WINTER TROUT FISHING

A mammalian carcass on the river?


By Brett Coffman

Our recent warm weather has been off the hook! I like to ski so those conditions haven’t been great, but fishing on the Truckee has been awesome. The window to fish is short - mid afternoon to late afternoon, but if you catch it right -- look out. Midges have been key. I’ve hooked into many large trout, including the big flash of yellow/orange, but failed to land that punk ass. Oh well, maybe next time. Rainbows and whitefish have been plentiful, including the occasional dry fly action which, is always a bonus. In fact the last time out I found 2 large rainbows gulping midges on the surface. I put down the first, but managed to hook the next. The little bastard popped off right when I was about to land him, but the fight and initial hook up were well worth the effort. Anytime you can sight and stalk a fish to 20” on the surface is a good day. Here’s a few pictures. Wade safe on the ice, and good luck.

P.S. Pyramid has been pretty good too

Angela and her cutthroat.



Rainbow on the dry.



Whitefish sometimes save the day.

ALASKAN ADVENTURE PART 3

The Wall of Death

Denali and Homer Ak.

by Brett Coffman

Sorry about the overwhelming amount of fish porn from the last Alaskan blog - we were just so excited to catch all of those salmon and just couldn't help it.

From Talkeetna we drove north on the parks highway to meet my brother at Denali National Park. He was able to get a day off at work and meet us there from Fairbanks. We took the full day bus ride up to mile 68 within the park. (the road only goes back ~80 miles) As expected the scenery was breathtaking, and the wildlife was remarkable. We were able to see caribou, dahl sheep, grizzlies, wolves, and moose. National Geographic anyone? At the end of the day we sent my brother home with some fresh salmon, and got ready to leave for Homer the next morning.

The next day we drove back down the parks highway towards Anchorage and eventually down the coast to Homer. We got sidetracked for about an hour as the clouds actually lifted and Mt. McKinley, showed itself. A rare occasion. The rest of the drive was incredible. The highway drives by the Kenai, the famous king salmon river, numerous glaciers and jagged mountain peaks. Once in Homer, we met up with my parents who had come up to visit my brother for a week. My dad and I overlapped our vacations so we could fish in Alaska together. The next two days were spent halibut and salmon fishing with North Country Charters. I hadn’t been deep sea fishing in many years, and it was awesome to get out there with my dad again. They clean and freeze pack your catch and we came home with tons of fresh halibut and salmon fillets. I definitely would like to visit Homer again. Tip: If you go, eat at Captain Patties on the wharf. My wife and I are always looking for quality and quantity, and this place definitely has it.



Denali


Typical Feeder King


Guess Halibut Aren't Leader Shy



Black Wolf Crossing

TRINITY RIVER HATCHERY

by Luke Harris

Last fall I had the pleasure of visiting northern California's Trinity River hatchery. It was admittedly my first visit to an anadromous fish facility. Here they raise both Chinook and Coho Salmon and of course Steelhead. Fish are "milked" two days a week and the fertilized aftermath are carefully raised into fingerlings before being released into the river.

Gramps and I spent about an hour walking the ladders and eavesdropping on all the one's that got away through the polarized viewing window. If you're ever in the area I highly recommend checking this place out. The reality of dams make well designed and managed facilities like this essential to ensuring the future of our precious California coastal species.




The viewing window...





The Ladder...

ALASKAN ADVENTURE PART 2

By Brett Coffman

So our last blog ended with us disembarking from the MS Oosterdam. After spending the day at Jean’s house (Angela’s roommate when she worked in Seattle) we boarded the Alaskan Airline’s flight back up to Anchorage, AK. We picked up our rental car and promptly got lost finding our way around the city. The next day after picking up supplies at the nearest Fred Meyer, we set our sights along the Parks Highway north to Talkeetna. The scenery was absolutely amazing - we had a such a hard time keeping our eyes on the road - and were a little skittish due to the strict rental car agreements. (I have a tendency to pull off on any dirt road I think leads somewhere.)

As we pulled off the highway onto Talkeetna spur rd. we scoped out many a clear water tributary to the Big Susitna River which we followed up the road. After finding where we would be staying we checked out the little town of Talkeetna AK. In town there’s a small brewery, a few restaurants, and some tourist attractions that all rely on some sort of Susitna river recreation. We ate dinner at the West Rib and got the best in fresh salmon and seafood.

The next morning we woke to cloudy skies and decided to take a drive down to one of the creek inlets we had seen the previous day. After taking a small hike through bear country, we saw a few gear fisherman nab a few salmon and decided to take a few casts. So we geared up and took the small hike to inlet of the Susitna River.

Immediately my wife and others began to hook up. I was still swinging flies and continued to have problems catching fish. I then began to think of these fish as river fish and looked for structure for which they could take refuge. My first cast behind a current blocking sweeper produced a huge silver flash which was the only time I saw the identity of what was on my line. After fighting the beast for at least 10min he popped off. I’ve never been frustrated, as this was my first big hookup on a real Alaskan silver. The next cast produced nothing. Then WHAM! A big Coho at the end of my line. I got my wife’s attention and eventually led him downstream to an island to land him. We were both ecstatic - despite our catch and release ethic, this fish was to feed us for at least part of the week as we hadn’t bought too many provisions on our trip. Soon after, fish after fish hopped onto our lines - we had a blast catching 3 species of pacific salmon. We had caught the run perfect. Pink, Chum and Coho. To us lower landers this was bliss.

Enjoy the pictures part #3 Denali and beyond is coming soon.

KLAMATH KEN THE STEELHEAD WIZARD

by Luke Harris

Gramps and I recently floated the Klamath River with guide Ken Ratihn. Ken's been all over the world on foot and by raft. He's pioneered many rafting expeditions in Asia and was the first to float many of them. He's guided tricky stretches on the Colorado and several other places that only the most elite and skilled navigators go. Ken also orchestrates journeys to primitive places where the modern world has no influence such as New Guinea. His picture albums are fascinating, filled with pictures of his adventures and the tribal people he has hung out with in order to learn more about the art he likes to produce. In short he's California's version of an actual Indiana Jones.

Did I mention he's also a fishing guide. He's had his drift boat since 1984 and spent a season guiding in Alaska before "settling" near Sommes Bar, Ca. His place overlooks the river and I swear most of the fish on this section of the Klamath hang out in his backyard. If you're looking for a day on the river or maybe want to purchase some primitive art or (if you dare) fly across the world to meet some folks that are still living like Adam and Eve, I highly recommend looking him up. At the very least check out his website:

www.primitivedestinationsinternational.com

Thanks again Ken we really had a blast.




Crystal Clear Day on the Klamath



The Coolest Drift Boat Ever



Ken the steelhead master shows how its done right from his own backyard