Description
Departments
4 Fish Alaska Online
6 Alaska Traveler
8 Creel
10 Fishing for a Compliment
12 Gear Bag
14 Salmon Sense
16 Fly
18 Saltwater
20 Flyfishing
22 Conservation
54 Trawl Free Table
57 Ad Index
58 Final Drift
ON THE COVER
Even a slight breeze is enough to maintain a drift when fishing
from a canoe. © Andrew Cremata
26 Special Section
Holiday Gift Guide Pt. 1 by Fish Alaska Staff
28
Why Grayling? by E. Donnall Thomas, Jr.
Because they are so rare in the Lower 48, Arctic grayling have made many a bucket list. They aren’t the most athletic of salmonids, but they are plentiful in places in Alaska and are almost always willing to take dry flies. A fragile species nearly driven to extinction in the Lower 48, they only exist in streams with cold, clean water.
36
Drifting for Slough Sharks
by Andrew J. Cremata
Sinister. Frightening. Downright evil. A killing machine hell-bent on lashing out in a slashing, lightning-fast attack determined to eat whatever it can catch—even prey more than half its own length. There is no escape. Keep your hands and feet out of the water. Welcome to the lair of the slough shark—a perfect subject for a Halloween-time issue.
42
Beauty and the Beast: From luxury to backcountry adventure and back in five days by Marcus Weiner
Following a brief visit to sample the amenities and angling at Shulin Lake Lodge, Publisher Marcus Weiner and photographer Brian Woobank embarked on a multiday float down the Talachulitna River. Says Marcus: “Float trips in Alaska offer many rewards. From seeing wild country, to unplugging from the digital world, to communing with nature and of course, catching some beautiful fish, the rewards are far more than angling in unspoiled waters.”
48
Economics & Ecosystems: Rainbow Trout is Spelled with Two Es by Nick Ohlrich
The environment in which Kenai rainbow trout exist has been unusually dynamic in the past couple decades. The decline of the river’s massive Chinook runs have changed angling in late summer, while huge sockeye salmon runs have added food to the system. Having guided trout anglers on the Kenai for more than 20 years, Nick Ohlrich offers a unique perspective on the changing face of the Kenai rainbow trout fishery.
