FISH ALASKA MAGAZINE SUSITNA RIVER VALLEY EXPEDITIONS 2007 (Click map for larger image) It's rough work, but somebody has to do it! 1. May18: Upper Susitna River, Rainbow Trout and Arctic Grayling with Mahay's Riverboat Service 2. June 26: Lake Creek King Salmon with Ron's Riverboat Service 3. June 28, 29, 30: Lake Creek King Salmon with Lake Creek Lodge 4. July 23, 24,25: Lake Creek Sockeye and Coho Salmon at Northwoods Lodge 5. July 26: Little Susitna River Sockeye, Chum and Silver Salmon with Fish Tales Guide Service 6. July 27: Floating Upper Willow Creek for rainbow trout with Matanuska Trout Fishers 7. August 6 & 7: From Little Willow to Lake Creek, a multi-species bonanza with Joby Craig at Rebels Roost Lodge 8. August 16, 17, 18: Angel Haven Lodge, The Burbot Wars, and a slice of heaven up the Yentna

Five Fish Alaska Favorites From early season to the flaming colors of fall, here are a few of our staff's Mat-Su passions. 1) Susitna and Yentna river tributary rainbows (from just after ice-out into May) 2) Drift-fishing for Lake Creek kings 3) Solitude and a float tube on Mat-Su lakes 4) Back-bouncing for silvers 5) Late fall rainbows on the upper Susitna

Few rivers compare to the epic variety on offer within the Susitna River drainage. It's a unique system in that both mainstem and tributary fisheries abound, and in that both road system and remote access are provided, combining all the personalities of Alaska rivers into one drainage. From its far northern reaches-places like Portage Creek, just downriver from the point where the Susitna narrows into treacherous Devil's Canyon-to the silt- and fish-riddled waters of the Yentna and its many clear tributaries, to the plentiful road system streams like Willow, Montana and Sheep creeks and the Talkeetna and Kashwitna rivers, the Su drainage presents anglers with all kinds of targets, in all kinds of environments.

Early in the season, anglers target trout and grayling, and in a few streams, Dolly Varden, all fish that have survived the winter and are starved for a beefy sculpin or chunk of last year's flesh. Primetime in the Susitna Valley begins with the ever-exciting king salmon, bruisers that break rods and egos. Next is the onslaught of sockeye, where a good day on a stream like Lake Creek yields unrelenting action and easy limits, but also battered knuckles and broken tippet. When it comes to sockeye, both the good and the bad leave us with smiling faces. Shortly thereafter, silver, pink, and chum salmon cruise the waters, and at this time, the lucky angler has a shot at a Grand Slam of Salmon.

All the while, the trout, char, and grayling grow fatter, bulking up to their customary fall football shape, putting on weight to last the winter. For some entertaining side action, a trip into the sloughs and lakes in the valley will yield opportunities to fish the water wolf, as the area's northern pike population continues to increase and with it an angler's pulse. Finally let's not forget those forgotten fish that few anglers deem worthy of targeting, but whose value are best seen on the table. The whitefish and burbot both escape unrecognized to the serious angler, but seasoned Alaskans know that a good burbot set along the mixing point between the Susitna and one of its tributaries will yield what many consider to be the finest eating freshwater fish in the state.

It is all these opportunities combined in a variety of river and lake settings that make the Susitna River worthy of a lifetime of exploration. In the following excerpts, we'll share some of our experiences in chronicling the Susitna River.

5/18/07: Upper Susitna River, Rainbow Trout and Arctic Grayling with Mahay's Riverboat Service

Melissa, Wayne and I join Steve Mahay and two of his guides for a two-hour ride upriver to fish the points where Indian and Portage Creek mix with the Susitna River. Both are small, clearwater tributaries that will typically hold rainbow trout and Arctic grayling. Today is the first trip of the year for Steve to this beautiful stretch of water, so we are unsure of the conditions. As an aside, Portage Creek is a short distance from the renowned Devil's Canyon, where, in fact, Steve once proved his pioneer status, becoming the first man to run the canyon with a powerboat.

We first arrive at Indian Creek and upon entering the water, I make a few casts with a 200 grain sink-tip line that's tapered down to a #4 White Zuddler, and almost immediately I am rewarded with the day's first rainbow. It will certainly not be the last. We spread out along the clear seam and begin to fish in earnest. The fish sighting has everyone's attention and Melissa delivers the next fish-a long, skinny 18-inch rainbow. Turns out that the White Zuddler is exactly what they are looking for, and after passing flies out to the group, we catch a bunch of fish. I land 11 rainbows, while everyone else in the group catches rainbows and grayling. This first stop has already guaranteed us a great day and nice start to the season.

Next stop is Portage Creek. I'd fished here in the past with Steve in the fall and knew that if the conditions were right there could be more fish here than at Indian. When we fished it in the fall, Portage ran strong into the Susitna and it made for a long run of clear water that held many nice trout. This spring was different, but we managed many grayling, with Steve landing one of his biggest. In the mouth of the creek, Wayne landed several nice bows and grayling.

This has been a great time on the upper Susitna and we look forward to future trips with Steve to Portage Creek. The scenery, company and good fishing combine for lasting memories.

6/26/07: Lake Creek King Salmon with Ron's Riverboat Service

There is the promise of a warm, sunny day at daybreak as the drive begins to Susitna Landing at mile 82.5 on the Parks Highway. Ron and Marilyn Wilson are the contract concessionaires that run the state-owned facility. Married for 37 years, this couple makes a good team. Typical days find Ron running his 24-foot Boulton Powerboat on the vast Susitna River while Marilyn runs the Landing. Their black German Shephard Gus is part of the operation and shows us off from the dock in the morning and greets us at the river in the afternoon when we return.

Alice Mobley of Hartley Motors and her boyfriend Ian join Ron and me for a 60-plus-mile ride to Lake Creek and some Chinook fishing. We'll travel about 30 miles upriver on the Susitna and then head northwest on the Yentna another 30 miles to the confluence with Lake Creek. This is one of the Susitna drainage's more popular salmon destinations and there are sure to be people fishing the creek from the local lodges and air services, not to mention boaters like ourselves. There is no mystery why, since this clearwater tributary is angler-friendly, and with king salmon in fishable numbers, it's a logical choice for Southcentral anglers.

Ron pilots us expertly in his very comfortable boat to Lake Creek and we take up position in the "Dog Pound," anchored about 20 feet offshore in the first corner of the river. We get spinning rods in the water, each equipped with a plug. We experiment with Luhr-Jensen Kwikfish, Pro-Troll Stingfish, and Blue Fox Foxyfish, all in larger sizes. Silver and chartreuse work the best and at 8:30 a.m. Alice hooks and lands a 20-pound king. Ian follows shortly with a 30-pound chromer and the smiles on both their faces tell the whole story.

6/28/07-6/30/07: Lake Creek King Salmon with Lake Creek Lodge

We arrive via floatplane at Lake Creek Lodge, situated at the mouth of Lake Creek, on the morning of June 28 and are greeted by Jeff Woodward, one of the owners of this lodge, as well as Cottonwood Lodge. Jeff came to Alaska on a fishing trip when he was 12, caught a 50-pound king and was permanently hooked on Alaska. The fishing and lodging business are part of his family, and with 20-plus years experience in the Lake Creek area, it was a natural progression for him to become a lodge owner. His personality suits the position, and he easily transitions from one function to the next without losing a step or the smile on his face. I was impressed at how he made his clients fell appreciated and welcome.

After he shows us around the property, which is comprised of a main building that serves as the dining room, bar and office as well as a squadron of cabins and assorted out buildings, Jeff appoints Jon Larson, a four-year guide at the lodge, to help us find and land some kings. We share Jon's proclivity for bank fishing and are glad to be fishing with a guide who is as amped to catch kings as we are. We'll drift-fish an attractor with baitcasting rods. The mainline attaches to a swivel and attached to the swivel are a stick weight and three-foot leader. The leader is made up of 30-pound-test Izorline or Maxima attached to a 6/0 hook tied with an egg loop. In front of the hook we use either a small Corky or Oki-Drifter. Attached to the hook through the egg loop are several color options of McFly's foam. A deep red or a two-tone chartreuse and purple are the best producers, and which option works best seems to vary day-to-day. The McFly's foam adds buoyancy, and this allows for the lure to float just off the bottom, putting it right in front of the kings' mouths and reducing the number of snags.

We are able to get into one of Jon's favorite holes and after 30 minutes of fine-tuning the cast and the drift, the action is non-stop. We fish a deep bucket that is book-ended by two medium-swift slots. Precise casts yield hook-ups on a regular basis. For the next three days, Wayne and I will hook about 50 kings each and land around 20 per person. This is the most incredible Chinook fishing we have ever seen. We land fish between 15 and 50 pounds and are able to catch and release all day without the fear of not being able to catch one destined for the freezer. Even for experienced anglers like ourselves, the fishing is almost surreal.

On the last morning, our hole of the previous two days is taken and we travel farther upriver. Wayne hooks a 50-pound bruiser buck that takes some teamwork and plenty of water over the top of my waders to land. As we depart downriver and approach the run from the previous two days, it is now empty and we take the opportunity to get one more fish. We've dropped off two other anglers who made the trip upriver with us and left them with the landing net, so any kings hooked will have to be beached without help.

It takes but a few casts to hook a bright fish and it immediately races upriver towards a log jam. Having lost several fish to this log jam, I know that I need to steer this fish clear of the debris or it will be lost. Jon is getting pumped as a Chinook swimming upstream is usually the sign of a bigger king. I bend the rod to its breaking point and manage to turn the fish out of trouble. It makes a similar run downstream and I am lucky enough to turn its head before it breaks me off below. Finally, we slide the chrome hen into the shallows and the scale back at the lodge reads 38 pounds, a good Lake Creek fish and proper way to end the trip.

7/23/07-7/25/07: Lake Creek Sockeye and Coho Salmon at Northwoods Lodge

For three days, we'll enjoy the great fishing and outstanding accommodations provided by Northwoods Lodge. I'm joined by Steve Kush-a friend of the family-as well as his son Ivan and his brother Frank, the legendary former football coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils, for one of the higher-end experiences found on the Susitna River system. Shan and Eric Johnson are lifelong Alaskans that have created a paradise on the bluff a few corners into Fish Lakes Creek. Eric is a builder by profession and one of those jack-of-all-trades guys that are necessary to keep a remote property (and especially one this size) running smoothly. Eric was spending weekends flying out to Lake Creek in his Super Cub to fish and hunt and decided one day that a place to get out of the weather would be a good idea. Shan then decided that they should turn it into a lodge and move out to Lake Creek for good. This happened about 20 years ago and the property continues to grow today.

Shan handles the running of the business and excels at, among other things, preparing gourmet food. One especially delicious entrŽe was Cajun Salmon with Shrimp Etouffe (see recipe department in the Oct/Nov 2007 issue), and I enjoyed everything that she made. The main lodge is currently undergoing expansion to add a huge industrial kitchen and kick-ass game room that will house a pool table, bar, card table and lounge area. The lodge is open year-round and limited to 12 anglers, but houses more than that for weekend snowmachiners.

We are to be guided by the Johnsons' middle son Tyson, who proves to be excellent at all facets of the job. Tyson has been racing in the Iron Dog for many years and last year his team came in second. It is a grueling two-person, 2,000-mile snowmachine race that goes from Wasilla to Nome to Fairbanks.

We are flown to the river by Trail Ridge Air. Jim and Loree Jensen specialize in fly-out, float, hunting and flight-seeing trips from their home-base at Lake Hood.

After dinner we head up Lake Creek to fish for sockeye. Using 8-weight fly rods with floating line and a short 8-foot leader, we crimp a couple medium splits 30 to 36 inches above a bare 1/0 Gamakatsu hook. It is crucial that the weights stay at the intended distance from the hook as this promotes the right drift, putting the hook precisely in front of the sockeye's mouth. The system works to perfection and it is not long before all of us are hooking and landing reds with regularity. We fish in one particular hole that is ideally suited for sockeye. It is a slow, deep pool at the head of a long, medium-shallow run. The fish stack up in the pool and that forces the fish below to lay in the run. Limits are easy to come by of fish from 6 to 10 pounds.

The following morning we are on the river by 7:30 a.m. and have limited on sockeye and are back at the lodge by 11 a.m. By 1:30 we head out to fish the "Egg Hole" in McDougall Slough. We anchor at the top of the run and back-bounce eggs to silvers. Using a baitcaster, the mainline is rigged with a 6- to 8-oz. weight on a slider and tied off to a clip. A 3-foot leader that amounts to a corky and 1/0 hook attached by an egg loop is tied to the clip. In addition to the eggs, Tyson attaches a piece of red yarn to the hook to serve as a further attractor.

The basic technique is to raise and lower the weight so that it comes off the bottom by about a foot and then back to rest. Silver bites are rather subtle and can be confused with the nibbles that indicate a rainbow trout or whitefish. Many silver bites are initially missed as it takes us a little while to determine how long to wait before setting the hook. By about 5:30 p.m. we have landed and released 10 silvers that have an estimated weight of 4 to 9 pounds, as well as several beautiful trout.

We start Day 3 fishing just below the "Egg Hole" and begin picking up a few silvers while back-bouncing eggs. Halfway through the morning, we move back up to the "Egg Hole" and the action increases. By noon we've landed a dozen silvers and kept six, so we decide to end the trip with another tour upriver for sockeye.

Two other anglers from the lodge are fishing the hole and they invite us to join them. Within moments there are multiple anglers fighting fish and no less than three times over the next 90 minutes, all six anglers are tight on fish hooked in the mouth. It is pretty incredible sockeye fishing by any standard, and combined with the hospitality at Northwoods Lodge, the trip is one for us to never forget.

7/26/07: Little Susitna River Sockeye, Chum and Silver Salmon with Fish Tales Guide Service

We meet Andy Couch at the Little Susitna Public Use Facility at a bleary-eyed 5:30 a.m. to search for salmon on the Little Susitna River. The river is a very popular road system fishery for king, silver and sockeye salmon in the Susitna River Valley and sees many guided and unguided, out-of-state and resident anglers alike. The river opens to bait fishing on August 8, and at that time the most popular techniques can be identified by the legion of multi-colored bobbers present in the river. But for now, throwing spinners will be the method of the day.

Andy has many years of experience guiding on the Little Su and first takes us upriver to do some sight-fishing. The water is low and clear, which will make it easier to spot fish but more difficult to entice them to strike. Andy's jetboat is spacious enough to comfortably fish five of us, as co-publisher Melissa Norris joins myself and the Kush trio. He has equipped the boat so that it can be rowed and in certain long slots, Andy jumps up to the bow and slows the drift down with the oars. When a nice holding pool has been located, Andy sets anchor and we begin to methodically work the water.

We throw #3 spinners of Andy's own make, with blades that vary from silver to chartreuse to pink to black. The first silver landed is caught on a black-bladed spinner. Andy tells us that when the silvers are especially lock-jawed he has had luck with darker spinner blades. I have brought along two Lamiglas rods that we are field-testing and marvel in the way that the 10-foot XMG 50 Series baitcaster effortlessly peels line off the Abu-Garcia Revo reel when pitching Andy's spinners.

One amazing event of the day is that we are able to get sockeye to bite the spinners. By casting at about a 30-degree angle upstream and reeling just fast enough to get the blade moving, we are putting the lure right in the strike zone and getting rewarded with aggressive takes by both sockeye and chums. This is one of those rare times in my experience when a chrome sockeye bites a lure and is not lined.

Later in the day, Andy motored us downriver of the boat launch and began working spinners into some of the Little Su's many winding bends. Fish would hold against the banks and in several runs, Steve hooked and landed both chums and silvers. This type of fishing can be pretty thrilling as both coho and chum salmon will absolutely pound a spinner if it suits their mood. Throughout the year, anglers will catch fish on this waterway back-trolling, drifting eggs and throwing spinners.

7/27/07: Floating Upper Willow Creek for rainbow trout with Matanuska Trout Fishers

This will be the grand finale in the Kush trio Alaska fishing adventure, and we have arranged to have Steve and Frank guided by Jhan Haddeland of Matanuska Trout Fishers. I'll float behind in my Aire cataraft with Ivan, and Wayne will round out the group in a one-man Outcast Fish Cat. It is roughly 12 river miles from the Shirleytown Bridge to the Parks Highway and low water will make it an interesting float, especially for me, since the cataraft drafts the most water and is loaded down with the two heaviest guys. In anticipation, the raft frame has been stripped to bare bones, little more than two seats and a rowing frame.

It's a full-day float, so the meeting time is 5 a.m. This leaves little doubt that trout fishing can progress to a full-blown sickness when six men will wake before 3 a.m. in order to catch fish. We are almost used to it at this point, having met barely 15 minutes earlier the day before.

The float proceeds and it is clear that I'll have my hands full. The first rock garden stops my progress and after jumping out of the boat to spin it off the impediment, I've barely got enough time to jump back in, get the oars in the locks, and row like mad to avoid being swept into the first corner. The river is obviously low and this considerably shrinks the floatable channel, thus increasing the number of treacherous sweepers. In between the many corners, there are shallow riffles connected to deep pools loaded with downed trees. It is ideal trout country.

This time of year, Jhan likes to dead-drift beads with long leaders and strike indicators. He uses Sage 7-weight rods and Ross BG4 reels with floating line. We use 10mm orange, mottled orange, red, and mottled red beads. Jhan likes to use the downstream loop technique (one that we picked up from Curt Trout and have not yet mastered) when dead-drifting beads as it lengthens the drift and presents a more realistic egg pattern.

This type of fishing is new to Steve and Frank, but with some persistent and positive coaching from Jhan, they are both quickly making good drifts and are hooking fish. Jhan displays his aptitude at the job, both correcting and motivating Steve and Frank and keeping them both fishing and catching. Ivan is having a ball and periodically we hook and release some nice rainbows. Towards the end of the drift, Ivan hooks and lands a larger fish that we tape at 24 inches. This trophy epitomized a day of trout fishing that was great by most standards.

8/6/07-8/7/07: From Little Willow to Lake Creek, a multi-species bonanza with Joby Craig at Rebels Roost Lodge

We meet Joby at Deshka Landing and head out to start fishing for silvers on Little Willow Creek. We anchor up and start soaking roe and throwing spinners. Mustad has provided 2/0 Octopus Fine Wire Beak hooks and we attach 20-pound leaders by egg loops to the hook. They prove to be a good hook. On the other end of the three-way swivel enough weight is attached to keep the roe on the bottom. I head to the bow of the boat and toss spinners to what seem to be migrating pink salmon. The fish prove to be pinks, as one slams the #3 Mepps Aglia spinner with normal humpy fervor, and we turn our attention to the action at the stern. Wayne hooks a small silver and follows it shortly thereafter with a 16-inch rainbow. After a few more silvers, we pack up and head downriver to Deshka.

Rebels Roost is about 20 miles up the Yentna River and we'll fish several tributaries on the way back to the lodge and then head up the Yentna after dinner. We arrive at the Deshka to clear skies, hot weather, lots of anglers and little action. Many are floating roe on bobbers, while the rest seem to be casting and retrieving spinners. Number 3 and 4 Blue Fox Orange Vibrax seem to be a popular choice and result in a few fish that we can see. Action is pretty slow, so I ponder out loud about switching to a Pixee to alter the action, and the first cast results in a blown strike. There are hundreds of silvers schooled up in the mouth of the river, but they are pretty well lock-jawed for the moment. The Deshka is one of the valley's more popular destinations for king and silver salmon.

After a good home-cooked meal of steak, salmon, mashed potatoes, salad and bread, it is time to go back out and see if we can find some aggressive silvers. We stop in Moose Creek and have about two hours of light before sunset. The creek is shallow and grassy, promising northern pike water, and soon we spot wakes of cruising silvers. As the light continues to wane, the bite turns on and amid a frenzy of silvers, a pike is landed. I catch my coho on spinners and spoons and have good success with an EGB 330 spoon. It is translucent red and fades to gold and both the color and action seem to entice the fish.

We start the next morning fishing Indian Creek for pike. Wayne catches three fish on a weedless spoon with a worm tail. I'm casting a Heddon "Lucky 13" that draws strikes from ambushing pike. The water is up a bit and this is pushing the pike back into the deeper recesses of the grass. It makes it difficult to pursue these northerns and so we stow the gear and run upriver to Lake Creek.

Taking position in the mouth of the creek, we anchor and begin to back-bounce eggs. Boats below us are steadily into coho and after several catch limits, we pull anchor to reposition ourselves in a migration lane. The diligence pays off as we find ourselves in a nice run. Casts to the bank-side of the boat yield long drifts through faster current. Coho lay along the seam and are joined by rainbow trout and whitefish looking to feast on salmon eggs. Casts below the boat are into slacker current, where these same fish pool up until continuing in transit to their ultimate destination. Action is continuous and both silvers and rainbows are caught and released. It is a blast fishing with Joby and we look forward to coming out in the winter to do some ice-fishing with him.

8/16/07-8/18/07: Angel Haven Lodge, The Burbot Wars, and a slice of heaven up the Yentna

Melissa, Wayne and I fly on a Rust's Flying Service floatplane about an hour from Anchorage to the upper reaches of the Yentna River. We'll stay at Angel Haven Lodge, nicely situated on a 40-plus-acre parcel on a bluff above the river some 90 miles up the Yentna. The huge deck off the lodge provides a staggering view of the surroundings. The experience here is very pleasant, from the private, large cabins with satellite TV and their own bathrooms to awesome meals like lasagna, prime rib and roast pork tenderloin prepared by Howard. Yet it's quieter up here than downriver and on the main Susitna thoroughfare, and this provides the feel of a more remote experience. Fishing opportunities are good, and those that we focus on are all boat-based rather than wading and casting.

Ken Wright, head guide and manager at Angel Haven, will show us around the area for the next three days. Our goal is to see a wide scope of water and to catch as many types of fish as possible. We pile into the 20-foot Idaho jetboat with enough gear to entice anything to bite and head to Hewitt Lake. The boat is especially nice, with a wide beam and plenty of room for 4 people to fish, and unique in that the steering is accomplished with a stick and not a wheel, which allows for precise handling with a minimal amount of movement from the driver. This is helpful in the tight creeks that guides from Angel Haven often navigate.

Hewitt Lake's shallow, clear grass flats provide for perfect cover for the ambush tactics of the northern pike. From the vantage point in the boat and the gin-clear water of the lake, we are able to spot some fish and then sight-cast to them. It seems that the predatory response is so deeply ingrained that the fish have a hard time restraining themselves from attacking the lures and flies even after they have already bitten them and felt the hook. Other fish are never seen until they attack the offering with wanton abandon. We land fish on topwater flies like poppers, hot lips and mice patterns as well as weedless lures like the Berkeley Blade Dancer.

In the afternoon, anglers transition to silvers in Clear Creek. The water is a bit muddied and the shapes of silvers go in and out of sight as they sink lower into the water column. Articulated chartreuse and fuchsia leeches are productive and we all land some nice fish to about 12-pounds. The hot, bright conditions limit the bite from being all-out and word is that this creek produces well in the morning. Nevertheless, silver fishing is good and we get several acrobatic maneuvers from torpedoing coho.

The next morning finds us back in Clear Creek with similar results. It is exciting to watch a silver turn from the pack to engulf the fly as you retrieve it across the creek. Action is slow but steady, with isolated schools of fish containing several aggressive members. After lunching at the lodge, we'll fish Clearwater Creek, just above the lodge, for silvers and chums. The mouth of the creek is choked with fish, with a huge school of sockeye mixed into the other salmon. We are able to pick out a few silvers and even more chums as we throw flies through the school. I'm not much into eating chums, but they are a great gamefish and tough to land.

Dave Manners, known on the river as "Big Dave," joins us at the lodge for dinner, and eventually for an evening's fishing. He has brought his Spiderman pole-the kid's special Zebco rod that we all remember fishing when we were little-and immediately, it is the rod to fish with. Over the next two days, more big fish are caught on the little rod, with the biggest being a 15-pound silver landed by Wayne. It makes us feel like kids again, fishing with this 4-foot rod with barely enough line to cast 50 feet, and it brings into focus some of that excitement that turned us all into addicted anglers many years ago.

We fish some new water this evening, making our way to the Kichatna River to fish for a smorgasbord of species. Introducing some eggs into the mix, resident species like rainbow trout, Dolly Varden, whitefish and burbot make their way into the same pools that are already loaded with silvers. Somehow the thought of burbot, both as an out of the norm sport fish and also as a delicious food source, gets motivated to the brink of fanaticism to harvest some tasty lawyer fish. After reading the regulations to understand the particulars of a burbot set line, we fabricate one and continue to make sets in promising areas. Over the next two days, we get pretty good at casting the line and picking choice locations.

While the other four anglers work eggs to the frenzied mix of coho, rainbow and whitefish, I cast dumbbell-eyed leeches to migrating coho. There is something primal about the way a silver salmon gets locked onto a moving fly and pounds it with deadly intention. On the occasional fish, one has an advance warning of the strike by the unmistakable wake that advances on the retreating fly.

On the following morning, the fog sets in, making it dangerous to travel on the river. Cooling fall temperatures make for good conditions for the fog banks that often cover portions of the river in the morning hours. As the fog burns off near midday, we head back to enjoy some more of the outstanding fishing on the Kichatna. As has become customary, we stop and make a burbot set on the way out. Officially, we have all become burbot maniacs.

By dinner, we have landed at least a dozen coho, two-dozen rainbow and a half-dozen whitefish. Nothing beats fishing with eggs, but flies work well and when the fish are in the area, using a 1/8 oz. Marabou Flicker flash jig from Sy's Jigs works very well. I'd cast the jig and then make short jerking motions to get the blade spinning and the jig darting erratically. I am able to land all four species within an hour using this technique. General consensus is that casting weighted flies on floating line was the most fun-both in the act of casting and especially in the savage strike of the coho. If you had to choose one presentation to catch the most fish, then eggs-whether drifted, floated or back-bounced-are deadly.

Combine the variety of angling locations with the scenery, intense fishing action, and ease of access, and it is evident that the Susitna River drainage is a truly special place. It is a rare piscatorial wonderland that combines float trips on small winding streams for trout with bank angling for bruiser Chinook to boat fishing for supercharged coho-and these are but a few of the opportunities chronicled. It will take a lifetime of fishing to scratch the surface of this immense system with innumerable places to fish for varied species, but we at Fish Alaska are up to the challenge.

Marcus Weiner is a publisher of Fish Alaska magazine.