Scott Sager Archives - Page 5 of 21

Sterling Alaska

Posted on August 19, 2012 by Drifting-admin

Beers by the campfire last night in Sterling Alaska. Days are getting shorter but in the middle of August you know that it is still late when the sun goes down. The dogs are loving it and what a great way to spend an evening. Being laid back and enjoying good company is living life here in sterling Alaska. In sterling Alaska there is camping, horseback riding, hiking, conoing, fishing, boating, and many other things to do on vacation. Troy and lisa have some great trail horses and we are discussing which trail we should go riding on in a few weekends. The upper end of the swanson river is also accessed through sterling alaska. If you are planning to conoe the swanson river trail system give us a call. We have done this trip many times and are willing to give any advice that we can. Off to work in the early morning so I’d better be heading to bed! Rainbow trout and silver salmon season is here!! The Kenai river is producing some good first run silver salmon this year and the trout fishing has been epic. Tight lines Scott Sager Driftingonthefly

Smoking Alaska sockeye salmon

Posted on August 19, 2012 by Drifting-admin

Smoking Alaska sockeye salmon takes some time but is well worth it. Cooling your smoked salmon is very important before packaging it. Cooling racks can be made just about out of anything but when you are doing a fair amount of fish in the smoker it is nice to have racks stacked like this one.

Carrying for your catch might mean smoking Alaska sockeye salmon. There might not be a better treat to my family than pulling a pack of smoked salmon caught on the Kenai river out of the freezer. It is excellent just by itself, made into a cream cheese dip or used to cook with for a meal on the BBQ! Taking care of your harvest is the most important thing we can do. Though for the most part I believe in catch and release for most species of fish, being able to harvest some fresh Alaska sockeye salmon salmon adds a great food source for us throughout the year. Sockeye salmon season is over for this year but if you would like a guide for next season give us a call early and we can get you lined up on the best date to fish for some kenai river sockeye salmon! Tight lines Scott Sager Drifting on the fly

Kenai river trout fishing

Posted on August 18, 2012 by Drifting-admin

Kenai river Trout fishing was good again today. We didn’t land any huge fish but we did catch a lot. The dolly Varden and rainbow trout fishing should do nothing but get better every day.

I liked this shirt one of the guest was wearing today. “the whole trout and nothing but the trout so help me cod” ! The Middle Kenai river trout fishing is very good right now and should continue to be good for the rest of the season. Most seasons The rainbow trout fishing is consistent from the middle of August until freeze up. There are days that we have to work for fish like anywhere but The Kenai river trout fishing is as good as it gets most of the time. It always seems to amaze me even though I fish it year in and year out. Give us a call and we will get you lined up on the kenai river trout fishing during a prime date. Book early to make sure you get the date that best fits your trip to Alaska’s Kenai peninsula. Contact us here on the site or by phone. Tight lines, Scott Sager

Kasilof river silver salmon fishing

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Drifting-admin

Kasilof river silver salmon fishing can be very relaxing, here we are in the run we call desperation waiting for another bite. A day on the river back trolling is a great way to fish. Back bouncing or back trolling are the two most productive ways to pursue kasilof river silver salmon.

We were out Drift boating Kasilof river silver salmon fishing today. We have caught lots of pink salmon and a few silver salmon Early morning is the most productive time right now, by mid afternoon the bite is very sporadic. The guys had a lot of fun and were a great group. I always enjoy a group that is here to catch fish and not a good time pass them by.

This picture is taken at edds Kasilof seafood. The tide is high now and the day is done. If you are interested in chasing silver salmon on the fly rod or conventional gear give us a call (907-382-6808)The Kenai and or the kasilof river could be a great start to pursuing silver salmon in Alaska! Tight lines, Scott Sager Drifting on the fly

Alaska garden

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Drifting-admin

A good friend of mine lives in sterling Alaska. Every time I visit him he is working on a very elaborate project! This summer he has finished his raised bed Alaska garden and fence. When Ray makes anything you can bet it isn’t half way done.

When he was peeling the logs by hand, i asked if he might be building another cabin like the one he built last summer. He said “no, these logs are for a fence to keep the moose out”! Fair enough

Here is a picture of the cabin he finished last year. I’ve been in a few Alaska log cabins and even though this one isn’t but about 800 square foot it has as much character as any cabin I’ve ever been in. Not to mention the matching out houses behind it! A little hard work and a creative mind keeps this 74 year old man building all kinds of cool things every year. Ray is an inspiration to everyone he meets and I can only hope to work as hard as he does when I am in my mid 70’s. Tight lines Scott Sager Www.driftingonthefly.com

Kenai mountains

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Drifting-admin

This is a very easy ridge to follow for now. Hiking off tail in the Kenai mountains you have to be careful not to get into a place you can’t get out of. This ridge (mountain) rolls very nice and there are no razor edges but with fog and weather coming in like it is I will hunker down and wait for better weather in the morning.

A view from on top of a gorgeous peak in Kenai Mountains. When I woke up the next day a band of Dall sheep were strung out across the ridge line. They are the main reason I am here but I can’t think of a better place to spend a few days by myself. The country is rugged and it definitely test all the skills that one has doing it by yourself. Hiking in Alaska can mean multiple days, so make sure you plan on having all the gear you need or think you might need to be prepared for anything. Water filter or drops, first aid kit, shelter and adequate clothing will be the difference in life and death if you get into a bad situation. Tight lines Scott Sager Www.driftingonthefly.com

Kenai river rainbow trout fishing

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Drifting-admin

We were out early this morning for our kenai river rainbow trout fishing trip. Linda and Bill Live in Sterling Alaska and try to fish the Kenai river rainbow trout bite many times a year. The bite is getting better everyday now, there are days we are landing 50+ fish and some very large fish too. Here we are drifting the middle kenai river for rainbow trout and dolly Varden that have moved out behind the king salmon. There are some very elaborate private fishing platforms along the Kenai river but this one stands out the most to me!

I don’t know how many stairs there are to the top but I want to ride the tram that is along side them. Going up wouldn’t be to bad but coming down all I would think about is doing a belly flop into the full Kenai River! Whoever built this has to be a character and I would love to sit down and have a beer with them. I bet you would hear some great stories. We fish this drift often in August and early September so ask me to point out the stair case to you because i’m sure you will be into your drift more than you are looking for a set of stairs!

Sitka clothing and gear

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Drifting-admin

Taking a couple day break to go do some hiking and camping in the Kenai mountains. One thing that I have to depend on in the back country of Alaska is my clothing. I put my life on the line with Sitka clothing and gear. I’ll be gone on a solo trip for 5 days with only my pack and of course my fly rod!! I’ll post some picture from along the way. There will not be a trail to tell you where I’m going. I Will have cell service until Thursday morning at 7 am. Then I should Gain it back on Monday after 5 pm. Have fun and always be safe. Check us out at www.driftingonthefly.com if you are interested in a back country trip in Alaska! (907)-382-6808

I wore sitka’s storm front gore tex on this trip into the high country of Utah for 7 days and stayed comfortable. Good clothing can be the difference in a successful memorable trip and a miserable trip that you’d like to forget. If you’re ready to invest in some great clothing be sure to check out sitka. I don’t have anything bad to say about the product.

Kasilof river silver salmon fishing

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Drifting-admin

Headed to the Kasilof river silver salmon fishing on the Kenai peninsula! I’m up early and am noticing that the days are getting a little shorter now. It’s not daylight until about 5 am now.

On the kasilof river looking for a few silver salmon this morning. The bites been slow but we are sitting perfect on the tide for the fish to show up any minute.

A day of Kasilof river silver salmon fishing starts early in the morning. The timing of the tides have a lot to do with our start time though. We will meet at the Kasilof river bridge at our prearranged time and then run a quick shuttle of vehicles to the take out. Once this is done our day of fishing will start. You will need a valid Alaska fishing license, rain gear (we can provide this) and a packed lunch for the day. I will have hot coffee, snacks and water on the boat for you as well as all the fishing gear needed for the day. Silvers are a hard fighting fish and are often eager biters. Give us a call to line up your next Alaska fishing vacation. Tight lines Scott Sager Drifting on the fly

sockeye salmon fishing

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Drifting-admin

Sockeye Salmon fishing on the Kenai river can be very productive. Today we are lower in the With almost 1.5 million sockeye salmon that have entered this year the fish are not to hard to find. Now we may start to see a few that are starting to turn but there are still plenty of chrome fish available. It didn’t take this group but a couple hours of sockeye salmon fishing and they have their bag limit. When you have the feel for hooking sockeye salmon they can be easy to catch and coming by in Good numbers Coming by also helps! Rainbow trout and silver salmon season are now upon us. I look forward to this time of year! Personally I don’t think it gets any better.

If you plan on keeping some sockeye salmon make sure you keep them cool and out of the sun. Keeping your fish on a stringer does this and it also washes most of the blood out of the fish making them all eat much better. Bleeding your fish is the single most important thing to do once you have harvested it. You can bleed your fish by cutting each side of the gills. Harvesting salmon is part of fishing in Alaska and though we do plenty of catch and release. Make sure that at the beginning of the day you let us know if you are planning on a day of catch and release or if you would like to harvest a few fish to take home. Depending on the regulation and the bite we will do our best to provide a quality day on the river for you.