Story by Melissa Norris
Photo by Wayne Norris
“I want to fish a river that will allow us to catch a multitude of species on a variety of gear,” I told Troy.
Troy recommended I fish the Alagnak.
I had only read about this jewel of a southwest Alaska river in previous pages of this magazine, and so I saw this excursion as an opportunity to experience what so many fortunate anglers have before me. I also wanted to test some new spinners Mepps was planning to launch.
The Alagnak, or Branch River, gets talked about a lot and for just reasons. And it seems, every time this river gets discussed there is a resounding theme—at most given times throughout the summer there are a variety of species to fish for in a variety of ways. You just have to choose what you want to do. The Alagnak will do the rest. [emember_protected custom_msg=’This content is available for subscribers only.’]
It was late in July when we went. Wayne and I flew over on the lodge’s charter flight. We arrived late morning and were greeted immediately by staff. Hastily donning our waders and boots, Wayne and I meet our guide Rod in front of our cabin. With no time to waste, we head to the dock to find our riverboat and motor downstream.
Armed with an 8-weight Lamiglas Teeny Special, which sported a Lamson Velocity V3 reel, I started to cast. My husband strolled up near me with another 8-weight rod; this one was a Quarrow. We were casting into Fox Hole as they call it, not too far downstream from the lodge because we’d have to motor back a couple times to pick up the rest of our weekend crew coming in on separate flights. At this time, the Alagnak River decided to introduce its fishing to us and show us what the weekend was to bring. The first species we got into is the chum salmon. We caught four of them on hot pink Articulated Leeches with a bit of sparkle tied-in. We had to get our fly-rodding out of the way before we picked up our third party member, Don Lewis, who works for Mepps.
Don joined us hours later. Of course he came with an arsenal of lures that we needed to play with. “I got more brass than the government,” are the first words out of Don’s mouth when he sees the appreciative glances at the multiple tackle boxes full with Mepps lures he’s pulling out of his backpack. Some of the lures are ones we’ve all used for years, the tried-and-true spinners seen on waterways across the U.S. But Don also had a new lure Mepps is making called the LongCast, which features a heavy, bullet-like body that is designed to cover more water with less effort and at longer distances. This lure comes with either a single or treble hook. The LongCast is meant to sink quickly and stay relatively close to the bottom on the retrieve. There were a couple parts of the river where we would test these LongCast spinners, but the Alagnak is a diverse river from top to bottom and different equipment is used for different applications. Mepps recommends these lures for salmon and large trout. This lure would be more ideal for big water like the Naknek River or for casting from the beach in Valdez for silvers. It was still a great opportunity to test out a new product and I knew I’d have to use it again.
Fish on the Alagnak include Alaska’s five species of Pacific salmon, plus rainbow trout, char, grayling, and northern pike. According to the National Parks Service, there are also Aleutian sculpin, slimy sculpin, Alaska blackfish, three-spine sticklebacks, Japanese lamprey, round whitefish, and nine-spine sticklebacks. Sport, commercial, and subsistence fishing all happen on the Alagnak River. There is an abundance of wildlife, too, like the state’s famous eagles and brown bears.
My friend and photographer Brian Woobank flew in last on the afternoon flight. We greeted him and immediately took him to his cabin to change into waders. Orvis from head to toe as is his way, Brian is ready to go. In one hand he has all his camera gear and in the other his fishing gear—a man on a mission.
Fortunately we all have a similar mission, which is to catch fish, so we head back out for the third time. Brian is the first to hook-up to a chum during our late afternoon fish hunt. He, Rod, and Don wade out to their waists while Wayne and I hang back in the anchored boat to take some photos. This first day was just to get our feet wet and we discussed with Rod our plans for the next day’s fishing.
Sunday morning wading in the Leaning Tree Hole, Brian and Don hookup almost simultaneously. Wayne and I look on and laugh as these two dance around each other, each one’s fish going for the other guy’s legs. After that we decide to troll for kings for a while. Trolling yielded me a 26-inch jack king, and I promptly returned it to the river.
True to form there was yet another species left for us to fish for, so we headed out to some rainbow holes, specifically the Honey Hole that is the entrance to the river braids. The guys were all successful there and my husband caught a 23-inch rainbow on a spinning rod topped with a Mepps Aglia Streamer that is a lure with a fly body (This lure has been great every time we’ve fished it).
Our first look at the braids is also where we saw our first bear of the trip. He was running along the grass banks of the river. We were to fish the braids the next day, having to reserve that “beat” in advance. The guides at the lodge work in harmony to keep out of each other’s way, giving the fish a chance to rest and their clients a chance at a truly wilderness experience.
When we finally got to fish the much anticipated braid section we were not disappointed. We were fishing different gear for different species. Wayne and Don were throwing tackle and Brian and I used fly rods at this point. I switch it up, but he pretty much keeps it to the fly. Rod set me up to dead-drift a black Hair Elk Caddis. I begin to drift the fly on the surface. This is a very simple method where you let out line and watch it skip across the top. Slowly you strip your line in and begin again. I hook and land a pretty grayling and get several more bites, but no more takes after that.
After, we ate a shore lunch made by our guide, a regular facet of each day on the water here. This time it was BBQ chicken on the grill—pretty gourmet for the wilderness. Rod may even want to submit a recipe for our Fish Alaska Reader Recipe Contest this summer!
While the grill was heating up, Brian accidentally hooked into a pretty gnarly king, and with the rainbow gear he was using, it took an exaggerated period of time to land the fish.
After lunch we moved to fish more of the braid section. After a stand-off with a territorial brown bear, we finally eased into the piece of water our guide wanted us to fish. Brian would be glad the bear went off, because after several attempts, he proceeds to hook and land the biggest rainbow of his life. Using his fly rod he caught this leopard-backed beauty on a flesh-colored strip leech that our guide had tied.
When to Go
Even with the resounding theme of variety, there is nothing more critical to planning your fishing trip than timing. Early June marks the start of the season on the Alagnak, when trout, char, and pike are the species present. After solstice the sockeye begin crowding the river followed by an early king run. You can continue to fish for kings through early August.
Often the target species of the typical Alagnak river visitor is kings or rainbows. Throughout the center of the season the river will give you a fair shot at them both. When the king fishing begins to die down the chum fishing heats up, which is about the time in late July when we visited last year. In early August a second run of chum is joined by a run of coho. Then on even years there are even more pink salmon present. This truly is a remarkable river. Fattened up from all the salmon eggs and carcasses, the end of the summer marks the time to shine for the trophy rainbows found in the Alagnak. Anytime you choose to go will likely be a great time.
Melissa Norris is Publisher of Fish Alaska magazine. [/emember_protected] [emember_protected scope=”not_logged_in_users_only”]
- Need to subscribe? Now’s a good time! Check out our current subscription specials!
- Already a subscriber? Login below to access all of our online articles and content!