ihang10

I use a Davy knot for most tippet-fly connections. My 20lb line doesnt like a Davy so I use an improved clinch on heavy lines.

Doesnt need to be any more complicated than that for me.

Looks awesome! Lodge, DIY, fly out, or ?

DIY.

I was there in June with little success and would love to have another go at it. Water was really high then, I figure it had to come back down now.

Beautiful fish...how long did you stay?

7 nights, 6 days.

So, since I have imgur figured out, and head to Alaska again in a few weeks, here's a photo journey from last year. I'll post this year's when we return.

Take off:

PC-12, my favorite aircraft in the world to travel in.

Pilot is gonna land on that postage stamp.

No caption needed.

First fish of the trip. Took me into my backing in seconds, and my reel handle promptly fell off of a brand-new reel. Hand to hand-line this one in, took the better part of a half-hour to bring it to net. Sternly worded emails and voicemails exchanged with the manufacturer. This is why you have backups....

Locals visiting.

Limit before lunch time.

Dinner:

Hareballs and intruders in just about any color worked well

We hit what was our pound limit on day 2.5, so went exploring for dolly's and whatever else.

Mission Accomplished.

Landing in Ketchikan

That is some gorgeous water. But even in the depths of Summer ... it looks cold to me. I know that's crazy, but true.

Water temps on the surface, in the first week of June were 45-47. I would expect it doesn't get much warmer because of the river system it is. The current running through that system is incredibly impressive. After going the whole guide route, and seeing how things work, I thought I would do it next time on my own, but then there is navigating that boat through some hairy falls (Virgin Falls on Nipigon, and the narrows on Frasier). No thanks.

On the lower sections we only saw one other guide boat.

Oddly, I've been further West in Ontario, and those granite lakes warm up right proper in late July.

Absolute beauties! I've always heard about the huge brookies in Nipigon. Would love to get there myself someday.

From where you live, it would be an easy trip to do.

Third picture, 7wt, green rod, black reel in the background; you built that for me 3-4 years ago. It was serving me well on this trip until I tore up my full-sink line and had to switch to my 8wt.

I think the blue provides the best contrast of those three colors. Tan would be my second choice.

Finally got on my computer:

Here's the derby winner:

Didn't need anything but these two flies:

Stop!!! Llama time!!

 

 

 

 

Last year when I went to Alaska, I tied up dozens of Dolly Llamas, and given the time and effort to tie them vs success rates, this year Im taking more intruders, hareballs and clousers.

Everything worked equally as well, but the time to tie a dolly llama vs a popsicle, intruder or similar fly, IMO, it is not worth the time.

YMMV

The first salmon I ever caught was on a dolly llama, so theres a certain sentimental value and I keep a few in my salmon box, but Im moving on from them.

The mobile app doesnt give me the bb post option.

Last tick that bit me I caught early, but it itched for days/weeks afterwards.

I have no idea how to link pictures from imgur. Ive tried to before with no success.

I can deal with the snakes, but I hate ticks. As if Lymes disease wasnt enough, now the lone star tick transmits some protein thatll make you allergic to red meat. That would be horrible.

Spent three days fishing Jessie Lk, Lk Nipigon and the Black Sturgeon river. Weather was unseasonably cold, summer is late and our guide opined prime brook fishing is probably 1-2 weeks away. We booked last week to hit the prime season of course.

Of the Brooks we caught, smallest was 16 and the largest was 24; half of our catch was over 20. The smaller brooks were in Lake Nipigon and the hawgs were in Jessie. What a massive system of water they have there. The occasional pike, whitefish, herring of some sort were mixed in and kept you engaged in between Speck hookups.

The last night there we went on the Sturgeon river and waded for a few hours after dinner. Once we got the hole dialed in, we were catching walleye on every-other cast, with a pike and smallie mixed in. Biggest walleye was 24-ish. Day earlier reports had sturgeon and steelheads in the water, but we didnt see any.

7-weight full sink lines at times were not enough for the current. I fished 300 & 350gr lines. Weighted white smelt (bunny), olive zonkers a pine squirrel muddlers.

All-in-all, we caught seven different species of fish.

While not a yearly trip for me, Id do it again after I check off a few other places I want to go.

When I run two nymphs, I hang the second off the bend of the hook with a Davy knot tied to the bend, usually 10-18 apart from each other. Im not sure about efficacy of fishing two flies as Ive never hooked up on two, cant remember a fish ever taking the top fly, and I always worry about the damage a fish will cause getting wrapped up in the second hook. Plus you have more resistance on your line and that all impacts casting. I think I fish a dropper out of desperation if the fishing is slow and not for any really good reason. Tying tandem certainly isnt my first choice. A couple of weeks ago in was fishing with my buddy, I rigged a tandem for him and I think the fish took the top nymph, but the fish spit the hook in the net and I was never certain which fly it took.

I can take it or leave it.

Its a leech pattern, and Ive caught trout on each one of those colors, and including blue to that palette. Im sure bass and panfish would hit it.

The purple one has recipe nearly identical to the golden retriever.

So, Ill resurrect this thread, as I am thinking about circle hooks in my Intruders. Last year going for Silvers there where pinks in the river and probably out numbered the silvers 15:1. I spent a lot of time clearing off foul hooked pinks while stripping streamers and Im thinking the circle hook might prevent some of the foul hooking incidents.

For that use, Id be interested in any opinions on using circles.

I try to buy locally if at all possible. I do use Feather Craft. I also use Jann's Netcraft and Barlow's, mainly for hooks and spinner bait skirts and skirt layers(sili legs). Both also carry some fly fishing materials. They also carry what I think of as "standard" soft foam popper bodies, and I find eyes to be a bit cheaper. One thing I can't find anymore is white Spey hackle.

Spey hackle, as in marabou?

Give Portland Fly Shop, Portland OR, or Avid Angler in Seattle WA a call. I travel all over the country and the NW seems to have the best Spey marabou.

My local fly shop is 2 hours away. Theyll order anything I need over the phone and its ovenighted for $3.

All beads and hooks come from allen Flyfishing in TX.

FTD for the synthetics.

I have a similar Patagonia sling pack I like it, holds everything I need easily, it's comfortable easy to access when I want to change flys.

I have the Patagonia stealth atom in 7.5l and wish I went with the 15L. Great packs though in either size.

http://flyanglersonline.com/flytying/beginners/

 

Thats a good beginner resource.

 

But a really good beginner nymph, to me, would be a zebra nymph. Midge larva are also easy and effective.

Everything he said.

I have found some good bargains on eBay.

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