The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

I'm making plans and acquiring flies for my September AK trip, where I'll be wading the Kenai, Russian and some Kodiak rivers for trout and coho.

I'm okay with trout flies, but I'm unsure of what silver salmon flies to get.

I've got numerous patterns in pink, slow and fast sinking leeches and also pink polly wogs.

What other colors should I have in my repertoire?

as far as I am concerened you only need one fly. a purple egg sucking leech. If you cant catch silvers on it you shouldn't be fishing.

Any other suggestions? I'd never want to rely on one pattern. Any fish can get finicky!

Get some orange yarn, then get some stout hooks. Do you know how to tie an overhand knot?? If I was you, I'd practice that knot until I could tie blind folded. Okay, you got that knot down yet?? Next step, tie a piece of that orange yarn on that stout hook with that knot you been practicing. Okay, now cut back the yarn a little bit, but not too much. When that piece falls off, get another piece of yarn and tie another over hand knot. You getting the picture??? When in September are you gonna be there?? Air fare from SFO-ANC was $530 RT over the week end, now its up to $618 and higher. Send me your address and I'll send you a recipe that is sure fire. Mind you, it ain't mine, but it caught enough silvers that the fly tying chair of the Alaska Fly Fishers published it in their newsletter. Oh and it is not that over hand tied piece of yarn either, bubba. It will take some real tying prowess and times a wasting.

Bruce, we were partial to sparesly tied flash fly pattern in orange, purple and pink, polar shrimp, battle creeks. bunny leaches in black, orange and purple and some ESLs, but heck, everybody knows they don't work. You know what works? Learn how to tie an over hand knot, I'm telling ya. First year we were up there there was this fella fishing a hole and hooking silver after silver. He was a catching machine. I could not take it any longer and I had to find out what the heck he was doing. So I approached the guy and struck up a conversation with him. Turns out he worked in the finance department of some auto dealership in Anchor Town and was up there on his day off. Almost forgot why i was talking to him- I just had to ask him his secret. You know what he said? "Can you tie an over hand knot???" as he showed me his fly. He wasn't even embarrassed to tell me. Heck of nice guy, he even offered me some of his yarn so that I would be dialed in as well. Gawd, it don't get any easier than that and you don't need any thread or fly tying skills either. That overhand knot came in pretty hand once I learned how to tie it.

By now you probably think I am effing with ya, so wheres them stack of bibles as god is my witness. . You should get a whole skein of that yarn while your at it cause you'll be giving it away when folks see what a fishing machine you is. just don't let them cast over your shoulder in the same hole whiles you are fighting a fish. Miles of water and the only place to catch a dang fish is right over your shoulder as if all of them were holding there in that one spot.

Hope this helps.

Pink over white Clouser, red dumbbell eyes. Size 1 or 2.

Word!

Gotta have the Scotch Induced Hallucination.

Blue Bunny Tail
Hot Pink Estaz Body
Blue Hackle
Barbell Eyes
Red Thread
Gamamgatsu Red Salmon Fly Hook

It was made famous in a recent GM Production "Kisaralik"!

I use it when I'm practicing casting on the grass in City Park.

Thanks for the info Gitt.

Yeah, the cost for my buddy will be $622 from Tucson. I've got airline miles from my credit card, so I'll get off the hook a little easier.

As of now, the trip will run 8/31 - 9/19. We'll be hitting the Kodiak silvers right at their peak, according to historical weir data.

Change the shape, and ya got JIGS!

Thanks, guys.

Hey Bruce! I'd stick with cerise, pink, champagne and purple cone head leeches and zonkers after my success with them on Kodiak last year. Champagne or salmon flesh colored flies took fish almost every cast.

Arizona Bruce wrote:
Change the shape, and ya got JIGS!

Thanks, guys.

Yeah, but I've never thought of you as a barbell kinda guy.....

no/msg

Don't forget that overhand knot.





sorry, couldn't resist.