Bears of the Moraine River

Photo by Monty Thierry

Guiding on the rivers in Alaska we encounter some very special moments with mother nature.  Sometimes we are fortunate enough to be able to capture these on film.  The photos below were taken by our guide Monty Thierry.  He had a chance to spend the entire day just bear viewing with two of our guests on Moraine Creek. Monty has a unbelievable eye for capturing photographs.  Click on the pictures to see the full image!

 Photo by Monty Thierry

 Moraine Creek is known for two things its bears, and big rainbow trout.  On a given day you may see over thirty different bears in a couple miles of river.  Bear viewers will travel from all over the world to spend a few days hiking its banks and photographing its wildlife.  

 Photo by Monty Thierry

Photo by Monty Thierry

Monty has worked for Rainbow River Lodge for 2 years and is heading back to his hometown here in a few days to continue guiding for summer steelhead in Washington.  Look him up at Reel Advenures Guide Service if you are interested in chasing some of these monster sea-run rainbows on his local rivers. Below are a few pictures of what he can show you back in his home state!

Klickitat River Summer Steelhead

Sol Duc Winter Steelhead

Sockeye Salmon Have Arrived!

Chrome Sockeye harvested from the Kvichak River

Around the 1st of July the world's largest run of sockeye salmon begin their migration from Bristol Bay into the Kvichak River. After exiting the Kvichak River they enter into Lake Iliamna and follow the shore lines to their home rivers.  Sockeye salmon enter freshwater chrome bright and within a couple of weeks they transform into their spawning colors. Its tough to explain to someone the numbers of fish that flood these rivers until you see it with your own eyes.  Click on the link below to see this years fish counts on the Kvichak river.
Fish Counts
  

Young Brown Bear having a midday snack

 

Sockeye eggs in the river

Brown bear on the Kulik river enjoying a sockeye

   Towards the end of July sockeye salmon will move out of the deep pools and onto the gravel to begin spawning.  This is when the rainbow trout slide into position and start gorging on the thousands of eggs being laid into the river.  During the first week or two of the spawn the fishing can be spectacular.  Sight fishing for big rainbows behind paired up sockeye is something we all look forward to.  We fool these big trout by using 6mm and 8mm beads in various colors.  Our guides hand pick fingernail polish and paint these beads to create different shades and tones.     

Jess Furo landed this nice rainbow on a dead egg!

Ben Todd fooled this hog bow with a bead

If you get a chance please click the link below and spend a little time reading about the proposed Pebble Mine that is threatening this magical area and its fish.  We are all very scared this mine will go through and in time will devastate our fisheries and lands.  Without the sockeye runs this entire area will fall apart.   

Renewable Resources Coalition

Underwater video of sockeye salmon staging in a deep pool

Stonefly Madness on the Copper River

The stonefly hatch is in full swing on our local Copper River this week.  Towards the end of June the stoneflies begin to migrate from the bottom of the river towards the banks to hatch as adults.  These big bugs provide some of the most exciting dry fly fishing of the season.  

Madam X dry fly and a nice rainbow

Some of our guests will try to time this hatch during their stay at Rainbow River Lodge.  But year to year this hatch will vary from the middle of June to the first week in July.  Typically the water temps will dictate when the stoneflies begin to hatch into adults.  Having warmer water temps in the lower river the hatch will start low and work its way upstream.  The stonefly hatch is short lived, maybe stretching over a 10-12 day period.  

Stonefly shuck

The stones in the Copper River range from a size 8-10.  They have a brownish hue and are very clumsy on the water.  While fishing these big bugs the only thing you need to focus on is getting your fly on the water.  You can dead drift, skate, fish it drowned, or even add a slight twitch during your drift to trigger these big rainbow trout to explode on you imitation.

Female stonefly with egg sack

We are very fortunate to have the Copper River out our back door.  The Copper is a unique fishery with a very healthy insect population.  Caddis, mayflies, midges, and stoneflies all help sustain these rainbows throughout the summer months.   A quick jet boat across the lake and within minutes you are on
Alaska's first designated fly fishing only stream filled with wild rainbow trout.

Adult Stonefly

Stonefly Nymph

 Simulator Chew Toy dry fly

Hummer Skawla dry fly

Fry Fishing for Alaska Rainbows

Fry Fishing 101

In the first three to four weeks of our season the rainbow trout in our local rivers key in on thousands of migrating sockeye fry as they work their out of the river systems into the lakes.  During this time the trout ambush and gorge themselves on fry to help regain their strength after surviving a long harsh winter and spawning in the spring.  

  

When searching for rainbow trout feeding on fry,  look for hard boils on the surface of the water. Sometimes the trout will thrash or come clear out of the water to take a fry.  We focus on fishing slower moving transition  water with small eddies and sloughs off the main current.  The migrating fry will escape into these areas to rest during heavier spring flows.   As the weeks progress the fry will gradually grow bigger and you will need to match the size of the fry in the river system.     

For our guides and clients here at RRL,  it's one of our favorite ways to target these big rainbows in the springtime.  We enjoy it because most of our fishing is done with a floating line, and unweighted flies.  The takes can be violent and unforgettable!  

Sockeye Fry near a Cut Bank

Rainy's Sockeye Fry

Thunder Creek

Little Mc Fry

Regurgitated Fry from a Rainbows Mouth

Thunder Creek

Little Mc Fry