Steve Mahay has always been a maverick. From his early days of exploring the Talkeetna and Susitna rivers, to his legendary running of Devil’s Canyon, Steve has been prowling the area since 1975. I’d fished with Steve before and witnessed firsthand his skill with a rod and reel, which at the very least matched his boat-handling prowess.

Today’s menu includes silver salmon, Dolly Varden, and rainbow trout—most probably in that order (with perhaps a few dogs mixed in). Steve is guiding us personally, and my expectations are high for success. We are joined by Mark Vasconi and Jeff Pearson, as well as fellow Fish Alaska magazine photographer Wayne Norris.

Beginning with a short jaunt up the Talkeetna, Steve puts the boat to shore at a clear stream that flows into the silty river. We fish with 6H-foot, medium-heavy Ugly Stik spinning rods and Okuma Avenger spinning reels. Two use Mepps #3 Aglia and two use eggs. Visibility is good and we can see pods of silvers moving in and out of our stream.

Within one hour and fifteen minutes, we have landed six silvers—all in the 5 to 8-pound range, four bright hens and two bucks that show some blush. Several more have come unbuckled during the fight. Two are caught on spinners and four are caught on bait. The spinner hooked fish are self-explanatory; we cast and retrieve the spinner and the slash of an angry coho, a flash of silver and the aggressive tug on the line, all signify the presence of a hooked fish. Spinners are fished in the range from 45 degrees upstream to 45 degrees downstream, each with a cast to the far side of the creek and a medium retrieval speed.

The egg-hooked fish are far more subtle. We cast the eggs out and let them sit on the bottom. The bail on the reel is left open, and when the line pays out and moves slowly upstream, then the bail is closed and the hook is set. The silvers don’t strike the eggs, but simply pick them up, mouthing them, and carry them gently upriver.

With enough salmon in the fish box, for many a fine smoked salmon dip, we get back in the big jet boat and travel about 45 minutes up the Talkeetna to do some trout fishing. There are chums present, so we rig up several heavier systems to take the dogs for a walk. We experiment with 8-weight, 9-foot Echo and Lamiglas rods and 3 to 6-weight Lamiglas, G-Loomis, and Scott rods for trout. All reels have floating line, 9 to 12-foot leaders, and either flesh flies or a variety of sizes and colors of beads. We catch many Dollies at Steve’s chosen spot, most average 14 to 16 inches, but several hit 20 inches and one tapes at 24. These fish exhibit a green hue on their sides, with pink spots and slashes of white on their fins. We also wrestle several chum to shore and try to avoid hooking these big, stubborn fish. Wayne caps off a good day angling with a beautiful 16-inch rainbow trout.

In all it was a fine day fishing in a great setting with a legendary boatsman. In addition to Mahay’s Riverboat Service full and half day guided charters, they also provide drop-off fishing and camping at Clear Creek. Contact them at 907-733-2223, 800-736-2210 or www.mahaysriver boat.com. I’ve always enjoyed my time with this outfit and I’m sure you will to.

—Marcus Weiner
Publisher