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August 19 – 26 : Silverado

August 30, 2011 By

Dolly Varden trout [ Salvelinus malma malma ] are arguable the prettiest of the Alaskan trout species. Named after a famous late eighteen hundreds Can-can dancer of Klondike area, the Dolly is a typically a sea-run fish, spending its winters in the Bering sea and returning to our streams mixed in with the Sockeye and Chum salmon as chrome bright bullets. Within a couple of weeks they start to look like swimming Christmas trees and by the end of August are fully sporting their brilliant spawning colors. Unlike the salmon, that die after spawning, the Dolly Varden can spawn multiple years. Each year brightening back up in the sea for next year’s return.

Now the argument kicks in. Some of us consider the brilliant orange and yellow of our Arctic Char to be even prettier than the green, pink and red of the ‘Dollies’. We happen to have a handful of river systems that seem to produce the most intense color variations of the species. The males almost appear to be on fire with their clown-bright orange lips.

For us anglers, these fish are much easier to see than the Rainbow trout and make for some great sight fishing in the small creeks and rivers throughout our territory. This week brought back mostly return guests and a few friends that were lured up to our lodge like a Dolly Varden taking an egg imitation. And like the fish, these new guests got hooked and will undoubtably land here again. Fishing was best described as ‘solid’ with some days making you work at it a bit and other days the catches were so unbelievable in both numbers and size it seemed slightly surreal.

The Rainbow trout record fell to the hands of Mimi Gates only to be tied by Jim Konkel later in the week. The Silver salmon fishing remained slow on the lower Togiak River, but it appeared the fish were just not holding as the upper stretches in the wilderness zones were packed with them along with the afore mentioned Dollies. The Goodnews was still that, good news. Loads of chrome bright fish awaited those willing to make the long trek out that way. The little streams of the Katmai National Park were now fishing well for Rainbow trout and were also loaded with bears. Again this week, the great bear photos kept coming back with the groups that ventured over that way. The bears of Katmai that are true berry-&-salmon-a-voires during the summer and seem to understand that anglers in goretex are off the menu. Whew.

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July 29 – August 5 : Go Ducks!!!

August 6, 2011 By

Finally. After all the University of Washington Husky fans. All them Ohio State supporters. Texas nuts. Cornhuskers there was a cotangent of Oregon Duck fans besides myself. In true Oregon Country Fair fashion, they brought enough tie-die to outfit the entire lodge – almost. It was fall-down funny to watch as Dale, Mr. Washington Husky himself, don the garb that is normally only worn in the Eugene end of the Willamette Valley of Oregon.

Despite all the wildly bright colors, this group caught lots and lots of fish. Silver Salmon fishing was starting to take off and we put a new mark to beat on the trophy board with Sheli Sweet’s 14.9 pounder, blowing her husband Randy’s fish out of the water by a couple of pounds. Rainbow trout action also continued to pick up as the salmon were now spawning on many of the streams that we like to fish. There were also some great days of Arctic Char and Dolly Varden fishing behind the spawners. With all the spawning the salmon, the bears are out in full force with great bear at Brooks Falls in the Katmai National Park.

Towards the end of the week while watching our nightly progressive slide show, we all started to notice that angler Harmoni Blaine was acting a lot like most of our guides do out on the river [:P]. Kissing her fish. Napping after lunch. Kissing her fish. Just like our guides, except for the napping part.

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July 25 – 29 : BBNC

July 29, 2011 By

The second leg of our late July ‘corporate week’ was a pre-board meeting team building event. What made it special to us is that it included a majority of Alaskan business & community leaders. It is not often that we get the chance to show our neighbors a side of Alaska that they have not seen while growing up here. In many cases it was just a matter of showing off a different perspective on an area that they knew like the back of their hand. However, it was surprising to all of us combined, was just how much we had to offer the ‘locals’. It was truly a special time and we were honored to be able to share what we do with in their backyard.
The King Salmon were pretty much done for the year, but chrome bright Silver [Coho] salmon more than made up for the lack of fresh Kings. We got some tremendous weather on the first full day of fishing and still managed to land a bunch of acrobatic Silvers [they like crumby weather as a rule].

Our wonderful resident species were in full charge mode and it was really special to demonstrate our conservation philosophy and practices with the end benefit being the incredible catches of Rainbow trout, Arctic Char, sea-run Dolly Varden and Arctic Grayling. I know that many of the guests were shocked by the shear volume of catches and subsequent releases. At the conclusion of the trip we all agreed what a special fishery Bristol Bay truly is.

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Alaska Fishing Report :: September 11 – 18, 2009

September 18, 2009 By
Low light on the Agulapak River, Wood Tikchik State Park, Alaska

Low light on the Agulapak River, Wood Tikchik State Park, Alaska

There are times that fishing feels restrained by a prudence and reflectiveness, that in every fish hooked are all those that have come before it, that this one would not have existed if it were not attached to that string however long or short it may be. They live in light and in shadows and we go to great lengths, suffer great pains to hunt them down, to extract them from their elemental existence in a moment that speaks to our inmost heart. Those moments, with their intended architecture, can so easily unravel into a poorly choreographed dance full of self-loathing and wonderment, leaving some on the precipus of hysterical laughter, but that is the nature of this pursuit, that things do not always go where our heart wishes them to follow. It is in these times that it is almost out-of-body, that we loose our participation and are relegated to the role of spectator as the fish takes over, becomes that focused light that extrudes a fire. We have wound down, our season finished, leaving us full of reflection and after a month or two looking forward to our return. This last week of our summer had tremors of greatness shocked through like veins of quartz that trace down to gold. Juan Prado, a newcomer in a group of returnees, touched something greater than gold when he extracted a rainbow, on the last day of the week, that tied our seasonal record at 11.3 pounds. On that same day Barry Brewer landed the largest rainbow he had ever touched, sight-fished from a snag pile and after a lengthy tussle brought to the awaiting mouth of the net. Michael Carey tied another seasonal lodge record on the Togiak River with a gear caught silver salmon that weighed 16.3 pounds, matching the mark that was set the previous week. This group of four shared an eventful day on the Agulukpak of bent rods and scorched drags with their new friend Whonda, an enthusiastic spectator who always managed to have a look of surprise through out the day. It was possibly the enthusiasm she showed that made the day a resounding success. We would like to thank all of our guests from this summer for making the 25th anniversary season at Mission Lodge a memorable one. Please come join us next summer for more great fishing and great memories.

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Alaska Fishing Report :: September 4 – 11, 2009

September 18, 2009 By
View from the co-pilot's seat. © Jon Crispin 2009

View from the co-pilot's seat. © Jon Crispin 2009

As the season gains momentum tumbling ever faster toward winter, minutes of daylight bleeding away each day, we become characters cast in the midst of a delicate cycle were fish begin to feed with fervency, a feverish determination. Kvichak rainbow trout, looking for a bigger meal than salmon eggs, tear into a swung fly, burning up yards of fly line and backing before being slowed by exhaustion. Mike Landert and Rand Peyton both wore themselves out tangling with those fish, amazed at their spirited leaps and runs. Secret Creek trout with their heavily speckled shoulders and brilliant, double-red stripes continually test the mental fortitude of those angling after them. Jon Crispin, brother of longtime Mission Lodge guest, Bob Crispin, matched mettle with the largest rainbow he had ever seen and finally won out when their guide netted the 28 inch goliath. The sheer volume of fish that the Agulukpak produces this time of year is absolutely staggering and there does not seem to be an easy fish in the bunch. Carla Matlock tangled with an arctic char that tested her fortitude and when it was finally landed taped out to 29 inches and set the bar just a little bit higher when the tale of the tape revealed it’s weight to be 10.9 pounds. If you need something to break-up the endless parade of trout and char then the silver salmon of the Togiak River are waiting for you, fresh from the ocean. Doc Taggert bested one of those Togiak behemoths that tipped the scales at 16.3 pounds, setting a new seasonal record for silvers caught using gear. Everywhere we fish is producing great experiences and memories for our guests. It does not seem to matter where they go, when they get there truly great fishing is waiting for them all set in the brilliance of Fall in Alaska. We would like to thank our guest from this past week for sharing this very special time of year in Southwest Alaska and hope they return next Fall to do it all again. We look forward to it.

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Alaska Fishing Report :: Aug. 28 – Sept 4, 2009

September 4, 2009 By

An under water shot of Sockeye Salmon on the Agulapak River in Bristol Bay Alaska.

An under water shot of Sockeye Salmon on the Agulapak River in Bristol Bay Alaska.



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.

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Alaska Fishing Report :: August 14 – 21, 2009

August 21, 2009 By

zero_one_zulu

The phenomenal fishing continues to roll here at Mission Lodge, in this, our 25th anniversary season. Some of our longest running guests were with us this past week to share, once again, in this amazing experience that is Southwestern Alaska. Marion Becker, Charlie Carroll, and Mark Winkelman have been with us for a long time bringing their friends and family with them so that they too can enjoy the quality of fishing that Mission Lodge and the surrounding wilderness provides. This past week was no exception as the fishing was incredible. Silver salmon continued to pour into the Togiak in good numbers keeping fly rods bent and the action moving at a furious pace. If after a few silvers you were ready to try you hand at some of the other fish in the Togiak there were plenty of dolly varden and rainbow trout to keep you busy, rounding out an already fulfilling day. Farther up the Togiak in our exclusive water the Chum salmon spawning grounds continued to be the site for sheer volume of fish. There you really have to try to not hook fish. If sight fishing has your interest this is an excellent time of the season to be exploring the many options that we offer. Whether you are wading the intimate tributaries of the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge spotting massive char, or slowly moving up the Grant River casting to rainbow trout there are plenty of opportunities to test your skills and watch the fishes mouth flash white as they eat your presentation. Continuing to be a highly sought-after destination, Moraine Creek was again thrilled our guests, when they were able to get there, with an onslaught of rainbow trout that knew no end, continuing until it was time to head back to the lodge. The Agulowak and Agulukpak turned the corner in the last couple of days this week. On the Agulukpak most of the trout that were caught were between 20 and 23 inches and as soon as one was landed our guests did not have to wait long to hook into another. It was a great week that we enjoyed sharing with our guests and look forward to sharing many more. Thank you to our guests this past week for a great time.

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