"A Late Autumn Day in Alaska"

I had spent a good while working a Whitlock Sculpin down the channels of the creek to reach the river and hadn’t raised a fish. I was surprised because the basic strategy for the day was to find the rainbow trout that are dropping down toward the big water at this time of year.  When no fish are at hand I tend to look a little closer at my surroundings as I’m sure you do also. Seeing my own boot print reminds me that mine are the only ones here, traces of others are barely perceptible with only the last vestiges discernable as wind and rain work in tandem to smooth the sandy soil. The skeletal remains of all sorts of spawned out salmon litter the beaches where they came to rest as the waters draw back; pink, sockeye, and some silvers make up the lot. The presence of Eagles hints that the trout are dropping down the creeks in preparation of the coming winter freeze and I wished them better fishing than I had on that lonely afternoon. There is a quite, wonderful silence except for the gurgle and slosh of the currents flowing over the stones and occasional log. No boats on the river, no crowds lining the shore vying for the chance to hook a salmon as they make their way home from the sea. This is the time of year when one really goes fishing. It is the time when the catching may come at very distant intervals if at all and you learn to appreciate the beauty of a good cast. I have been taking advantage of this desolation every fall for years now and have become no better a judge of where to find those elusive trout than when I first came here. It is truly up to the fish where they will be and unless you are fishing every day and keeping their movements marked it is hit and miss fishing at its toughest. Fortunately I love to fish and I love to fish alone in a vast and quite place, fly casting is my passion in life so catching isn’t the priority of my days. I always have my German Shepherd Boss along so I’m never really alone am I. He busied himself with all that was there but as always was watching me and was on guard. When I watch him snooping I often think that it must be great to be able to know things by using your nose. He seems to take a whiff of everything that he passes; some demand a second or third sniff while others hardly get a nod.

As we followed one of the braided flows we came upon the tracks of a very small bear. It was troubling that there were no adult tracks, I hate to think of a yearling wandering this harsh place without mother to show it the ropes. Perhaps there is a less than mortal explanation for the cubs’ lone tracks, I like to hope. After wishing the bear cub well we went about the business of starting the couple of mile hike back to where I had left the truck. It was moving steadily towards evening and darkness as we picked up the trail that led back to our other life. At this time of year the sun takes up position on the horizon for extended periods of time in a sort of slow motion sunset that begins around 3:00 pm and lasts until it drops below the mountains for the day at 7:30 in the evening. The snow (known at this time of year as termination dust) is visible on the mountain tops and the nights are growing cold. It is time to turn attention from fishing the rivers to tying flies. Flies for the new year that lays just the other side of about six feet of snow if I’m lucky. Winter will hold plenty of tasks that need to be addressed at the cabin on the lake. Every year a little more gets finished and the place begins to take on the look of somewhere I want to live.

My last trip for trout was to the Kenai River on the 27th of October and the day was a good one. I found the river deserted and managed to catch two colored up male silver salmon without trying, and hooked a large rainbow that treated me to almost a full 45 seconds of speed and agility demonstrations before coming off the hook in a corkscrewing leap and plunge. It was OK to set him free early, just knowing that one like that would give a good healthy pull on a size 01 Dr. Mummy and get stuck on the hook for a while made my day. I was mending and swinging deep with a weighted leader and a greased line and the fish took it on downstream mends while it was crossing the channel perpendicular to the flow and running deep. For a streamer / wet fly aficionado like me that is a perfect happening. With that trip fishing season came to an end, however it has been a good one. Truth? I wish I had a picture of that rainbow to show you, it was a nice one………………..

For now I have my fly tying bench to keep me busy. I enjoy tying flies as much as I enjoy fishing. When I’m wrapping a hook, I believe I am fishing somewhere in the deep subconscious mind. This fall I was particularly excited to be tying a new series of salmon / trout flies that I have chose to call ‘The Wood Series Flies’. Unlike the countless bright and beautiful patterns that I have either copied from existing patterns or created as my own designs this group of patterns are all earth tone materials. I have gathered most of my materials in natural white and dyed all of the various winging feathers and hackles to complement the series. The flies are the fishiest looking things that I have tied for salmon and steelhead in my life and the anticipation of being able to test them in the coming year is immense. With this 2010 new issue of The Real Skinny I will wish all of you a happy and prosperous New Year and remind you to tie flies like the entire season will count on it, because it will. My New Years’ resolution is to fish more than ever, how bout you?