INSIDE ALASKA ANGLING Questions & answer interview with Alaskan guide Rene Limeres ...for more articles about Alaska fishing subscribe to Fish Alaska Magazine!

Fishing since the age of three, fly fishing since ten and hooked on trout fishing from age 11, Rene Limeres came to Alaska in the late 70s with the dream of becoming a fishing guide. He worked construction in Bristol Bay and the Y-K delta for the first few summers, then guided at lodges at Lake Iliamna for a couple of years. He began conducting guided float trips and opened a king camp on the lower Nushagak River in the early 80s. He started fishing Russia late in the same decade for Siberian taimen and has fished Kamchatka since the early 90s. Rene has a strong sense of responsibility and advocates for fisheries and river management, both to ensure good runs and a superb wilderness experience. He is the owner of Ultimate Rivers and the co-author with Gunnar Pederson of Alaska Fishing: The Complete guide to Hundreds of Prime Fishing Spots on Rivers, Lakes and the Coast.

Fish Alaska sat down with the well-respected member of the Alaskan fishing community and got his thoughts on everything from the right gear for fishing the Greatland’s remote waters to the delights of a meal on his Russian fishing adventures.

Fish Alaska: What is your essential gear?

Rene: The most essential item for float fishing is a good raft, of course. Big progress has been made in the last 15 years in both personal use and commercial craft available on the market. Moravia, Aire, SOTAR and Avon are good choices because they use ballistic quality nylon or polyester base fabrics, with ultra-dense synthetic coatings (polyurethane, PVC or hypalon) that make for very lightweight and extremely durable boat materials. Your modern day inflatable will give you years of high performance and virtual puncture resistance. I have had trips where we drag our SOTAR rafts for miles over rocks and/or brush with not a scratch on the bottom. You have many choices these days too, from the traditional oval river raft to modular and versatile catarafts to inflatable kayaks and canoes. Each style has its merits, depending on the kind of trip you have in mind. The bottom line is you need a good boat for Alaska's remote and unforgiving waters, nothing being more essential to your safety and enjoyment. You can either buy from reputable dealers or rent a boat from several outfitters in town.

It is very important to have all the necessary and ancillary safety equipment with your craft: 75-100 feet of stout bowline, 25 to 50 feet of stern line and a 50-foot throw rope. Life vests are mandatory - get the very best for yourself and wear it at all times when on the river. Good oars and blades with at least one spare are crucial. Additional safety gear should include flares, and a VHF radio and/or satellite phone (And certainly don't forget your patch kit!). GPS will help, as well, especially when new to the river.

Expedition quality tents, sleeping bags, raingear, and other personal equipment will go a long way to ensuring an enjoyable time out on the river. I use an assortment of top end gear from North Face, Eureka, Kelty, and other manufacturers. A large tarp, fire starting tools, (I use a small butane blow torch and pieces of paraffin soaked sawdust), a first aid kit, small ax, survival food and good quality dry-bags are all a must. A camp stove and fuel is good to have, especially in rainy, wood-poor southwest Alaska. Water purification pumps are good, but I like to boil water, especially late in the season when there are decaying salmon in the river.

The latest evolution of Gore-Tex is very impressive, but for raingear in prolonged extreme conditions, I still prefer coated nylon or the old standby Helly Hansen commercial fishing jackets. For waders, Gore-Tex is definitely my choice, miles above neoprene for comfort and performance. I use Simms and Gillie Gear. For wading boots, I use neoprene wading shoes for their lightness; something like the NRS work boot is fine. Simms and some other manufactures are now producing ultra-light boots that look interesting, but I haven't had the opportunity to check them out as of yet.

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Fish Alaska: What types of rod and reel set-ups do you use?

Rene: From a guide’s standpoint, you can’t beat Ugly-Sticks (Ha Ha!). Seriously, with those at least you know the client isn't going to break your loaner! A lot of guides and clients are now using the new generation graphites, and while their performance is phenomenal, the manufacturers are pushing the thickness to a minimum, and consequently, the rods can and do break much more frequently, which is something to think about if you need a reliable expedition rod. In terms of economy, Reddington, St. Croix, Scott, Orvis, Lamiglas, and even Loomis and Sage all offer rods that are more reasonably priced. I like a softer, less brittle graphite, and fish a variety of older rods, some made from the first and second generation IM-6 blanks. I also carry some top end rods from Sage, Loomis, and Winston (the ones I don’t lend out!). Other good lines of rods are Hardy and Thomas & Thomas. My advice is to get the best rod you can afford and always try the rod before you buy it to make sure you like the way it performs. Always bring a back up.

In terms of spinning rods, Loomis makes some of the best I have fished, and Sage, believe it or not, makes some pretty decent ones as well. Cabela’s, St. Croix, Reddington, and Fenwick also make some decent spinning rods. For baitcasting rods, try most of the same companies. I still use and love my big, old, glass Fenwick casting rods for king salmon and taimen.

Reels are certainly a mixed bag these days and I see the whole gamut in the hardware that clients tote up in the course of a fishing season. From what I've seen and tried, there isn't a great amount of noticeable difference in performance and quality on the top end, with reels like Abel, Billy Pate, Fin-nor, and so on for fly fishing and Shimano, Daiwa, and Abu Garcia for spin and casting reels. You need to be a lot more careful choosing the lower priced stuff, but the most consistent high performers of the class are those by Bauer, Ross, Scientific Anglers, and Orvis for fly reels, and medium-priced spin and casting reels by Shimano and Daiwa.

An angler should bring a variety of set-ups for each trip. For instance, for an early season king trip in the places that I fish, you might also find sockeye and chum salmon as well as rainbow trout. You will want a 9, 10, or 11-weight fly rod for the kings and chums and a 7 or 8-weight for sockeyes and rainbows. Later in the year when you encounter silvers and are fishing rainbows, you’d bring at least an 8-weight for the silvers and a bit lighter for the trout. I’d also bring a spinning rod. You will encounter a variety of water conditions, so I like to bring floating and sink tips lines. I prefer floating line to about five feet of water depth and then a short (five foot) sink tip for deeper water. Another choice is floating line with a short section of lead core "mini head". For Alaska salmon, my favorite line is Cortland 444 rocket taper, ten-foot sink tip. Some people prefer the 300 or 400-grain Teeny 24 foot nymph lines. Rio makes some new variable density sink tips that are quite good, and Scientific Anglers has some new lines that are certainly useful up here. It’s a personal choice. There are certainly a lot of lines out there, and you need to experiment and keep trying new things to refine your system of what works best for you.

The single most important thing about fishing salmon on a fly in Alaska is to get your fly to the bottom, whatever it takes. Use enough lead or an adequate sink line - lead core if you must - to get right above bottom, even if it means using the “chuck and duck” routine, as unpleasant as it may be for purists. I advocate single hook lures only, and if it were up to me, I’d pass a law banning treble hooks from Alaska's fresh waters. Trebles consistently snag and can cause great damage to fish, so there's absolutely no reason to use them, especially if you are predominantly catch and release.

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Fish Alaska: What are your top five Alaska fishing destinations?

Rene: I have always loved the Kanektok, but it is getting more popular and overrun with lodges and camps and the concomitant jet boat traffic. It is a small river, incredibly productive, and also one of the most beautiful in Alaska, especially the upper river. It has near perfect conditions for fly fishing and normally flows crystal clear and wade-able from its headwaters to the sea, which is quite the exception for rivers out there.

The Goodnews is another favorite and offers very productive fishing, though not as easy to access and fish as its sister, the Kanektok. Another favorite of mine is the Aniak - a much larger river system comprised of three tributaries that empties further up the Kuskokwim. You can have an incredible remote wilderness fishing experience on its headwaters, but the float is quite difficult, with dangerous logjams and possible portages - definitely not for the inexperienced.

I have real fond memories of the Nushagak because it’s where I started fishing. It's a giant river, with many tributaries that offer a wide range of possibilities. Headwater fishing is awesome with a number of clearwater tributaries that have some of Bristol Bay's best trout, char, and grayling fishing, and of course, there is the lower river which offers what is potentially the state's best drift fishing for king salmon. Nowadays, I suggest picking a portion of the river that is hard to access because the river is getting much more pressure than ever before. The better air taxis out of Dillingham and Iliamna can put you into waters more off the beaten path if you're up for the adventure that goes along with it.

The Togiak is another of my favorites, very productive and similar to the Kanektok in terms of water quality and scenic beauty. It runs a bit deep and fast, making it harder to fish on the fly rod, but is one of the best silver salmon and sea-run char rivers in Alaska. The silvers are huge for Bristol Bay - I’ve seen them go over 20 pounds there. With several outstanding remote tributaries, you can have a great wilderness float fishing experience.

I also have nice memories of the Alagnak and maintain that the upper river offers some of the best sockeye fishing in the state in July. There are tons of bears, but that is to be expected in a river with millions of salmon. You can find classic sockeye water - two to three feet deep, crystal clear, and packed with fish that are stressed enough to nibble on flies. The rainbow fishing is still pretty good, too, and the logistics to getting there and back are relatively easy.

I do most of my Kodiak fishing on Afognak Island, where we find small creeks that are seldom touched. I target silvers and steelhead in and above tidewater and when you find the right conditions it is truly incredible. We also do some great saltwater fishing on the backside of the island.

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Fish Alaska: What is a good riverside lunch?

Rene: Some of the dehydrated foods available today are awesome compared to what you could buy 20 years ago. I combine some of the healthy instant foods with fresh stuff. Sandwiches are a mainstay and I will occasionally cook a fish for lunch.

I like to bring the individual containers of dehydrated black bean soup. Boil some water and toss in some dense crackers and lunch is ready. It makes for a good, quick hot meal and easy cleanup.

Another lunch that I learned from my Russia experiences is a fish head soup called Uha. You bring potatoes, onions, garlic, dill, salt, and pepper and then toss in some small fish heads - salmon, grayling, or char. The fish heads and cheeks impart savory flavor, oils, and meat to the soup. It's especially delicious if made the night before and heated up for lunch.

I also like to make a fish salad from any leftovers from dinner barbecues. Flaked and de-boned salmon, lemon juice, vinegar, pickle relish, mayo, and chopped onions (chopped dill also, if you have it). This makes a to-die-for sandwich lunch on good bread, like that sold by the Europa Bakery.

You should always bring one of those long-handled, wire-cage fish grillers on your river trips. They're shaped to handle a sockeye or small silver fillet, and they are the most foolproof and convenient way to barbecue a salmon over Alaska's capricious driftwood fires. When you're done, you can just burn off any fish stuck to the griller. A light coating of Cajun spice or garlic salt and parsley is all a barbecued salmon needs.

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Fish Alaska: Tell us about your Russian adventures.

Rene: The Russia trips have been a real magic carpet ride, as we bounced all over Russia in the 80s looking for good places (and reputable outfitters) to fish the legendary Siberian taimen. My partner, Goo Vogt, of Anchorage was the pioneer behind all the first exchanges that occurred during those early days of Glasnost, and he still is the dean of modern day Russian exploration. Hell, he's been over there countless times and knows how to deal with Russians (some of whom can prove severely inscrutable) like no one else. We stuck it out - had some good trips and bad - and finally settled in with some super sharp people who know how to put together a trip that American fishermen really enjoy. We’ve helped them get set up with their own gear and now contract with them to provide everything needed - rafts, guides, cooks, food, etc. Our trips typically involve a helicopter fly-out and float fishing a certain amount of water every day, very similar to our Alaska program. It’s neat in that you experience Russian guides and cuisine, in addition to the fabulous countryside and fishing. In using the large Soviet military helicopters, we are not constrained to the weight requirements we deal with in our Alaska operation and can bring lots of fresh food, extra help, and extravagant kitchen and dining setups. Oh yes, and unlimited amounts of vodka, which makes our Russian hosts happy. The chefs make excellent meals from scratch, like borsht and Russian pasta. It blows the clients away the first evening when they sit at the table streamside in a large dining tent, toast with several bottles of vodka, then eat the first course of borscht and bread, followed by two more courses and dessert. The cooks we bring work so hard and are justly proud of their meals. It is a cultural thing for them to prepare good food from scratch with love and to sit down and enjoy it together.

Our operation in Russia mainly focuses on rivers of the Kamchatka Peninsula for giant rainbow trout and on the mainland, tributaries of the Amur River for Siberian taimen and Lenok, another exotic, trout-like species. The taimen program has been real successful and Goo's people have taken six IGFA World Records, including the All-Tackle Record for taimen (94 pounds), All Tackle for Kundzha - Siberian white-spotted char, and a new All-Tackle for Lenok (nine pounds). The bigger Siberian taimen are extremely hard to land, especially in the deep and fast waters you generally fish for them. They have two rows of razor sharp teeth and roll over and over in the water during the final stages of battle, often catching the line above the wire leader and slicing it like thread. You are talking about a trout that can live longer than most people and reach weights well in excess of a hundred pounds, so the big ones definitely have a lot of smarts and muscle going for them. We use giant topwater plugs and flies or big spinners and leech imitations mostly, and the strike of a hungry taimen is one of the most arresting experiences in the world of angling, really.

The average rainbow in Kamchatka is about 24 inches long, and you don’t seem to catch any small ones. They are really hefty fish, many over ten pounds, and they are not lake dwellers like those found in Iliamna and Katmai either. It is not a really high number fishery, typical of rivers that have never been fished. The trout, called Mikizha by the natives, are real territorial, so you get a few per hole and move on. Fisherman average from six to twelve nice fish per day. They are real easy to catch, being even more unsophisticated than their Alaska brethren. The rivers we've fished all have strong insect hatches, so you can get into good dry fly fishing at times. Generally, we nymph with egg sucking leaches or mice patterns. Smolt patterns, polar shrimp, and pink sparklers all work well. They are not as keyed into salmon eggs as Alaskan rainbows, but fish in late August and early September and you will find them on salmon beds and eager to hit your egg and flesh flies.

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Fish Alaska: What is your perspective on your years of fishing in Alaska?

Rene: The twenty-year rule. Look at any stretch of virgin water and given our current economic system, in twenty years it will be overrun with fishermen. I’m thinking about the Nushagak and the Kanektok and how it was when I started fishing there and what it's like now. Once the problems with the infrastructure are worked out, even places like Kamchatka will have too much pressure. I think that one of the things that we need to do right now, and something that I want to get active in, is the promotion of a protection and management system to help maintain the high quality of the wild rivers and wilderness experience in places like southwest Alaska and the rest of the state.

There's no question that rivers in Alaska need more protection. Many small rivers in southwest Alaska and elsewhere are being negatively impacted by powerboat traffic. I’d like to see sections of rivers designated drift boat only. Under the current state and federal management, there is very little real protection for rivers from negative impacts from economic development, even in the refuges, as we have seen in the current debate over possible oil drilling in ANWR.

At some point we need to make this a priority, as these rivers represent the last in the world where you can have the kind of wild country and abundant fishing experiences they provide, and there is very little written into law at present to guarantee their preservation as pristine and untrammeled waterways.

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Fish Alaska: What are your river trip etiquette basics?

Rene: Bury your human waste away from the river, above the brush line at high water mark. Bring a small shovel with you and use it. Pack out ALL your garbage that cannot be burned or biodegraded. This includes fishing line, cigarette butts, and aluminum foil. (For some reason, folks have developed a cavalier attitude about leaving small litter like these items, even though they remain eyesores for quite some time.) Use an existing fire pit if available, but dig one if there isn’t one there. Cover it when done.

If you are in a powerboat, slow down when passing a raft, another boat, or fisherman in the water. What are people thinking when they scream past you when you are floating or wading a small river? People that are not under power always have the right of way.

If you are flying into a lake or river put-in, have the pilot put you away from other groups. It comes down to basic respect. Be mindful of others on the river and don’t hone in on someone’s fishing or camping spot.

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Fish Alaska: What is your favorite fish species to catch?

Rene: Rainbows, steelhead, and char are probably my choice for all around beauty, sport, and desirability. The longer I fish, the harder it is for me to kill salmon; we generally don’t kill any hens on our trips and - Thank God - don't get into the fish box thing that all the lodges seem to be caught up in. For exotics and challenge, Siberian taimen are real close to the top of the list.

Fish Alaska: What is a good time to book?

Rene: September trips have yielded my best rainbow experiences. It is ideal when the water comes down and the trout are bunched up. The 'bows are hungry then. It’s also a superb time of year to be out, with the change of seasons.

Real early in the season is more of a crapshoot in terms of weather and water conditions, but at ice-out the fishing is normally excellent. I’d recommend either before or after the peak season.

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