Guide Confessions: 6 Bucket List Dry Fly Fishing Rivers

When most anglers think of Alaska, they think of big Trout, Salmon, bald eagles, bears and beads. Fortunately for us “purists,” there are plenty of opportunities to catch some of the world’s greatest fish species on dry flies. To say one river is better than another is pure bias. It’s Alaska: every river we fish has lots of bugs, and big fish that will eat dry flies before the salmon drop the first eggs.

So if you appreciate the sight of a Trout rising methodically to winged adults about to take flight, don’t miss your chance to fish these amazing rivers:

Brooks River.
Famous for its bears and waterfalls, this river is truly a gem. Lime green stoneflies, beatis nymphs and caddis flies are common here, providing dry fly opportunities to rival any great western river. Slick water proves a challenge, combined with the Trout that call this place home year-round. The shortness of this river and its prolific bug life provide a sanctuary for fish to eat and be merry far beyond the egg-laying months of July through October. A mouse pattern presented in the middle of the day can move a fish that has refused your #18 mayfly for the last 15 casts. Excited yet? I am.

Ugashik Narrows.
Grayling and Arctic Char are popular fish in Europe but are often overlooked in Alaska. I hope I can change your mind. Do 40 fish days of 24-inch Grayling and 30-inch Char on the dry sound appealing? I thought so. Small black Parachute Adams and Humpies also rule this water. A good cast is important, a better drift necessary, and fish fighting skills, well that’s in the hands of the angler. The more you cast, the better you cast, the more fish will rise to your offering – Alaska style: hard and heavy.

Kulik River.
This river provides Trout fishing unparalleled anywhere else in the world. The Salmon generally show in late July, and it’s pure craziness until the second week of September. What happens before that? Dry fly-fishing, of course. Stones, green and brown drakes and beatis nymphs round out this diverse fishery. A wide river, selectively feeding fish and longer casts make this a must for anyone who thinks they have what it takes to bang fish on a dry fly in Alaska.

Kvichak River. (that’s our home river)
This river is known for its trophy Rainbow Trout – exceeding 33 inches – and for fights that’ll make you think you hooked a Tarpon. Over the first 7 miles, braids (channels with varying speeds in current) provide great spawning gravel and resting places. Dry fly fishing here doesn’t provide the large fish other rivers do, but gives a novice angler the chance to cast and catch Rainbows and Grayling at will. Short casts and willing fish will have you feeling like a pro in no time, confident for the next day’s trip to Alaska’s buggiest, most western-like stream, the American River.

The American River.
A jet boat ride starts the day. Narrow river braids, limited traffic, hiking, wildlife, bugs, Salmon, Trout, Char – what more could you want? The cast here, though not long, must be precise. The drift must be near perfection. Oh yeah: let’s hope your guide tied the right bug on, because this river sees all the important hatches, all summer long. The fish are always feeding on them. If you think you have what it takes, fish the American. You may just find yourself in dry fly nirvana.

Egegik River.
On the Egegik, you can catch Coho Salmon on dry flies. Not your standard dries, but wogs, bass bugs and Dahlberg divers. If it’s pink or purple, if it floats and pushes water, get ready, because there’s a good chance you’ll get your first eat on top fishing for Salmon. The cast can be okay, the strip can vary, the waking fish will captivate you, and the strike will mesmerize you. “Set, set, set, set!” your guide will be yelling to you, but it doesn’t matter now, because everything you have dreamt about fishing dries in Alaska just came true, and you didn’t even hook that fish. Luckily you will have many more chances.


Come fish Alaska. Come fish with us at Ron Hayes’s Alaska Rainbow Lodge. We can’t promise you fish landed, but we can promise plenty of chances, even on a dry fly.

Michael Bales, Head Guide at Alaska Rainbow Lodge

Guide Confessions: What to Pack for Your Fly-Fishing Adventure

It’s probably the one decision about this trip that takes the most time. I’m not going to go into the minutia on this — our website does that — but I will supply some basic guidelines that will give you confidence in your apparel and equipment selections.

Comfortable Clothes. First and foremost—your boots, waders, base layers and jackets must be comfortable. You’re going to live in this gear for 10-12 hours a day, every day for a week. So make certain these core elements don’t leak, and that they fit properly and comfortably. It will make all the difference in your trip.

Waterproof Gear. If you’re coming in August, chances are good it’s going to rain. So make sure your waterproof shell is actually waterproof. Also, just about everyone brings a daypack to carry cameras, sunglasses, beverages and hats. Folks, get a daypack that is waterproof. Simms makes a great one that is small, compact and completely waterproof. When it’s raining, and we’re drifting in the river with water collecting in the bottom of the boat, a waterproof daypack is worth every penny. Trust me on this one.

Fishing Equipment. We like 6 and 8 weight fly rods. You’ll need the 6 weight rod for the beefy rainbows you’re gonna catch. They’re also ideal for roll casts and easy line mends. A medium fast fly rod in an 8, or even 9, is ideal for the salmon you’re going to catch. But if you don’t have these rods, don’t worry; we do! Alaska Rainbow Lodge is an exclusive Sage Authorized Outfitter. Our equipment is stellar stuff for these waters, and if you’re spin casting, we have every piece of gear you’ll ever need. Your guide will match the hatch with dry flies or nymphs, but if you want to bring your own, go to our website for pattern and size recommendations.

Around the Lodge. Here’s my recommendation: dress comfortably. This is a five-star lodge, but the dress every evening is very, very casual. The truth is, people tend to over-pack on these trips. And they end up wearing about half of what they bring.

Luggage. Another reason not to over-pack — you and your gear have to fit on our floatplanes. We ask that you keep your luggage to two medium-sized duffel bags. So choose wisely.

I hope this helps you when you’re planning what to pack and how much to pack. If you ever have any questions, please call the lodge.

Thanks! See you in AK!

Over the years, we’ve hosted and guided thousands of fishermen from all over the world.

Most of our guests come from the U.S., but many come from England, Australia, Canada, Norway, Germany and Spain. The truth is, you never really know who you might run into at the Alaska Rainbow Lodge.

The people who come here make this place more interesting every day. We have NFL quarterbacks, professional baseball players, Hollywood movie stars, Texas oil men, Supreme Court justices, cabinet members, photographers, software moguls, car dealership owners, cowboy boot manufacturers, advertising and marketing professionals, chemical engineers, environmentalists, writers, movie producers and directors, boat manufacturers, fly fishing equipment manufacturers, politicians, CEOs from the insurance and ski industries, airline pilots, cattle ranchers and many, many more very accomplished and diverse people. And they all come here, year after year, to experience the best of what Alaska fishing has to offer, and the best of what the Alaska Rainbow Lodge has to offer. And for that, Sharon and I are very thankful.

Come spend a week with us, and join this amazing list of who’s who at the Alaska Rainbow Lodge.

Thanks,

“Ron,

This is the King Salmon William Byers landed the weekend of July 4th last year. [...] I wanted to share it with everyone. Our group had the outing of a lifetime. Hope we can come back.”





If you’re hoping to get a shot at your biggest catch in 2012, call us today! Spots are filling up fast!

Nigel Barrow, Guide at Alaska Rainbow Lodge

Guide Confessions: Thoughts on the Lady of the River

Izaak Walton’s “Observations of the Umber or Grayling, and directions how to fish for them”:

PISC. The Umber and Grayling are thought by some to differ as the Herring and Pilcher do: But though they may do so in other Nations, I think those in England differ nothing but in their names. Aldrovandas sayes, they be of a Trout kind: and Gesner sayes, that in his Countrey (which is Swisserland) he is accounted the choicest Fish. And in Italy, he is in the month of May so highly valued, that he is sold then at a much higher rate than any other Fish. The French (which call the Chub Un Villain) call the Umber of the Lake Lemon, Un Umble Chevaliere; and they value the Umber or Grayling so highly, that they say he feeds on Gold, and that many have been caught out of their famous River of Loyre, out of whose bellies grains of gold have been often taken. And some think that he feeds on Water-time, and smells so at his first taking out of the water; and they may think so with as good reason as we do, that our Smelts smell like Violets at their being first caught; which I think is a truth. Aldrovandus sayes, the Salmon, the Grayling, and Trout, and all Fish that live in clear and sharp streams, are made by their mother Nature of such exact shape and pleasant colours, purposely to invite us to a joy and contentednesse in feasting with her. Whether this is a truth or not, is not my purpose to dispute; but ’tis certain, all that write of the Umber declare him to be very medicinable. And Gesner sayes, that the fat of a Grayling being set with a little Honey a day or two in the Sun in a little glass, is very excellent against redness, or any thing that breeds in the eyes. Salvian takes him to be called Umber from his swift swimming or gliding out of sight, more like a shadow or a ghost than a fish. Much more might be said both of the smell and taste, but I shall only tell you, that S. Ambrose the glorious Bishop of Milan (who liv’d when the Church kept Fasting days) calls him the flowre fish, or flowre of fishes, and that he was so far in love with him, that he would not let him pass without the honour of a long Discourse; but I must; and pass on to tell you how to take this dainty fish.

First, Note, That he grows not to the bigness of a Trout; for the biggest of them do not usually exceed eighteen inches, he lives in such Rivers as the Trout does, and is usually taken with the same baits as the Trout is, and after the same manner; for he will bite both at the Minnow, or Worm, or Fly, (though he bites not often at the Minnow) and is very gamesome at the Fly, and much simpler, and therefore bolder than a Trout; for he will rise twenty times at a fly, if you miss him, and yet rise again. He has been taken with a fly made of the red feathers of a Parraketa, a strange outlandish bird, and he will rise at a fly not unlike a gnat or a small moth, or indeed, at most flies that are not too big. He is a Fish that lurks close all winter, but is very pleasant and jolly after mid-April, and in May, and in the hot months: he is of a fine shape, his flesh is white, his teeth, those little ones that he has are in his throat, yet he has so tender a mouth, that he is oftner lost after an Angler has hooked him than any other Fish. Though there be many of these Fishes in Trent, and some other smaller rivers, as that which runs by Salisbury, yet he is not so general a Fish as the Trout, nor to me so good to eat or to Angle for. And so I shall take my leave of him, and come to some Observations of the Salmon, and how to catch him.

- From Chapter 6 of “The Compleat Angler, Or the Contemplative Man’s Recreation” by Izaak Walton.



The above script is an excerpt from the writings of Izaak Walton, the father of fresh water fishing in the UK. It is about the grayling, as I am sure you have already surmised. As far as the salmon and how to catch him, you will have to read The Compleat Angler.

But anyway, I digress.

The grayling is a much-sought-after fish in European circles, and in some countries, like Poland, prized more than the brown trout! Although the Arctic Grayling is not as revered in North America as I and a few other anglers would like, the fact is that Alaska has the largest grayling in the world — and plenty of them!

They are a very forgiving fish and take the dry fly and nymph enthusiastically. Mind you, on some days and some rivers they will be as challenging as the rainbow trout that you all seek on your visits to the Northwest. Many a guiding day has been saved with their appearance and eagerness to take a fly when the trout are hard to find. For the novice fly caster or for the complete neophyte, she is the perfect quarry to introduce you to the joys of dry fly fishing.

I call the grayling a “she” because in the old country we call her the “Lady of the River”.
If one looks at the myriad of colours on her dorsal fin, you will understand. To see the mating dance of a pair circling one another down the river like a couple of sailfish rounding up bait fish is a sight to see and remember!

Grayling are found in just about all the rivers that Alaska Rainbow Lodge fishes, one in particular is the Featherly, which flows into Lake Becharof about a one-hour flight from the lodge. Here there be monsters!!! I have seen grayling that I thought were char! And the char get up to 28 inches.

This river is one of my favourites. I have never taken a client fishing there that has not loved it. The terrain is flat, so no uphill hikes and plane is always on hand. The fish are not easy!! The best way to fish for them is to walk the river watching for a rise. If you can get an accurate cast into its feeding lane she will take readily. Miss that opportunity and you will have to wait for a few more minutes for another showing.

Some years ago we spotted a very large fish steadily rising. The client cast and cast but never got his fly into the feeding lane. Got it into the trees a few times, bushes behind him, back of his head!!!! I was filming the whole episode and the rest of the group were in hysterics!

Finally he got his fly into the lane, the fish took and at that exact moment the memory on my SD card ran out! AAAARRHHGG!!! So no record of the piscatorial finale was recorded. But at least we had great footage to that final moment. When the fish was landed it measured out to 20 inches.

My biggest fish caught by a client from the Featherly was 22 inches: a monster by any standards. But the fish was so distressed after measuring we needed to get her back into the water, and any photos would have distressed her more.

Sometimes the grayling are so aggressive they have taken a large Thingamebobber indicator while we were fishing beads for the char!

One time casting a mouse pattern for the char we took a very nice fish.

Grayling might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Some of my colleague guides like to mock my passion for this lady, but Alaska is the only place in the world—and especially the Featherly, Ugashik river systems—you could confidently try to break all the fly line tackle records in one day. If you could land them, that is. Incidentally, the world record comes from the Ugashik river: 23 inches and 4 pounds, 13 ounces! The grayling is protected here so all fish are returned.

I am sure that if we took you grayling fishing you would be surprised and amazed at the sport they can give.

Rest my case your honour!!!

Michael Bales,
Head Guide at Alaska Rainbow Lodge

Guide Confessions: A Few Short Weeks Every Year – the magic of late June and early July in Bristol Bay

Late June and early July is probably my favorite time in Alaska. The days are long and sunny, and just about everything is in bloom. The King Salmon runs are in full swing, the big Leopard Rainbows are chasing salmon smolt and starting to hit dry-flies. It’s a pretty special time here in Alaska. The truth is that we’re not known for dry-fly fishing. But for a few short weeks every year, we will chase Rainbows, Grayling, Arctic Char and Pike on a few special rivers with dry flies.

The Featherly River is one such special place. Here, the water is teaming with huge (up to 21 inch) Grayling. These Grayling are quick to take your fly and put up a great fight. Mixed in with the Grayling are some hefty Arctic Char. And you know how they will fight.

Imagine this perfect week: On one day, we’ll fly to Brooks or Featherly River and dry-fly fish for the day. Then the next day, we’ll fly to the mouth if the Alagnak River and chase the monster King Salmon. Then another day, we’ll fish with streamers and nymphs for Rainbows, Char and Pike. It’s really your choice. But the only time we can do all this is during this special three-week window of late June and early July.

The American, Nushagak, Moose, Moraine, Featherly and Brooks rivers—our home rivers—in Alaska are legendary for quality fishing. Come fish with me this year. I’ll show you something you’ll remember and talk about forever.

This time of year is when we book all the trips for the entire fishing season at the Alaska Rainbow Lodge.

If you’ve been thinking about this trip, let me encourage you to call us today. We still have open spots, but those openings are being filled daily, especially those in August. Late June and early July is magic hour to visit our lodge for dry fly fishing and King Salmon fishing.

Think about this: On one day, you’ll be chasing our legendary Leopard Rainbow Trout, Arctic Char, Pike and Grayling — all on dry flies. The next day, you’ll be testing your mettle on those hard fighting King Salmon. It all takes place on a few very special rivers accessible only by our floatplanes. Plus, the weather is typically the best of the entire year.

We can accommodate up to 16 guests per week, but no more. So if you really enjoy dry fly fishing and King Salmon fishing, you need to call immediately to book the last two weeks of June or the first week of July.

As always, thanks for your business. We look forward to seeing you this year at the Alaska Rainbow Lodge.

Now that you’ve picked the week you want to fish ARL, travel logistics are probably your next area of focus. The Alaska Rainbow Lodge website is a great resource for travel planning, schedules and contact information. But here’s an extra tip we’ve learned that can help make your travel to and from the lodge a bit easier.

Most of our guests fly into Anchorage and spend the night the day before their trip begins. The next day, they fly to King Salmon to meet our lodge float planes. Alaska Airlines has one flight daily arriving in King Salmon about mid-day, whereas smaller commuter airlines such as Penn Air have several flights arriving and departing daily.

Here’s the big difference: Alaska Airlines jets can fly when smaller airlines such as Penn Air can’t. That means if you book your flight on Alaska Airlines, it’s a good bet you and your luggage will arrive on schedule. The smaller commuter airlines are at the mercy of the weather, and if the plane is full of passengers, your luggage may not make the flight. It will probably make the next flight, but you’ll be sitting in King Salmon waiting for your bags and my guess is, you’d rather be fishing.

There is a small cost difference. Alaska Airlines is a bit more expensive, but it could be worth every penny to make sure you don’t miss a single, precious, fishing minute.

Take a look at what happens after you land in King Salmon:



Ready to book your trip? Fill out our online reservation form, and Sharon or I will give you a call to confirm and answer any questions you have. We’ll see you when you get here.

by Stuart Balcom, Alaska Rainbow Lodge guest

We’re fishing the Moraine Creek for the Big Rainbows. Dragon, our guide, is splitting time between me and my buddy Mac who is 40 yards downstream. At the moment, we’re both fishing imitation salmon eggs. Mac keeps hooking up on fish after fish, but I’m not. I can’t help it but I’m insanely jealous. I watch him cast, watch his drift, watch his hook-set and watch him get a picture of another huge bow. After 30 minutes, this is driving me crazy. I smile and yell “great job Mac, two thumbs up and a high-five” but the truth is, I’m about to lose my mind. I want to catch every fish on this river. I want a world record. I want to kick Mac’s ass. Dragon, seeing all this, slides up beside me and points to a section of river and tells me to go over there. But first, he wants to re-rig my line.

We’re standing in water that’s 18 inches deep, not too fast and perfectly clear. Dragon reaches down into the water and scoops up a salmon egg in a small glass vile. He studies the color of the egg for a moment, then reaches into his fly box and selects a perfect imitation color match. He told me that he’d fished these waters a few days earlier and had painted a few special beads to match the color of the real salmon eggs.

Now I’m re-rigged and ready. First cast, pow! A huge bow that runs 30 yards downstream, then 60 yards upstream. All my dreams are coming true. We slipped over to the bank and released the monster. Next cast, a huge deep red sockeye takes the bait. Dragon yells “don’t lose that egg!” but it’s too late. Everything disappears into the rapids downstream. We re-rig with a “special color” bead egg, and next cast—whamo—another fantastic rainbow. I’m on a roll cause it’s fish after fish. The afternoon becomes the stuff of legend. Toward the early evening, I break-off again. Dragon tells me this bead is his last special bead and “don’t lose it.” Next cast, huge fish, it’s gone.

Feeling pretty sorry for myself, I wandered over to the bank, sat on the ground, opened a beer and tried to plan out how I was going to steal Mac’s salmon egg bead. Lacking the imagination to actually accomplish all this, I just drank another beer, rigged up another bead and headed back to make a few final casts for the day. My guess is we each landed and photographed over 25 fish that day.

That evening, back at the lodge, over cocktails, I asked Dragon about the special painted eggs. He told me that the first bead egg he gave me was actually a pretty close match. But the second, third, fourth and all the other “special” beads were just random beads out of the fly box. So I asked Dragon if I was the first guy to fall for this and he said, “you’re not the first and you’re not the last. But they all believe.”

These guides are good. They make you a better fly fisherman without using a rod or reel. These guys are just good.

Do you have a story from your visit to Alaska Rainbow Lodge?
We want to hear about it! Share your adventure!

by Michael Bales
Head Guide at Alaska Rainbow Lodge

Guide Confessions: How to get the Perfect Fish Photo – Every Time

What’s wrong with me? My screen saver is a picture of a fish. My desk and walls hold dozens of photos of me grinning with fish. My iPhoto library has a few shots of friends and family members and about a zillion pictures of fish—all types, from every possible angle, in some crazy great locations. On a recent fishing trip with seven friends, we collectively took about 1800 photos—but there were only about 100 truly great photos; you know, the frameable kind. In all the others, there was something just wrong—sun glare, partial image, blurry image, people moving, shadows covering the subject—you know what I’m talking about.





I’m the head guide at Alaska Rainbow Lodge, and I’m not a professional or technically gifted photographer. But after taking and appearing in tens of thousands of photos, I’ve picked up a couple of simple rules that will help you take better fish pictures every time.

1. Get your lighting right. Do not take a photo looking into the sun; no matter how good you think it’s going to look, it’s going to suck. Move so the sun is at your back.

2. Frame, back away and zoom. Now put the person with the fish in the middle of the camera frame. The next thing is to back away from the subject so that your shadow won’t be in the shot. You can zoom in to cover the distance.

3. Get creative. From this point you have dozens of options for a great shot. You can kneel down to get an upward angle, have the subject point the nose of the fish toward the camera, zoom way in or zoom way out, turn the fish to get a side or profile shot, kiss the fish, move to the side, have the fisherman smile, get the fish to smile. All of this take a few precious seconds but the photos and their memories will last a lifetime.

4. Respect the fish. Let me also take a few moments to talk about the fish that’s in your pictures. These are amazingly beautiful and fragile creatures. Keep the fish in the water while you’re composing the photo. Be gentle if you’re the guy holding the fish. And please, get that fish back into the water as quickly and as gently as possible. Our trout can only take being out of the water for about as long as you can hold your breath without sustaining injury or death. So think about that when you’re preparing to take that photo. Thanks.