It’s time for another Ketchikan Fishing Minute, this one looking back on the third week of August 2015.
This week, I was afforded the opportunity to experience Alaska in a whole new way. On Friday, I boarded a float plane with guide Rick Collins and pilot Steve Kamm and headed out to McDonald Lake for some freshwater fly fishing. After about a thirty minute flight, we touched down on the north end of the lake. There we used an eight-weight fly rod to cast out to spawning pinks, sockeye, and coho. This was my first time fly fishing, and thanks to great instruction from Rick, I did get the hang of it pretty quickly. After a couple hours fishing salmon, we switched over to lighter tackle and waded up the creek for trout. We hit two or three different spots along the way, catching mostly rainbows, with Ryan Thompson landing a nice one about twenty inches long. Mike Teuscher even got a strike from a king salmon, but our three-weight rods were too light to land a fish that size. The experience was one of my favorites since coming to Alaska, and I would highly recommend a fly out trip for a day of freshwater fishing to anyone visiting Ketchikan. Even if you only do it once in your lifetime, it is an experience you do not want to miss out on.
I also got out on the saltwater on Sunday. we fished Vallenar Bay and Grant Cove primarily, pulling out three silvers and three pinks before the day was through. We spent a lot of our time shaking off little salmon, but the fish we did keep had good size to them.
I will be out again over the next few days, so check back next Thursday for another Ketchikan Fishing Minute.
