Mission Lodge :: News BLOG

It has been a week of large rainbows, with the lodge record falling twice and copious silver salmon, over 400 fish in two days between twelve guests. What more could anyone ask for from a week of fishing in Alaska. Our nightly reports from guests were always filled with stories of amazing fish hooked and lost or landed and plentiful catches. Everywhere we sent people rods stayed bent all day long. Mark McManus, having never cast a flyrod, landed his first fish after his second cast, a 26 inch bruiser from the Moraine. He and his father Steve went on to land many large fish, some approaching that magic thirty inch mark. It actually took all week for someone at the lodge to achieve that thirty inch glory and it happened to be Mark, who after being turned back from the Moraine by fog on their last day found their way to the Togiak, an under-appreciated trophy trout destination, where he landed his monster that went 9.6 pounds. The fact that he did it with a spinner is quickly forgotten when a photo of the fish is viewed. As for fly caught records, that mountain was toppled twice this week, first falling to the Upper Togiak with a fish that weighed 10.1 pounds, caught by none other than Mark McManus. But it was Leo Patterson who finished out the week atop the heap with not one, but two trout caught in the same day from No Name Creek with guide Ryan Celusta, that weighed 10.5 pounds. Our salmon hops on the Nushagak produce obscene numbers of silvers, but it was the Togiak that served up both the fly and gear caught records. Terrance Rhea, here with his father Bob Rhea, shattered the previous fly caught mark when he landed a 14.8 pound silver and John Peterson matched that with gear. Right now the Togiak offers a unique opportunity to catch some very large silvers and trophy rainbow trout all in the same day or spend your day chasing one or the other. We always encourage our guests heading out to this very special destination to try for that trout of a lifetime. What else to say? The Agulowak is still turning out great numbers of fish and will continue to do so until seasons end as the sockeye begin to spawn. It seems that the Agulukpak has turned the corner and beginning to fish well as the trout and char start to key in on the sockeye eggs. Being in Alaska this time of years gives one perspective as to how important sockeye are to this amazing ecosystem. Every living thing here relies on them. Kevin O’Brien and Tracey Baker enjoyed a day on our Refuge Hop sight fishing to massive arctic char in full fall colors, which make for impressive photos. As always the Upper Togiak was a highly sought after destination for it’s non-stop dolly action and large trout keying in on flesh. Some very large trout were brought to net from this Mission Lodge exclusive location. Despite some low clouds keeping us from reaching our desired spots, this past week offered nothing short of phenomenal fishing for our guests and we look forward to helping them repeat their experience next summer.

What remains to be said about the quality of fishing we offer here at Mission Lodge? At this point in the season it becomes difficult writing this report because how many times can you say that fishing is great, which it always is. There has not been a slow down in our salmon fisheries. As the pinks and silvers of the Nushagak begin to slow down the Togiak silvers begin to flood the drainage. As more salmon begin to spawn more blips on the trout radar light up widening our search patterns for those lifetime memories. That is what this time of the season is about: silvers and big rainbows and char. Our destinations in the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge produced some large char and dollies for Mark and Tory Winkelman and Bill and Carol Sahlman while on a trip we call a Refuge Hop. The creeks are small, the fish are large and most of the fishing is done by site, spotting the fish and often watching them chase down your presentation, no indicator necessary. In that same area our permit for the Middle Togiak River continued to provide clients with enough Dolly Varden to last a lifetime. Throw in some large rainbows and a few brightly colored char and that makes for an incredible day of fishing. Travel further down river to our Lower Togiak camp and you will find more amazing fishing. How else can you say it? Guests visiting there reported hooking some monster trout on flesh and dollies on egg patterns then switching gears and getting their limit of silvers. David and Dan Hull experienced this first hand with David hooking and after a lengthy battle loosing a trout that the guide estimated over ten pounds. Fish like that would bring anyone back year after year. No Name Creek continued to turn out great grayling fishing and more large rainbows are showing up to feed on the flesh of the spawned out salmon. This has been one of our most traveled to destinations this season because of it’s intimate nature and beauty, as well as this fishing it has to offer. The Upper Nushagak continued to be productive for dollies, rainbows, and grayling with most of the trout coming on flesh. Our distant destinations in the Moraine and Kvichak are producing some big fish. Mark Winkelman set the lodge record for rainbow trout on the Moraine when he landed a fish weighing 9.3 pounds. The trout of the Kvichak are not yet keying in on egg patterns so that leaves leech and sculpin patterns. Swinging flies, either from the boat or bank, can elicit some vicious strikes. For our clients interested in casting a spey rod the Kvichak is the perfect place. Day after day our fisheries continue to produce some great results and even if the fishing is not up to expectations, how can you find fault with it when you are surrounded by some of the most pristine wilderness in the world? This past week was a week of regulars and we welcomed their familiarity. It was great to see all of them and spend time on the water with them. We look forward to their return next summer.

Beauty surrounds, fills, completes the day. Beauty, found in the fish we pursue, found in their environs, touches our lives, shapes our memories. They take us outside of ourselves, pulling us down to their watery world, render us youthful in our reverie, bringing out that lost smile. This past week the combination of exceptional weather and out-of-sight good fishing was almost too much to handle, our skin barely a vessel strong enough to contain a strengthening spirit nearing a point of bursting. The pinks and silvers of the Nushagak continued to fill the day with near non-stop surface action for our fly anglers and kept rods bent to the point that most cried surrender before the day was over. Those who went on the Salmon Hop later in the week reported catching just as many silvers as pinks which might indicate that the bulk of the silver run has yet to show in the Nushagak. For father and son, Mark and Garrett Coussens, the Upper Nushagak was the fix for their fishing jones. Large rainbows on flesh, Dolly Varden on egg patterns, sometimes two fish on at once, even on a fog shortened day that very special destination provided a great experience. Another place that has, in a very short time, endeared itself to our guests and crew is the Upper Togiak, an exclusive to Mission Lodge fishery, located inside the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge. With the Chum salmon in full spawn Dolly Varden, Arctic Char, and Rainbow Trout are all aggressively feeding. Richard Ackerman and Alberto Cordero finished up their week there hooking fish after fish, including some insanely acrobatic rainbows and after taking a break from fishing with egg patterns even caught some stripping streamers off the banks. If fishing the surface is your thing, the Lower Togiak offered an excellent opportunity mousing for plus-sized trout as well as Dolly Varden and a chance to fish the phenomenal fishery of Gechiak Creek, a tributary of the lower river. This past week saw the Moraine turn on and all groups returned reporting hooking some super-charged rainbows that took them deep into their backing, even forcing a run down river in a sometimes futile attempt to regain control, all this done while dodging a constant parade of bears patrolling the bank for sockeye. It was an exceptional week of fishing that happened to be accompanied by great weather. The only thing that kept us from fishing in short sleeves were the bugs. Thank you to all of our guests this past week for a great time on the river. Hope to see all of you next summer.