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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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August 5 – 12 : Quality Family Time

August 13, 2011 By

Pleasant weather and lots of return guests made for a very smooth week of fishing. The first day was a big crumby in the weather department, but it settled down quickly that evening and just hovered around with overcast, broken skies. Great Alaskan fishing weather indeed.

The Davis family was back up to visit us after a four year hiatus, sharing their positive energy and enjoying some quality family time on the water. Tom from Billings not only brought his son Hunter back up this year, but also coaxed his dad to join them in the last frontier, rounding out three generations of anglers. Wilson from Austin, TX, a refuge we saved from a defunct lodge across the bay a couple of years ago, brought along his two sons to see what all the fuss was about. And to round things out was our staff’s hero and inspiration Ms. Syliva, who has been traveling the wilds of Alaska for the last forty years and with us for the last five. With all these returns guests, it was fun to also be joined by Craig & Gary, two newbies from Ohio. They’re only complaint was not being able to fish 24/7 – if we they could, they would! Can you blame them?

Fishing, like the weather, was solid. Sea-run Dolly Varden were now throughout a number of the rivers systems that we fish and the Trophy Board got a workout. The Arctic Char were now starting to show their brilliant colors in the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge as we hooped our way along the inlets and outlets. Also enjoying the mild weather were Rainbow trout who were sitting behind the masses of Sockeye salmon now dropping eggs. Matching the hatch takes on a new meaning at this time of year as the guides try to unlock the secrets of what color of egg to present.

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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 22 – 25 : Avail TVN

July 26, 2011 By


Have you ever been roped into something that you just dreaded? An invitation that your career could just not say “no” to? Well, as hard as it is for our readers (past/future guests) to understand, part of the group that showed up to the lodge had everything but ‘going to Alaska’ on their bucket list. Really. Hard to imagine, eh?! So in true Mission Lodge style, the magic of Bristol Bay Alaska grabbed them and then the bug of fishing caught hold, deadly infecting their psyche and overwhelming their attempt to resist.

This was a post Board Meeting outing that went far beyond any old ‘team building’ adventure. This was a truly life changing event for many of these city folk and it was our pleasure to watch their transformation. Not since our last high-tech corporate invasion had we seen such enthusiasm for learning our sport and raw energy. We sincerely hope that the Avail TVN gang will invade us again someday for another round of Alaska fishing adventure.

Fishing was as strong with King and Chum salmon tearing reels up and volumes of resident species eager to reward anyone willing to wet a line. These end of July time periods are by far the biggest variety of fishing options that Bristol Bay will see each season and provide a very diverse mix of angling choices. And if you are interested in Bear viewing – this is as prime as Brooks Falls will get all year.

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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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