Bill & Phil In Alaska

[Phil Lilley]

No firearms- just bear spray. These bears are used to people, not to say we take chances, esp with clients. They do give warning signs if they are nervous- yawning, popping of the jaw and we did have a bore walk by and yawn a couple of times which I was concerned about. But there were 8 of us and that in itself is intimidating to a bear, esp if we were to huddle up in a tight grouping.

I can see where someone can get lured into loving these animals. Esp the cubs- they are so cute and cuddly. But the adults are huge and powerful and they are animals and don't think like us.

[Phil Lilley]

Bill and Brian fished the Naknek River yesterday with some of the clients from camp and did real well. Drifting a 6 mm fl peach bead using their fly gear and shooting line. Some used big floats and 10 feet below the indicator- just like Taney! You could use spin gear and a drift rig and tear them up too.

Lots of small rainbows, some char and red sockeye. But had numerous 28-inch rainbows in the group with one 31-inch in one of the other boats. Brian had a 26-inch and Bill had one close to that with several more just under that mark.

Not my favorite way to fish... that's why I stayed home and ran to town for clients coming and going to the airport. I like to get out and wade the shoals but the rainbows haven't congregated in these spots yet. Too many salmon spawning in the main river yet. Give it a week and we'll see more big bruisers on the shoals.

[Bill Babler]

Hi Ya'll from Alasky. Phil and Jim have been keeping my nose to the grindstone, so have not had a lot of computer time. Fishing is just now really starting to turn on with the Fall colors starting to turn the scene to a golden rust.

Really, to describe this fishing is just to hard for most of us to comprehend. Yesterday for example, I had to sharply put a guy in his place. Mind you we are catching 25 to 31 inch 7 to 12 pound fish with regularity. One of these dudes hooks a chrome bright 19 incher, and just flat disrespects the fish thinking it was a dink. It nearly kicked his butt on the 7 wt. he was using..

This fish was a full 4 plus pounds and for some reason, it was not good enough. I say a big bull to that. The numbers of quality fish we are catching here in four hours is greater than the output of entire seasons on taney. It is just marvelous.

Most fishing is being done with shooting line using 15 pound butt section, to a swivel and from there, using a 3X or a 10 to 12 pound tippett of flurocarbon. We are catching these fish on 6 mil beads, and color seems to be more important than size. The strength and fighting ability of these river athletes, can only be appreciated by whitnessing and having one on the end of your stick.

A 14 inch Naknek Rainbow would eat a hole through a 24 inch taney brown trout, and be looking for more. The compairson between the two is there is none. You come up here with 4,5,or 6X and you will be a very sad fisherman. 3X is the higher limit, and for the most part yesterday we were using 1 and 2. Strength of the fish and the very heavy water flows dictate the gear.

Arctic Char fishing on the streams flowing into the main lake and river section is without a doubt spectacular. A group of 4 or 5 anglers and catch and release 5 pound char that will bruise your belley from the rod butt from the time you get to the creek till the time you leave. Throw in 18 to 25 inch bows, from time to time and its makes a mixed bag, and an unforgettable day...

Weather and bugs are part of the trip, but for the most part the bugs have not been a factor. It has rained and blown sometime during everyday. The river really fits the was I guide at home, using drifting techniques with presentations on the bottom will catch you the best fish of your lifetime.

Example of an average day here would be if fishing the Naknek 25 to 35 fish per man, mostly bows with the average at about 3.5 pounds. You will catch an 8 to 13 pound fish most everyday.

Flyouts and lake boat travel to smaller streams will be about the same. It is just hard to catch, release and photograph larger numbers, as they are hard to release.

Hope this paints somewhat of a picture of the fishing. I feel the next two weeks, will be the best of the season, with lots of egg eaters being caught, admired and released.

Becky, hope you are reading this. I miss you and will be home in another week. Keep the home fires burning and the rain out of the house. Love Bill

[Danoinark]

Thanks Bill and Phil for excellent reports and painting pictures with your words and cameras.

I think I have the concept of fishing the beads and did see its presentation at the TU Christmas dinner, but could one of you explain how the bead connection with the hook works. If I recall the bead is placed above the hook. Its just beyond me how that works. I doubt you guys will have time to go over it now and its probably something one should just see. Also how would that be applied to our tailwaters.

Dano

[timsfly]

rigging a bead egg, this is what I think is being done, I hope so, I'll be there in a week and I hope this is how it is done, this is what I've been practicing:)

http://www.troutbeads.com/How_To.html

[Danoinark]

rigging a bead egg, this is what I think is being done, I hope so, I'll be there in a week and I hope this is how it is done, this is what I've been practicing:)

http://www.troutbeads.com/How_To.html

Thanks Tim. Hope you have a great trip.

Dano

[Phil Lilley]

Without looking at troutbeads... we use a round toothpick and peg the bead on the line no more than 2 inches from the hook. If the bead slides down close to the hook, you won't get a bite. I actually feel the bead slide on the line when I get a bite sometimes. Our big rainbow mouths are so big the they eat the bead with the hook at the same time. Sometimes we hook the fish on the side of the head but not very often.

Bottom line- it works GOOD!

[Phil Lilley]

Bill and I didn't fish today but Brian did. He drifted beads in front of camp. Caught a 29 and 28-inch rainbows and lots of smaller ones. Great fishing again. We have 3 new clients in camp this evening and we'll take them to the river tomorrow.

[Dawgsquat]

This thread rocks!!!

[Phil Lilley]

A fabulous day on the river today. Very little wind (tons of bugs). Drifted a stretch about 1 mile in front of camp and used a 6 mm fl peach bead, shooting line on fly rod and Houston and Brian caught 35 each. Houston, the 15 year old in the group, caught two 27 inch rainbows and 4 others measuring between 23 and 24 inches. Brian caught one at 27, lost I don't know how many rainbows that size and bigger- the hook would just come out- no fault of his. Bill's group- Tom caught one 29 inch and one just under 30 inches, 12.5 pounds. Troy caught several in the 24 inch range. Bill and I didn't fish.

No pics. Brian has left the country and I didn't get his pics. Troy took some but I don't have a card reader for his memory card.