Alaska Fishing Report :: September 11 – 18, 2009

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.