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In six days, Don and I caught at least 200 fish, including grayling, Artic char (Dolly Varden), 'bows, Red Salmon (sockeye), Pink Salmon, Chum Salmon, and one lonely lake trout. The pinks ranged in weight from 6 to 8 lbs, the Chums up to 16 lbs, the sockeye up to about 10 lbs. e caught grayling in the 8 to 12 inch range...Char 18 - 20 inch...Rainbow some as small as 8", but 90% in the 18 to 26" range (I caught the big 'un, a 26" beauty on the Copper), and the 21” lake trout. The fact is, we could have caught a bunch more, but it takes time to land a 10lb fish on a 6 wt or a 15 lb chum on an 8 wt.


We stream cast, with dead drifts. We dry flied for grayling. We sight cast, we blind cast, we wind cast, we cast, we cast, we cast..... And we walked and walked and walked.... One day, after a hard day fishing a loose cobble-bottomed run on the American, we hiked 4 miles back to the float plane over four ridges, knowing old big ‘un (the 1100lb Brown) was rummaging out there. My fat behind was draggin', but it was worth it. I prayed on the the third ridge “God, if that bear’s going to eat me, let her do it now before I have to go down and then back up that next ridge”. He fed the bear berries I suppose.

Quick observations:

1. Alaska fishing is different than any I have yet seen. The trout are totally dependent on the salmon runs for survival and growth - they have specialized themselves to the point that they ignore nymphs, flies, etc and concentrate on salmon flesh, salmon eggs, and imitators. You fish with egg patterns and flesh patterns.

2. Sockeye go through hell in their metamorphosis from a sleek silver color to a humpbacked, hook-nosed, toothed beak, red fish with a green beak. They have sex once, die and feed the world.

3. My 8wt and 6 wt (and reels) performed wonderfully even though at times they were matched probably a bit beyond their design (8wt = St Croix Ultra Legend 3-pc 9ft, 6wt =Winston IM6 3pc, 9 ft, reels, Lamson LP3 and JRyall #6).

4. Fishing in Alaska takes BIG float indicators because of the the BIG water: close your eyes and you'll think you're bobbing for catfish.

5. Bears are amazing and the Big Ones at 50 feet are HUGE!!!!

6. If God has made a prettier place than Alaska, I have not yet seen it.

7. Good Bush Pilots are worth their weight in gold.

8. Throwing an 8 wt all day and then switching to a much slower 6 wt will teach you to take your time and think through your casting.

9. I don't care how close your friends are to you: spend 10 days with them and you're ready to commit hari-kari.

A Commemoration:
     Fly fishing ain't perfection and it ain't mystical

          and it ain't life-saving and it ain't poetry

          and it ain't the soft touch of a woman on a cold night.

     But when the sun is shining low over a snow-covered mountain

          and your fly lands softly in a riffle

          and floats behind a rock

          and the line tightens

     And you see the largest damn rainbow you ever saw on the end of your line

          and an eagle screams overhead

          and you hear an 1100 lb Brown rustling around in the brush

          and you know that’s 3x tippet out there with the fish

     And you're four thousand miles away from home

          and the water's so clear

          you can see nymphs in four foot pools

          and an otter swims by,

     Then it doesn't matter that the biggest damn 'bow

          you ever saw in your whole life,

          spits the hook after his sixth pirouette

          through the icy sub-Artic air.

     You just thank God

          that He has given you

          this opportunity,

          this moment!

     And you sit down

          and light a cigar,

          and take a short nip of the whisky from the flask

          you brought, hoping for this moment.

     And you bow to the fish in front of you

          and tell the bear to leave you alone.

     It may get better than this,

          but I doubt it....

© Doug Gilmore 2008

About the Author...Doug Gilmore of Adaire, GA, was instrumental in the founding of GOTC gatherings and their support of Casting for Recovery. Besides fly fishing, Doug enjoys bird hunting, woodworking and fine scotch.