April 2020

Description

Fly Flingin’

Departments

Traveler 6
Creel 10
Fishing for a Compliment 28
Gear Bag 32
Salmon Sense 34
Fly 36
Boats 38
Saltwater 44
Stillwater 46
Conservation 48
Fish For the Future 50
Online 78
Recipe 79
Advertiser Index 81
Final Drift 82

Features

Ice-out Grayling: A Beginning
by Joe Jackson 52

Early-season grayling fishing is one of the first open-water angling opportunities available to anglers in Southcentral and the Interior. Joe explains how to find them and what to use to tempt them just after ice out.

Flyfishing Outside the Box
by E. Donnall Thomas, Jr. 58

Many fly flingers plying the Great Land’s waters target trout, steelhead and salmon, but Don Thomas shares experiences targeting other quarries with the long rod in this article, both in freshwater and saltwater. Some of those species include flounder, rockfish, sheefish, northern pike and grayling.

Sustainable Trout Fishery Tactics
by Jeremy Anderson 66

Catch-and-release fishing for trout and char on the Kenai River is one of the most popular pastimes for Southcentral anglers. This fishery has proven to be sustainable, even with high numbers of anglers participating. Jeremy discusses having the appropriate gear, controlling your boat, planning ahead, reading water, documenting your trout, and using proper release tactics for landing big trout and char in rivers.

Springtime on the Parks
by Kelly Pinnell 72

The Parks Highway, heading north from Wasilla, crosses several small streams that host good populations of rainbow trout, Dolly Varden and Arctic grayling. Some years spring fishing can be sublime, while on other years, the fishery can be rather short due to weather and runoff conditions. Kelly shares years of experience fishing Parks Highway streams in springtime, covering the why, when, how, flies, and where, including some of his top picks.

SPECIAL SECTION: 2020 Great Alaska Sportsman Show Guide
by Melissa Norris 12

The Sportsman Show gives you the opportunity to visit with lodge owners, guides, manufacturer’s reps, service providers, boat dealers, government agency employees, sporting goods retailers, and more, all in one place. It’s a great way to spend a few days in Anchorage in early April, get in on the show deals and sit in on seminars. Come visit with us at the Fish Alaska magazine booth.

COVER / Cutthroat trout are a strikingly beautiful species that will eat a fly. © Don and Lori Thomas.