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Alaska Fishing Reports 2008

Viewing: July 2008

July 01, 2008

I guided 4 guests, 2 of whom caught king salmon. 2 king salmon were caught on a magnum Wiggle Wart, and 1 king salmon was caught on a #4 silver and black Flashtrap Spinner. The 2 salmon which were kept weighed 22 and 29 pounds. The water level has dropped down to the normal level for early July, and while there were salmon in plenty of different holes, we fished hard attempting to get them to bite. With the water dropping, casting spinners or other lures at a prime fishing hole seems like it could become more effective than backtrolling.

July 02, 2008

I guided 4 anglers, each of whom caught a fish, but only 3 of whom caught king salmon. 1 guests caught a king salmon jack, 2 small king salmon which he released, and 1 king salmon of about 20 pounds. Another guest caught a king salmon of about 23 pounds. Another angler caught a king salmon of about 10 pounds and a rainbow trout, and the final angler caught a king salmon jack. 1 king salmon jack was caught on a Magnum Wiggle Wart, the rainbow trout was caught on a regular size Wiggle Wart, and the remaining fish were caught on a Wee Wart. The water level has dropped down and cleared up and looks to continue to do so. We saw other fish in several holes that were reluctant to bite, although our group did have quite a bit of action today.

The first silver salmon that I know of being caught on the Little Susitna River in 2008 was taken by another guide`s guest this morning. It was a nice fat silver of about 10 or 12 pounds.

July 03, 2008

I guided 4 people in the morning, 3 of whom caught king salmon while backtrolling with Brad`s Wigglers. The largest fish weighed 32 pounds. One of the fishermen also caught our first chum salmon of the season.

I guided an afternoon group of 5 guests, 4 of whom caught king salmon while once again backtrolling with Brad`s Wigglers. The river has been dropping and clearing, but the USGS water chart shows the flow should bump upward slightly over the next day or two.

July 04, 2008

The group we had scheduled cancelled, so I had a holiday instead of fishing.

July 05, 2008

I guided 4 people in the morning, each of whom caught a king salmon on K-15 Kwikfish. The fish weighed from 21 - 32 pounds.

I guided an afternoon group of 4 people and moved around quite a bit looking for fish. 3 people caught king salmon which weighed 12, 21, and 23 pounds. All of the salmon were caught on K-15 Kwikfish.

July 06, 2008

I guided 1 fisherman this morning who was hoping to catch chum salmon. We fished some good chum salmon holes, but did not hook any chums. My guest did catch a jack king salmon while casting with a Flashtrap Spinner, and later he caught a king salmon of about 20 pounds which he released so he could keep fishing, but when he landed a chrome colored 38 pound king salmon on a small plug, he decided to forego fishing for chum salmon and keep the prize king instead.

Looking at the USGS water chart for Little Susitna River, the water level rose to about the highest level it has been all year in the upper river, so I would expect the water to rise significantly in the lower river over the next few days. This will likely color the water up and bring most of the remaining king salmon into the river (which is good -- unless the water gets so muddy that it becomes difficult to get fish to bite).

July 07, 2008

I guided 3 fishermen, each of whom caught a king salmon. in addition, 2 of the fishermen also caught jack king salmon before harvesting their lager fish. The kings weighed 20, 21, and 26 pounds and were all caught backtrolling with small plugs. The river was rising all morning, but still plenty clear today.

July 08, 2008

No trips scheduled today. The USGS water chart shows the water level is dropping so I`m expecting decent fishing tomorrow.

July 09, 2008

I guided a morning group of 5 guests, 3 of whom caught king salmon on small plugs. 1 of the other guests also caught a jack king salmon.

I guided an afternoon group of 3 guests who did not catch any fish. They felt some fish messing with their lines, but were not able to hook any fish up for very long. It definitely seems like most of the remaining king salmon may have moved upstream with the higher water we recently experienced.

July 10, 2008

I guided 2 people in the morning, 1 of whom caught a 32 pound king salmon and a 9 pound chum salmon on a small plug. The other guest caught a rainbow trout and hooked, but lost a salmon.

I guided an afternoon group of 3 people who caught 1 small king salmon, 2 rainbow trout, and also caught a snagged king salmon which we released. Water is dropping and clearing significantly. It seemed like there were very few fish available today, and there was quite a few people out looking for those that were available.

July 11, 2008

No Trips booked -- had day off.

July 12, 2008

I guided a morning group of 4 people who caught 1 king salmon and 2 chum salmon on small plugs. The group also hooked and lost another king salmon and another salmon which I`m thinking was a chum salmon.

Tomorrow is the last day of our king salmon fishing season, and we currently have morning space available, so if you`d like to fish with us while king salmon are still legal to keep, give us a call at 907-746-2199. There is a definite chance to catch multiple species of salmon as early silver and chum salmon are showing up at the Little Sustina River as well.

Starting Monday, July 14, we will be fishing for silver salmon, chum salmon, sockeye salmon, and pink salmon. In addition to fishing the Little Susitna River, we will also have trips available to fish tributaries of the Susitna River, including the Deshka River, which will re-open to bait fishing on Monday. We are looking forward to fishing with some of our Pautzke`s Fire Cured salmon roe on the Susitna Drainage, and will continue to fish with small plugs or Flashtrap Spinners on the Little Susitna River which does not open to bait fishing until August 6.

While we expect modest numbers of chum, silver, and sockeye salmon to be available during the week of July 14 - 20, fishing pressure will also be light, giving people an opportunity to fish lots of prime holes with little competition for the salmon. We currently have charter space available on most dates during the coming week, so if you are interested in a salmon fishing trip during the next week, and would like to join us on either the Little Susitna River or Susitna River tributaries, give us a call at 907-746-2199. Also check back for updates, as we will be fishing this week!

July 14, 2008

I guided two people, one of whom limited on salmon with 2 silver salmon and 1 chum salmon, the second person limited on salmon with 2 chum salmon and 1 silver salmon. All of the keepers were caught on Flashtrap Spinners with the #4 silver and black pattern being the hot lure. In addition they also caught 1 rainbow trout, 1 pink salmon, and 1 king salmon all 3 of which they released. Water is low and clear.

July 15, 2008

I guided 5 guests who caught 1 chum salmon, 1 rainbow trout, 2 Dolly Varden, 2 king salmon, and 2 king salmon jacks. All of the fish were caught on Fire Cured salmon roe. Half of the fish were caught driting bait under ESB bobbers and the smaller #4 bobber size consistently outfished the larger #5 bobber. The other half of the fish were caught fishing bait behind jet divers. Water is low and clear.

July 16, 2008

I guided a group of 4 people who were most interested in two young boys catching fish, so we went upriver and fished primarily for chum salmon. One of the boys caught a chum salmon and a silver salmon, and also hooked but lost another chum salmon. One adult caught and kept a limit of 3 chum salmon. The second adult hooked one chum salmon which he let the other boy fight and land. All of the fish were hooked on Flashtrap Spinners -- the two patterns we used almost exclusively were a #3 black and a #4 silver and black. Upriver we were sight fishing for the chum salmon and also had the opportunity to see several small groups of king salmon, and one sockeye salmon.

July 17, 2008

I fished with 2 guests, and each of us kept 2 silver salmon and 1 chum salmon, and also released chum salmon. All of the salmon were caught on Flashtrap Spinners with #4 orange and silver and #4 silver and black being our hot patterns. The silver salmon seem to be extra fat this year, and the largest one from todays trip weighed a whopping 14 pounds, likewise a couple of the chum salmon weighed about 12 pounds as well.

July 18, 2008

I guided 5 people in the morning who each caught a limit of silver salmon on Flashtrap Spinners. They also caught several chum salmon some of which they kept and some which they released.

I guided an afternoon group of 3 guests each of whom caught a limit of silver salmon on Flashtrap Spinners. Patterns we fished that caught silvers and chums today included #5 Pink and silver, #4 Silver and black, #4 Orange and silver. We also experienced plenty of rain earlier today, and the river should be rising enough to keep salmon steadily moving upstream.

July 21, 2008

On July 19, 20, and 21 Frede and I took a short 3 day vacation -- to go on a fishing trip of course. It was great to get away and spend some time with friends and of course, catch some salmon! I`ll be back guiding a fishing trip on the Little Susitna River tomorrow.

July 22, 2008

I guided 4 people in the morning, all of whom caught a limit of silver salmon, and 2 of whom also caught a chum salmon before keeping their 2nd silver salmon. All of the salmon were caught on Flashtrap Spinners. Each pattern guests tried caught fish, and they fished with #5 silver, #5 pink and silver, #4 orange and silver, and #4 silver and black patterns. Water was up somewhat from recent rains, but plenty clear. Salmon are nice and chrome with some of the males topping 10 pounds.

July 23, 2008

I guided a morning group of 4 guests, each of whom caught a limit of silver salmon and also caught at least 1 chum salmon. The group actually caught more chums than silvers as we hit several mixed schools of salmon during the trip. Fishing was good enough that I also caught and kept a limit of silver salmon.

I guided an afternoon group of 3 guests, each of whom caught a limit of silver salmon. 2 guests also caught chum salmon. All of our fish for the entire day were caught on Flashtrap Spinners, and since the river has been rising and becoming cloudier the groups caught more salmon on larger brighter Spinners. The hotest lures for us today were #5 Silver and #5 Pink and silver spinners, although some fish were also caught on #4 Orange and #4 Silver and black patterns.

The USGS water chart indicates the river should continue to rise over the next couple days, so expect salmon to be migrating upriver rapidly.

July 24, 2008

We did not have a morning trip scheduled today, however I will be guiding an afternoon trip and should have an updated report later this evening. Since we are on the subject of charter availability, I would mention that we currently have availability for each day during the next week. Casting spinners for both silver and chum salmon has been very good, and I expect very good fishing / limit catches for the next month. Give us a call at 907-746-2199 if you`d like to get in on one of our fun and exciting silver salmon charters.

I guided 4 people in the afternoon, 3 of whom each caught a limit of silver salmon and 1 of whom caught 2 chum salmon. All of the fish were caught on #5 Flashtrap Spinners. The water had risen significantly today and was considerably muddier, check back tomorrow to see how we do with even higher and muddier water.

July 25, 2008

I guided 4 people, 3 of whom limited on silver salmon, and 1 of whom caught 1 silver salmon and 1 chum salmon.

In the afternoon I guided a group of 3 people, 2 of whom limited on silver salmon, and 1 of whom briefly hooked a couple salmon, but did not land one. Once again today, all of our salmon were caught on #5 Flashtrap Spinners. The river was higher and muddier than yesterday, but I am hopeful it will start dropping and clearing tomorrow.

July 26, 2008

I guided 4 people in the morning who each limited on silver salmon and one of them also kept a chum salmon. Most of the salmon were caught on #5 Flashtrap Spinners, but one angler also caught some salmon on a #5 Vibrax Spinner.

I guided an afternoon group of 2 guests who each limited on silver salmon while casting #5 Flashtrap Spinners. The Water finally started dropping and clearing, however, with today`s heavy rain the USGS water chart show the river will be rising back once again over the next couple days.

July 27, 2008

I guided 2 people in the morning, each of whom limited on silver salmon. The river had dropped and cleared somewhat today, so we fished some smaller #4 silver and black Flashtrap Spinners along with the #5 pink and #5 silver patterns we had been using for the past several days. All of the patterns we used caught silver salmon today. I was talking with one of the other guides who said his group caught several chum salmon today, but for some reason my group did not even hook into a chum salmon that I knew of.

Looking a the USGS water chart, I am expecting the river to start rising again later today, and rise back up to the level it was at on Friday and Saturday by Monday morning, although it should be somewhat cleaner. Casting and retrieving lures is somewhat more challenging than catching silver salmon with bait, but persistence has been rewarded us with nice silver salmon. We still have charter availability over the next several days, so give us a call if you`d like to fish for some nice large silver salmon. Bait fishing on Little Susitna River opens August 6th for those who`d prefer to catch silvers at that time. Make your reservation soon if you`d like to join us for a charter during peak bait fishing times. 746-2199.

July 28, 2008

My charter trip cancelled so, I fished the Susitna River system with 4 family and friends, anyway, and we caught 14 silver salmon, 3 rainbow trout, and a pink salmon while floating Fire Cured salmon roe under ESB Bobbers. We also toured around and saw quite a bit of river.

July 29, 2008

I guided 2 people in the morning who each caught and released several silver salmon and chum salmon which they caught on a #5 pink Flashtrap spinner and a #4 silver and black Flashtrap Spinner. Water is high and likely going up again, but tyhere are plenty of salmon around, they are biting well, and we have been catching them very well.

The commercial salmon fisheries in the Central District of Upper Cook Inlet were also restricted yesterday in an effort to increase sockeye salmon escapement numbers to the Kenai River -- this will obviously result in passing even more silver, chum, and sockeye salmon into Mat-Su Valley streams -- Expect even better fishing in the next several weeks!! To book a trip with us give us a call soon at 907-746-2199.

July 30, 2008

I guided a morning group of 3 fishermen who each caught a limit of silver salmon on Flashtrap Spinners. #4 silver and black, #5 silver, and #5 pink were the hot patterns.

I guided one angler on a mid morning trip and he caught a limit of silver salmon on a #5 pink Flashtrap Spinner.

I guided 3 anglers on an afternoon trip and 2 of them caught limits of silver salmon and 1 angler caught a limit of 3 chum salmon, 1 silver salmon was caught back trolling with a K-13 Kwikfish, and all the other salmon were caught casting #4 and #5 Flashtrap Spinners. Water was quite muddy, but I expect it will clear up considerably by tomorrow and also start dropping again.

There are so many silver salmon available that I have contacted Mat-Su Valley legislators and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (Palmer office 746-6300) to request that the coho limit be expanded to 3 salmon for the remainder of the season on Mat-Su Valley streams. Feel welcome to call and voice your support for this idea as well.

July 30, 2008

I guided a morning group of 3 fishermen who each caught a limit of silver salmon by casting with #4 and #5 Flashtrap Spinners.

I guided a mid morning angler who caught a limit of silver salmon casting with a #5 pink Flashtrap Spinner.

I guided 3 anglers in the afternoon, 2 of whom caught limits of silver salmon, and 1 of whom caught and kept a 3 salmon limit of chum salmon. 1 silver salmon was caught back trolling with a K-13X Kwikfish, and all the remaining salmon were caught casting with Flashtrap Spinners. The water was high and muddy, but there were plenty of salmon available and everyone caught fish. I expect the river to start dropping and clearing tomorrow, so the salmon will likely be biting even better.

July 31, 2008

I guided 3 people in the morning, each of whom limited on silver salmon, and the group also caught several chum salmon. All of the silver salmon were caught on Flashtrap Spinners, and a chum salmon and pink salmon were caught on a U20 Flatfish.

I guided 2 people in the afternoon who caught 6 pink salmon, 1 chum salmon, and 1 silver salmon. All of the fish were caught on Flashtrap Spinners. The river is starting to drop and clear, and should drop again tomorrow, but will also remain considerably higher than normal for this time of year. I have a couple large groups tomorrow, so check back to learn how we do. Fishing pressure is starting to pick up on the river, so if you go to the river, remember to treat others the way you would like them to treat you -- it makes for a much better day on the water.