Fly Tying For Alaska

Fly Tying for Alaska fishing trips can be a great way to keep your mind on the fun trip ahead.  Tying flies that will produce more Rainbow trout and salmon for your trip will save you money. The first entry will deal with putting together an articulated hook system.  Articulated flies work well imitating leaches, minnows, other fish.  I enjoy fishing them but tying for example an articulated leach takes some time. No Matter what hooks you use and where you make your articulation the steps are basically the same.  On this particular fly I made the head articulated to the shoulder of the fly.  This is different way to make an egg sucking leach.   1)  put your front hook in the vise (cut at the shank or not) and make a few wraps with you bobbin and thread. 2) take your Dacron or other rope like material and loop it through the eye of the trailer hook. 3) Now you can take the tag ends of the Dacron and tie it to the front hook.  3 or 4 wraps to start and pull straight down to lock it into place.  then continue forward with wraps up the shank of the front hook. 4) Once you are 3/4’s of the way up the shank fold the material back towards the bend of the hook and wrap back over the tags.  This will lock in the material and it shouldn’t be able to pull off the front hook.  I always add super glue between any step in the process.  It’s cheep and it also adds strength to your fly. For this fly I prefer the head to be weighted with lead eyes to achieve the action I want. To add lead eyes I first add super glue where the eyes will be laying on the hook then with many figure 8 wraps lock the eyes on.   Tying flies can be fun, it allows you to be creative and it also passes the time in the cold winter months.  I highly recommend it and if you have an idea and would like me to share it on my blog, don’t hesitate to let me know through my website at www.driftingonthefly.com Thanks and tight lines

FLY TYING FOR ALASKA SILVER SALMON

  silver salmon fishing Fly tying for Alaska silver salmon fishing is a great way to pass the cold winter months.  Filling your fly boxes in the winter can save you lots of time when the bite is on.  There is nothing that can slow a great day of fishing down more than running out of your favorite pattern.  I start with silver salmon flies first.  After I get my bead boxes back in good shape, tying bright, flashy, big patterns keeps me interested and motivated.  Articulated flies are always good to have in your box.  Purple, Dark brown, chartreuse, pink and black are all good colors to start with when you are filling your box.  There are many new materials available to us for fly tying and coming up with your own variations of fly’s is always fun.  It is also more rewarding to me when I catch a fish on a fly that I have put together.  Give it a try if you haven’t already and I would be happy to give any advice that I can.  Give us a call and we can talk about patterns that you might need for your next fishing trip to Alaska.   Stay tuned and check in on the website at www.driftingonthefly.com for more information.

Winter Kenai River Rainbow Trout Fishing

  A few things to keep in mind for Winter Kenai River Rainbow Trout Fishing. 1, watch the weather patterns and fronts that are moving through.  If it is calling for a high of 30 degrees it is probably going to be warm enough to keep the ice off the guides for a few hours. 2, fish slow and thorough concentrating in good, producing runs.  Fish will concentrate and follow the food source. 3, stay warm,  Slow down and take the time to keep yourself warm.  Sometimes I find myself wade fishing too long and needing more time to warm up. 4, be smart,  carry extra cloths, first aid kit, extra hand warmers and lots of extra gloves.  Wet hands  will make your whole body cold, try a hook and release tool to keep your hands dry. Remember that removing fish from the water in below freezing temperatures will freeze there gills almost immediately.  I know that I have been bad for this in years past like many folks but it is something that is very important and is our responsibility in helping protect our resource. If you are interested in booking a 2009 trip or just have a question feel free to contact me at www.driftingonthefly.com Tight lines, Scott Sager

Kenai River Rainbow Trout Fishing In October

Kenai River Rainbow Trout Fishing in October is a great time to get out and experience the river. The crowds are starting to dwindle and the water levels usually are doing the same.  The weather can get cold and snow will be in the forecast more than likely but the fish will be there. Being new to fly fishing, Sam handled this fish like a pro.  Great Job! When the tempuratures drop we will not remove the fish from the water so there isn’t as high of a mortality rate.  Please respect this and we will do our best to get a quality picture of you catch.  If we plan on harvesting a silver salmon this rule doesn’t apply! Grayling are not a common fish in the Kenai river but we do catch one every once in a while.  Today was the exception, we caught one 8″ arctic grayling today.  Grayling will move into the kenai river later in the season to find food before the long winter sets in. October fishing on the kenai river can be very productive.  Silver salmon are spawning now and the Rainbow trout move right behind them to feed.  If you would like a late season guide trip on the kenai river contact us anytime. Tight Lines, Scott sager Drifting On The Fly, LLC

KENAI RIVER GUIDE TRIP

  kenai river rainbow trout fishingThere are many kenai river guide trip opportunities available.  Rainbow trout, dolly varden, king salmon, silver salmon, sockeye salmon and many more.  We offer both fly and spin fishing trips so no matter how you would like to pursue these beautiful fish we can accommodate you. We also can provide drift boat and/or power boat guided fishing trips. Fall and early winter brings my favorite fish to chase to our nearby waters,  giant rainbow trout on the kenai river and Silver salmon.  The rivers along the Kenai peninsula are now starting to lose water and the fish are gearing up for the cold months ahead.  Finding big rainbow trout, fresh steelhead and silver salmon isn’t a problem as much as keeping the guides on your rod open from ice.  We are still chasing some really big fish now and I hope you are too.  Our guide service continues to run trips until the end of October, weather permitting.  All you will need is some warm cloths, waders (we can provide them), a packed lunch, and a fishing license. If you are interested in a late season kenai river fishing trip contact us here.

Tight Lines, Scott Drifting On The Fly, LLC

Timing your Kenai River Fishing Trip

Timing your Kenai River fishing trip depends on the species that you primarily want to pursue make sure.  For instance if you would like to go after Kenai river sockeye salmon you would want to book you guided trip with us in late July or early august.  There are overlapping peak dates for multiple species as well.  Like king salmon and a sockeye salmon trip can both be booked during the peak season for both species.  This would happen at the end of July.  These dates go fast so book early to insure that you get the dates that you are interested in.   A Tip for Netting a sockeye salmon on the kenai river.  Always net a fish by head first.  This way you have the whole fish in the net and if it makes another run it will run into the net or swim out without pulling the hook. If you aren’t interested in netting your own sockeye salmon feel free to give our kenai river guide service a call anytime.  We will do our best to put every legal fish on the bank for you! Hope this helps and good fishing www.driftingonthefly.com Scott Sager

KENAI RIVER KING SALMON FISHING

kenai river king salmon Kenai river king salmon fishing should be something you do on your visit to the kenai peninsula in July!  Many fish are caught every year over 70 pounds and a 50 pound fish in not uncommon.  The Kenai River is big and runs fast in the summer months.  We have power boat so that we can rework the runs and if you prefer to fish out of a drift boat we can accomodate that as well.  Kenai River King Salmon Fishing out of a drift boat is a lot of work but very doable.  We landed this big kenai river king salmon out of my 18 foot Willie drift boat. Today After a day of guiding trout and Sockeye Salmon fishing on the kenai  river my buddy Ben Hancock and Dan Wikner arrived with perfect timing.  We unloaded the guide boat and grabbed the private boat to set out for a short drift on the Kenai between River Quest and Pillars boat launch.  Mid way through my friend hit his first king salmon ever and for sure one to remember! Good job Ben!!!! We are taking bookings for  kenai river King Salmon fishing Trips now.  Give us a call and we will work with you to design a trip that fits your vacation schedual. Scott Sager Drifting on the Fly

Kenai River Guide Trip

KENAI RIVER SOCKEYE SALMON

A popular Kenai river guide trip is for Sockeye Salmon, We offer many fishing opportunities in July and August for sockeye salmon.  Some of the best gravel bars are accessible on the middle kenai river.  We fish here almost exclusively during the peak of the sockeye salmon runs. We look for the Sockeye salmon fishing to pick up in the next few days also. Usually by July 14th the fishing is very good.  Limits are 3 per person a day until the escapement is reached and then it is usually bumped up to 6 per person!

Second run king salmon are here.  Fish have been showing up in good numbers now and you should be able to snatch on to a king if you put the time in.  Both the Kenai and Kasilof have fished well for me the last couple of days.  Quick fish worked best on the Kenai river and Spin and glows with a glob of eggs have been best on the Kasilof river for us.

If you are interested in a King salmon guide trip  or sockeye salmon guide trip on the Kenai river or Kasilof river feel free to contact me at www.driftingonthefly.com

Thanks and good fishing

Scott Sager

KENAI RIVER KING SALMON

Kenai river King Salmon are coming in better numbers every day.  The rivers both kenai and kasilof are fishing well right now. Drift fishing has still been hit or miss depending on the day. A few Sockeye Salmon are showing up in the Kenai River this week. Be sure to familiarize yourself if you plan to fish the Kenai river since a lot of regulation changes are now in effect for the 2008 season. Pay special attention to the 2-Stroke Motor restrictions. June 11 will open the Kenai River Rainbow Trout Season, until then this season is closed river wide. Check out this link for details on the regulation changes. Give me a call 907-382-6808 if you want to fish the Kenai or Kasilof, I still have a few days open in June as of tonight if you are interested in using our kenai peninsula guide service.

Tight Lines, Scott Drifting On The Fly, LLC

SHIP CREEK

Today I got off work, removed my studded tires and got my all terrains back on the truck. After I got my chores done I found time to go and explore a stream here in Anchorage. Ship Creek is a well known Salmon run river that holds a few Rainbow trout too. I didn’t spend much time fishing it but it did produce a couple of small rainbows. I was using a Murray hellgrammite size 10, dead drifting it. That fly seems to produce more fish for me than any other in my fly box! I don’t know if it is confidence or what.. but I tend to tie this fly own my line more times than not when I approach new water.  I have never fished salmon in this stream but I understand that it can produce quit a few fish during the peak of the seasons as well.

I’m moving back down to the Kenai peninsula next week to get gear ready for the upcoming season. Dates are booking up fast so if your interested in a 2008 Drift Boat Fishing  guide trip on the kenai river, reserve your spots soon. We hope everyone is enjoying the spring and we look forward to fishing with you. Tight lines, Scott Sager www.driftingonthefly.com scott@driftingonthefly.com 907-382-6808