displace all but the largest of rainbows from their normal lies. Then, as spawning begins, trout become transient, congregating in concentrated groups behind the salmon redds, gorging on drifting eggs. Small single egg patterns can be ridiculously effective at this point, usually encompassing all or parts of July, August, and September.

Rainbow trout are one of the most sought-after species in Alaska, but poor planning can dramatically reduce your chances of catching a trophy. Rely on the experience on an outfitter to put you on the right river at the right time.

Importantly, dead and decomposing salmon carcasses provide a final, major late season protein grab for the trout, which rip and tear at these moldy cadavers, picking them clean like so many hyenas at a water buffalo barbecue.

Many streams experience a late fall migration of mega-bows out of integral lake systems. These are the true brutes of the season, trout that can average six, eight, even ten pounds. Each year, a few lucky anglers in the Iliamna region land fish in excess of 15 pounds, trout the size of a large steelhead! This phenomenon normally begins in mid-September, and continues well on into October. For the serious trophy hunter, this is a magic time and place- short, cold days, low clear water and with every cast, the chance at a trout of a lifetime.

Tackle for Alaska rainbows is easy. A 9-foot, 6-weight rod, along with a sturdy reel equipped with a floating and a sinking-tip line, will handle anything you'll encounter. This outfit also suffices nicely for the ancillary species often found coexisting with trout — dolly varden, char and grayling. Choose your flies carefully, based on when and where you'll be going in Alaska.

Steelhead. In the last several years, significant steelhead runs have been "discovered" in Alaska. Generally speaking, they are separated into two seasons — spring and fall. The spring fishery is often a mix of fresh and spawning fish, while the fall run is all ocean-bright. So far, the majority of fish have been found in southwestern Alaska and the Aleutian Peninsula. A real bonus for the serious steelhead angler, these runs add a whole new frontier to the existing face of the sport.

The watersheds these steelies are found in are remote, and often require staying at rustic destinations. But considering that fish often average 10 to 12 pounds, with many up to 15, this is a small price to pay for the zealous angler. Expect cold weather, as prime months are April and October. Tackle requirements include 7- to 9-weight outfits, with floating and sinking-tip lines. Flies are standard steelhead fare, with big dark leeches and egg patterns the rule. Quality Alaskan steelhead operations are rare — expect availability to be very limited. Like all successful lodge operations, there are sometimes waiting lists to get into prime dates.