Fish Talkeetna Alaska By Marcus Weiner ...for more articles about Alaska fishing subscribe to Fish Alaska Magazine!

I’d been planning the trip for weeks. Paul would come north to Talkeetna on Saturday and be available to go whenever we wanted. As the videographer and producer of the weekly television program, Exploring Alaska, Paul had plenty of experience filming in all forms of weather. He stressed that he’d go whenever we chose and explained that better footage would be obtained in sunny weather. So do you think it was raining?

My plan was to coordinate a fall rainbow trip with what I’ve dubbed “The All-Star Trio,” Tony Weaver—owner of Rod and Reel, Curt Trout—owner of Alaska Troutfitters, and Dan Hardy—owner of D Ray Personal Guide Service. These guys can fish, and I knew that I’d be hard pressed to pick up fish anywhere near their water. Steve Mahay agreed to provide the boat and his expertise navigating the braided and often shallow Susitna River. We also got to see some of his flyfishing prowess. Our quest was rainbows and grayling.

Fish Alaska photo editor Doug Ogden, every bit a fishing fanatic himself, met me at a misty 5 a.m. I still laugh as I remember Dan calling me as he and Tony left Anchorage, wrapping up the conversation with a “Sounds like a WEINER.” We were on our way. Curt would meet us all at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, the launching point for our joint adventure, for a pre-trip interview at 7 a.m.

Two weeks before the day of the fishing trip, some crew from Fish Alaska magazine stayed an evening at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge. The extraordinary view of the Alaska Range, featuring Mt. McKinley, Mt. Foraker and Mt. Hunter, was nicely complimented by the sophisticated architecture in the lodge’s great room. We were fortunate to have such incredibly clear skies.

The large deck on the view side of the building sported an eight-person hot tub. I was
also quite impressed with the massive 45-foot river rock fireplace in the center of the great room and the plush leather couches whispering of a sleepy afternoon by the fire.

We enjoyed a delicious meal in the Foraker Dining Room, a meal that covered the entire gamut of the menu—from Alaskan seafood to New Zealand venison. A wide variety of wines and fine liquors can be had with your meal or at the Base Camp Lounge. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are also served at the Susitna Cafe within the main lodge. My wife and I stayed in a spacious room on the north side of the main lodge. This afforded us a full-time view of the mountains. The rooms have all the usual hotel amenities, including satellite television, hair dryers, and the all-important coffee maker.

The 35-acre site houses a total of seven buildings with five of those dedicated to guest lodging, one left for maintenance and one for employee housing. The main building houses 150 rooms that are open year-round, and the four 12-room guesthouses are open from May to October. Four suites within the main lodge have their own fireplace and whirlpool tub.

Paul had his camera equipment out and prepared, as Doug and I trickled into the lodge, the first to arrive. We shook the rain off of our hats and lamented over our watery curse. You can probably guess my thoughts—the worst day of fishing is still a great day. Tony and Dan arrived next and with four avid anglers, fishing was instantly installed as the topic of conversation. When Curt arrived, the stories progressed to talk of 40-inch rainbow trout—rainbows smart enough to teach salmon to swim and strong enough to snap chain. The superhero of the Susitna River—Superman in fish form.

After spending a few minutes in front of the camera, we shuttled to Steve’s place and proceeded to the boat launch where we departed for a two-plus-hour ride to a couple of his rainbow haunts. After the mandatory safety instruction, he fired up the Chevy 454 and adeptly maneuvered the 27-foot Almar with a Hamilton 212 jet upstream through winding, twisting river terrain. Dan talked with Curt about beads, leader lengths, and tests as we passed around their bead boxes. The variety in specific shading and size was incredible. The plastic beads were painted with shades of light colored nail polish to create a mottled effect, and the different sizes coincide with the size of the eggs from the different species of spawning salmon. From there, a bead is chosen based on the brightness of the day. I had learned a bit about the nuances of bead fishing from Curt while on a previous trip on the Kenai River. From his success with catching trout, it is clear that he has it figured out.

The fall scenery was breathtaking as we traveled farther away from the influence of people. Cottonwoods, birch, and spruce lined the riverbank, and as we gained elevation and the river narrowed, rock walls began to line the banks. Well into the boat ride, I noticed some snow along the river’s edge and an average snow line at about 100 feet of elevation. We hadn’t seen any snow in Anchorage yet this season, though I was quickly reminded that winter would soon be here.

When we arrived at the first hole, Steve was in the river with a G•Loomis 8.5-foot, 7-weight rod and Ross GL3 6-7-8 reel. He caught and released his first trout before anyone else even had a line in the water. He had joked with us all on the ride that no one could get rigged up before we got there. More than ever, I realize it is always a good plan to have your rod ready beforehand! Curt quickly followed with a G•Loomis GLX 9-foot, 3-weight rod and G•Loomis 2-3-4 reel and began landing fish 20 feet upstream from Steve. Dan was in next with a St. Croix Ultralegend 9.5-foot, 7-weight rod and G•Loomis GL5 7-8-9 reel and soon hooked into a fight with a healthy ’bow. Doug, with his G • Loomis 8.5-foot, 7-weight rod and Orvis 4-5-6 reel, and Tony, with a FlyLogic FLP Optimum 10-foot, 6-weight rod with a FlyLogic Optimum 6-7-8 reel, followed suit and several fish seemed to be on at the same time over the next half hour. I squeezed in between Dan and Doug and in a few casts with a Scott S∞S 906 9-foot, 6-weight rod and Scientific Angler System 2, 4-5-6 reel, hooked a hard-fighting Alaska rainbow trout. It was an average fish for the trip, measuring in the 18 to 20-inch range. Paul worked hard to capture the fishing as it progressed and brought the underwater camera into play, capturing some of our sparring matches with feisty trout.

Dan, Doug, Curt, and I nymphed beads, while Tony fished black articulated leeches and Steve maneuvered a double egg pattern with a white tail. Doug and Dan also experimented with white leeches. All proved effective for Arctic grayling as well as the rainbows, with many fish caught between 14 and 18 inches. We fished a 100 yard seam for about four hours and landed roughly 70 rainbow trout and 10 Arctic grayling. Steve had been keeping track of his own catch and stopped counting somewhere near 20 fish. I think I was the only lucky angler to catch a whitefish, and Dan was the soloist when it came to late coho salmon. Somewhere in the fun of it all, I realized that it was cold and wet, though I quickly forgot about it again. At around 3 p.m., Steve decided that it was time to go because it would only get harder to read the river with decreasing light and increasing fog. We would make a short run downriver and fish a last hole before heading back.

I had learned my lesson from the first stop and got out of the boat and into the fishing more quickly this time. After a few casts, we were into fish again. I landed a few nice ’bows and looked upstream to where Tony was releasing a huge grayling. Curt was catching fish at his usual steady pace, while Doug subdued the fishing bug long enough to capture some good photos and Paul worked up and down the river recording the action above and below the water in real time.

An hour later, with light conditions worsening, we loaded back into the boat and headed for home. A conservative total count of fish caught and released would be near 100. Again, Steve masterfully piloted the craft through a zigzag course that appeared to be burned into his memory, even though the Susitna was lower than he’d seen it in years. For about an hour, he peered intently through the foggy windshield and avoided obstacles with precision. At one point, Tony volunteered a pair of high-resolution sun glasses, which Steve used and said made a huge difference in being able to see obstacles and choose a line in the river.

Back at the dock, cold to the bone but resilient, we said our farewells and headed back to Anchorage. Only the fire of a fishing fanaticism that burned in bright rainbow colors warmed my wind and rain-driven chill.

Talkeetna River
The following week I decided to take a crack at the Talkeetna River. Dan Hardy, from the Susitna trip, and Dave Doucet, owner of Alaskan Frontier Floats, would meet us at the Talkeetna/Clear Creek confluence at about 9 a.m. Mahay’s Riverboat Service would ferry both parties upriver. Dan and Dave went on an earlier shuttle with Dan’s 14-foot aluminum drift boat. Mahay’s has the capability to ferry people upriver with or without boats, as well as the ability to provide guided fishing.

Doug and I were at the boat launch by 8 a.m., loaded our gear, and muscled my 14-foot Aire cataraft on to the back of Steve’s riverboat. The cataraft was a nice fit and is a very economical way to float the Talkeetna River.

A 12-minute run upriver brought us to Dan and his drift boat at the confluence. Dave had hiked upriver and came back down after about 20 minutes to report some decent rainbow fishing. The fish count before we arrived was at about ten, and that number would soon skyrocket.

Dan and Dave jumped into the drift boat and crossed Clear Creek into the Talkeetna River. The advantage of having a drift boat with an anchor was evident. Not only was Dan able to cut across the current of Clear Creek, but he was also able to move upstream on the Talkeetna and anchor in the slackwater on the seam. Doug and I watched as they landed fish after fish, from grayling to Dolly Varden to rainbow trout. After watching a minimum of 10 fish come up at the ends of their lines, Doug and I tried to duplicate the maneuver.

The raft did not exhibit the hydrodynamic aptitude of the drift boat, and my best efforts put us 15 feet downstream of Dan and Dave. This would have been a decent position, but my anchor arrangement was not up to snuff. At the beginning of next season, I will go to Alaska Raft and Kayak and get all the pieces for a quick release anchor system.

As we floated away from Dan and Dave, I rowed back to the Clear Creek side and proceeded to pull the raft back upriver. I left it on shore and waded (very carefully) across Clear Creek and found myself on the bluff between the two watersheds. I hiked up the high bank on the Talkeetna and was into my first grayling within a few minutes. After a few more fish, some movement to the right caught my attention. Here came Doug, rowing like a tail-hooked sockeye, upstream on the Talkeetna River. I was both impressed and pleased, since this meant that I did not have to wade back across Clear Creek. Dave and Dan evacuated the hole and proceeded downstream 100 yards where they began to catch rainbows in earnest. I nymphed a bead through the hole and connected with a chrome, 20-inch bulldog of a Dolly Varden. All the Dollies caught that day acted in the same fashion, striking hard, staying low in the current, and defiantly refusing to give up. All were within the 16 to 22-inch range and were well fed on salmon eggs.

Doug and I moved downstream and stayed within sight of Dan and Dave. Doug enjoyed a nice Dolly hookup on the drift, and at the Sherwood Forest, I connected with a beautiful grayling, shimmering iridescent blue/green and emanating the smell of thyme. I’d estimate it ran about 18 inches long and 4 inches deep.

We floated from hole to hole, stop- ping to fish the seams and runs that ended in deep pockets of water. Beads, egg-sucking leeches, and white flesh all produced fish. We all used a nymphing technique with floating line, 6 to 10 feet of leader, a strike indicator (3/4-inch corky), and 1 to 3 split-shot about 18 inches from the lure. Dave and Dan had great success catching rainbows on the upper river, while Doug and I caught more grayling and Dollies (probably because Dave and Dan were methodically sore-lipping the rainbows and staying just ahead of us). Doug and I caught half a dozen rainbows on the lower river to complete a varied-species float.

top of page

The day began windy and cloudy, typical fall weather southcentral Alaska, but by late afternoon, the sun had arrived to sufficiently warm our bones. We enjoyed everything—from the fish to the soothing sounds of the river and on to the last vestiges of warmth for a season near the Arctic. All too quickly, fall (in Alaska it’s really more like the last two weeks of summer) becomes winter, so every moment becomes precious.

It’s easy to think that fishing in Alaska is ever present. Runs of salmon wash into the rivers all summer, trout feed on salmon buffets, and the chances of catching multiple species on a marine excursion are high. Spend a year in Alaska and you quickly realize that the frenzy of summer activity is necessary to counterbalance the long season of dormancy. So don’t forget to tie a few egg patterns and bunny leeches in those long winter months, so that the last few weeks of summer can top off a tank of memories to fuel you through the winter.

Village of Talkeetna
Talkeetna is a place of history, a taste of Alaska’s possibilities, and a great place to start an excursion or simply enjoy the distant view of Denali. Fish and view the wildlife while jet boating or rafting on three of Alaska’s bountiful multi-species rivers: the Chulitna, Talkeetna, and Susitna. Go hiking or mountain biking in the diverse terrain. Get an eagle eye view of Denali, an aerial of Denali National Park, and even land on Ruth Glacier. Located 113 miles north of Anchorage, Talkeetna sits at the confluence of the Chulitna, Susitna, and Talkeetna rivers.

Originally, the site evolved as a trading post as miners flocked to the area. In 1915, Talkeetna was chosen as the site for the headquarters of the Alaska Engineering Commission to build a railroad north to Tanana. The population of this small village swelled to nearly 1000 people. Like many villages popular in times of gold rush and infrastructure expansion, the population has been substantially reduced today. The Talkeetna Historical Society Museum displays historical items, local art, and many Alaskan books for sale.

Built in 1936 as a one-room schoolhouse (with classes held until 1971), the museum came to life in 1974. Take a historic district walking tour and view the 16 sites in a four-block area that lend an immeasurable insight into Talkeetna’s history.

You can camp by the Talkeetna River, go on a horseback ride, and catch a king salmon in one good summer day. If you prefer winter sports, then dog mushing, cross-country skiing, and snow machining are at your disposal. Visit the many uniquely Alaskan gift shops and art galleries. In all, Talkeetna is a great place to bring the whole family for an outstanding array of activities, food, lodging, and Alaskan culture.


Marcus Weiner is publisher of Fish Alaska magazine.
 

Home | About Fish Alaska magazine | Staff | Advertising Info | Subscriptions | Site Map
 

P.O. Box 113403
Anchorage, AK  99511
907-345-4337
info@fishalaskamagazine.com

© Fish Alaska Magazine, all rights reserved. Photos and written materials may not be distributed or used without permission.

Crucible Designs
email webmaster