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Dollies and Silvers and Bears, Oh My- on Goodnews River- Goodnews River Fishing Report

August 22, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

The Goodnews River Fishing Report from Spotted Tail 8/21/11

This week and next mark the peak of the Goodnews River silver salmon run. Some fly fishers are tallying 50 fish days and we’re finding fish everywhere. Fish run up to 30 inches or so and strike streamers, poppers, gurglers, spoons, spinners, and jigs, with chartreuse, cerise, hot pink, orange, and various combinations of those colors being most effective. While most fish caught in the lower river have sea lice, a few are starting to pink up already.

This silver salmon just missed the popper.

A couple days ago Steve and Julie Butler, fly casters from California, joined me for a day of silver salmon fishing on the middle fork. They brought a Pyromid charcoal grill with them, a super neat little device. We got a small salmon, which I filleted. In spite of a steady rain they got the charcoal burning and we enjoyed a very civilized lunch of freshly caught, steaming hot grilled salmon while sitting in camp chairs in the rain. A thermos of hot tea was a nice addition. They caught so many fish…

Reaching for a silver salmon.

On Saturday Phil and Linda Shmerda, from Texas, joined me for some Dolly fishing. We went up the north fork a way and started off by tossing little crappie jigs. They ought to be illegal. Phil even got several silver salmon on them, quite the battle on his 6 pound spin outfit.

This fine dolly took an orange tube fly.

Phil had interest in trying for Dollies with fly tackle. I had a couple six weights aboard and set him up with a gurgler. To use a Lefty-ism, it was like rolling a wine bottle into a jail cell. The Dollies were all over it, and he got a couple rainbow trout as well.

We came to a braid that I have a history with. A deerhair mouse imitation was tied onto the leader of the six weight, then well greased. We walked over to the braid and Phil made a few casts. Wham! Suicidal rainbow trout. Another cast or two and Wham! That one was big, and of course he got away.

Linda and I went looking for unusual stones on a gravel bar. The sun was out and it was just beautiful, wonderful people, awesome day.

We’ve been seeing bears every day. I was cleaning fish on a gravel bar a few evenings ago and here comes a bear up the river heading my way. Oh, crap. I put all the fish back in the boat and launched it asap. The bear came over to the side of the river I had been on and went swimming for one of the salmon carcasses I’d discarded. I waited patiently in my boat, watching. The bear finished its snack, then re-crossed the river and wandered back the way it had come, so I went back and started cleaning fish again.

Of course the bear came right back.

The bear came up the gravel bar.

I said the heck with this, packed up the fish and my gear, and ran up the river a couple miles to finish the job in a more bear-free environment. Bears are wonderful critters, but I wouldn’t want to get in an argument with one, especially over a few fish.

Embrace simplicity.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- go fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2011. All rights are reserved.

 

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Flesh Flies, Silver Salmon, and Dolly Varden on Goodnews River- Goodnews River Fishing Report

August 15, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

The Goodnews River Fishing Report from Spotted Tail 8/14/11

A fogbow down at Goodnews village.

The silver salmon bite is going strong on the Goodnews River. We’re still using weighted salmon flies on size 2 hooks dressed in pink, cerise, orange, and/or chartreuse. Pixies, Mepps Flying Cs, and 5/8 ounce jigs with twisty tails all work, too. Although the run certainly hasn’t peaked yet anglers are increasing the excitement quotient by fishing with poppers. The fish will be found in soft water all through the Goodnews River system. As always, the freshest fish in the river get caught in tidewater and still have sea lice on them. We caught the first colored silver of the season today.

Leon Martuch with a fat silver salmon.

Dead chum and pink salmon litter the banks. Fishing around the dead salmon requires a certain tolerance for stink. Trout and dollies are still eating salmon eggs but flesh flies are taking a good number of fish. I have to admit to being prejudiced against beads, since they are not flies, but the flesh flies are tied with zonker strips. In other words, they’re real flies.
In a related vein one of my fishermen, Ed Bowman, caught a dead chum while fishing in the middle fork. Appropriately, he was using a flesh fly. He also managed to catch several live rainbow trout and dolly varden.

A gratuitous picture of Drew for his mother. Hope you like it!

Dolly fishing is still sensational. The size of the average fish has is still about 20 inches long. Most of the bigger fish have moved far up the river. I still prefer a small orange gurgler tied on a #8 long shank hook, but flesh flies, egg sucking leeches, and of course beads are all working.

Fishing story: Before his arrival at Goodnews River Lodge our breakfast cook, Chris Robb, was not a fisherman. He bought a $50 fly fishing outfit before coming here. Yes, rod, reel, and line, all for fifty bucks. Needless to say, it was a complete piece of crap. I cast it myself just to see how bad it was.
Anyway, I took him out for silvers with said piece of crap and he managed to get not only his first salmon ever, but several others besides. He kept saying, “I can’t believe that rod didn’t blow up! That was the best fifty bucks I ever spent!” Crap outfit, happy ending. Good stuff.

Chris Robb battles a silver salmon on the Goodnews River.

We’ve been seeing more bears, eating salmon on the river banks and berries on the hillsides. Bears are way cool, but don’t mess with them. Here at Goodnews River Lodge we have never lost an angler (or a guide) to a bear!

Embrace simplicity.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- go fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2011. All rights are reserved.

 

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Silver Salmon, Dolly Varden Fishing Hot in Goodnews River- Goodnews River Fishing Report

August 8, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

The Goodnews River Fishing Report from Spotted Tail 8/7/11

Silver salmon bite steadily in the Goodnews River, with five fish limits being caught daily by most anglers. Weighted salmon flies on size 2 hooks dressed in pink, cerise, orange, and/or chartreuse are working well, as are Pixies, Mepps Flying Cs, and 5/8 ounce jigs with twisty tails. While the run is going well, it certainly hasn’t peaked yet and there’s lots of room for improvement. We prefer to catch fresh fish in tidewater but folks well up the river, fishing for dollies, have been running into silvers too.

Chums, pinks, and sockeyes are still busily digging redds and dropping eggs. Dollies and rainbow trout are sitting just downstream gorging themselves. These fish are suckers for a dead drifted bead or glo-bug.

Dolly fishing is still sensational. The average fish has dropped to about 20 inches long. Most of the bigger fish have moved far up the river. My fishermen have been using a small orange gurgler tied on a #8 long shank hook almost exclusively, the most fun you can have with a Dolly (other than maybe eating one). Most are just starting to color up. A few are already sporting fall colors.

My man Kim with one of dozens of Dolly Varden he caught on the gurgler fly.

Dead chums begin to litter the banks. The gulls are sitting there, burping. Trout will be keying on flesh. Time to tie, and use some nasty looking flesh flies.

Dead salmon support life on the Goodnews River. This was a chum salmon.

The weather this past week has, with the exception of one day, been cold, rainy, and windy. Running the boat has not been fun, but the clouds swirling around the mountains have been very dramatic, just beautiful. This is such an incredible place.

The sun tries to make an appearance through a hole in the clouds.

Most days lately have looked like this.

We have a sow bear with three cubs in the vicinity of camp. We see them frequently. She seems to be a very good mama, as all three cubs look fat and healthy.

Mama bear with some of the kids.

Embrace simplicity.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- go fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2011. All rights are reserved.

 

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Alaskan King Salmon Still Going Strong at Goodnews River- Goodnews River Fishing Report

July 25, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

The Goodnews River Fishing Report from Spotted Tail 7/24/11

Forty two degrees this morning and raining. Perfect salmon fishing weather! I fished Nick and John today, from Tampa, Florida. But I get ahead of myself…

The chum salmon are coming into the river in super high numbers. You can literally catch fish after fish as long as you can keep casting. My fishermen have been using the Alaskoid Clouser, made with a synthetic wing and a Puff- like head out of chenille or ice chenille in orange, chartreuse, hot pink, and cerise, in various color combinations, tied on #2 hooks with a heavy lead eye. The fact is they’ll hit almost any brightly colored fly so KISS. No need to get fancy.

Nick C. and John C. with a double on chum salmon from the Goodnews River, Alaska

Chums are digging redds and are getting ready to drop eggs. The rainbows and the Dolly varden are eagerly awaiting that event. We’ve been catching some nice Dollies up to about 30 inches. Yesterday Jamie and Jimmy Owsley, from Colorado, fished Dollies with me on the middle fork of the Goodnews. We got a dozen or so by skating orange gurglers across the stream, awesome fun. When using gurglers your numbers go way down but the fun factor skyrockets!

There are only a relatively few pinks salmon around, as it’s the off year. We’ve been picking one up now and again.

Sockeyes are still coming in good numbers, although the run has peaked. Anglers have been “flossing” them with decent regularity.

I taught 14 year old Jared Jay to flycast. Then we went fly fishing for chum salmon. In minutes he had his first fish on fly, a fat chum of 12 pounds or so.

Chum salmon from Goodnews River Alaska

Jared went fly fishing for the first time and caught this nice chum salmon.

But the king salmon are going off in a big way. Most of my day with Nick and John today was spent fly fishing for chums, the Goodnews River tiger salmon. But we spent a couple hours plugging for kings, and got five. Three were modestly sized, but John got a red buck that was 40 inches long with a 22 inch girth, and Nick got a chrome hen that was 40 inches long with a 26 inch girth, a fish pushing 35 pounds. An awesome day in spite of the nasty weather.

King salmon, goodnews river, alaska

Nick Colantonio with a big king salmon from the Goodnews River, Alaska

A couple of silvers have been caught but they haven’t really begun their run yet. Another week and they should be going off in a big way.

Near sunset on the Goodnews River. Chris Robb, angler.

Embrace simplicity.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- go fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2011. All rights are reserved.

 

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Alaskan King Salmon HOT at Goodnews River Lodge-Goodnews River Fishing Report

July 18, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

The Goodnews River Fishing Report from Spotted Tail 7/17/11

Well, I did end up fishing on Wednesday. We got off the DC-3, I got into waders, hopped in the boat, and a few minutes later I was releasing the salmon my fishermen were catching. It was chum-fest on fly! It was awesome to be back!

Thursday was more serious. Dr. Felix got a 20 pound plus king salmon on a pink bunny leech. We got two other, smaller kings on fly as well as a solid showing on the chums. It was a good day.

Dr. Felix with his king salmon. Think he's happy??

Thursday night I took son Alex out. He wanted a king salmon on fly. It took all of ten minutes for him to whack a 20 pound plus chrome hen on a pink bunny leech. She was released asap.

Alex K. with his first king salmon on fly. He may be happy, too.

The fish looks like Moby Dick.

Wayne and Anita Wheeler graced the boat on Friday. We went plugging for king salmon. The hot plug was a pink Wiggle Wart, the small one. We changed lures on the number two line all day and never got a strike. Every fish came on the Wart. The two biggest were about 25 and 30 pounds, very democratically one for each of them. I was glad, they are such nice people.

Wayne and Anita Wheeler with Anita's chrome king salmon.

The weather has been typical Alaska- grey skies, temperatures I the high 40’s, intermittent rain. We did get some sunshine on Saturday, when Art and Ray joined me. We had a chumtastic time, all on fly.

Finally today Steve and Cary joined me for some king salmon on plugs. We used the small Wiggle Warts, one pink, one orange. Both caught fish, although we did not hit the 20 pound mark today.

So it’s been a fantastic week here at Goodnews. The fact is every week here is fantastic. I look forward to fishing every day here.

Embrace simplicity.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- go fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2011. All rights are reserved.

 

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On the Plane to Goodnews

July 15, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

The Report from Spotted Tail 7/1/11

The DC-3 roars over mountain peaks jutting into the sunlight, reaching for the heavens through a thick layer of clouds. They still have some thick snow fields.

Where cloud meets snow.

We just passed a volcano, bulging lava dome visible, wisps of smoke rising from the cone.

Aboard the aircraft are 19 souls headed to Goodnews. I know some of them, repeat anglers from past years, all good people. Others are new to me. I’ll know all of them by the end of the week.

I’m pretty beat up from traveling, from lack of sleep. I wonder if I’ll have to/get to fish today?

Embrace simplicity.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- go fishing!

John Kumiski
http://www.spottedtail.com/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2011. All rights are reserved.

 

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