Fall has descended, or perhaps ascended, bringing a fierceness to an already dramatic landscape. Touched now with autumnal hues, the jagged fingers jutting forth from the cradling palms of river valleys, those places with a nurturing touch, and feel even greater if possible, more humbling. It is between these towering sentinels that we wind, following the well worn course of salmon, pursuing their pursuers divining the water for char who carry Fall’s splendor beneath the rippled flows and those speckled Rainbow Trout whose cheeks look as though they have stood in a crisp wind. With hook and line we probe the depths, perfecting our trade one cast at a time, trying to trick them at their own game.

This past week was rode in on a warm Fall day and finished up the same way. It was the in between that hammered home the notion that our summer was over. Through the cool rains of midweek we put together some excellent fishing, not letting the nasty conditions keep us from our task at hand. This time of year is synonymous with Silver Salmon fishing and the Toigak River Silvers are never a disappointment. Both gear and fly caught records fell this week. Bob Lynch toppled Jim Konkel’s short-lived reign atop the leader board with a silver he caught using a fly he designed himself that weighed almost fifteen pounds. Wilson Cozby waited until the last day of the week to reel in his record salmon, a giant of sixteen pounds. The Togiak continues to produce good numbers of salmon and we expect that to continue through the end of the season.

Although Rainbow Trout fishing remains exceptional, last weeks record trout, caught by Glen Urban, that weighed 11.3 pounds, still stands. The record was neared a few times by anglers like Maureen Lynch who brought to net a 30 inch Rainbow from Secret Creek. The Agulukpak continues to tear through anglers arms, grinding our guests into submission with constant action from large, healthy trout and char. While fishing the “Pak” on his second to last day, Jim Konkel, not wanting to leave Mission Lodge without being represented on the leader board, landed an Arctic Char with an 17.5 inch girth and 26 inch length that weighed 10 pounds beating the previous record by nearly a pound. Brooks River and Moraine Creek are also putting up some great numbers of large Rainbow Trout for those who are interested in and enjoy sight fishing. The Agulowak is absolutely insane with fish that at times seem to be crawling over each other to get at your presentation. It did not seem to matter where our guests went this week as good fishing was sure to be there waiting for them when they arrived. It was a pleasure fishing with all of our guests this past week and look forward to seeing them next season.