Due to high water in the water we wanted float today I agreed to go walk fishing up one of the smaller tributaries….a creek. Didn’t know my creaky old joints could hold up to a walk, which when was completed, was about 8 miles…..my feet hurt so bad tonight I can’t even walk. Getting old, and fat really gets in the way sometimes. Anyway this charming little creek was not flush with fish but every so often you ran into a nice rainbow……in a few weeks this little water will also be teeming with king salmon to 50 lbs. Unfortunately, it will also be teeming with the famous four footed brown fishermen of Alaskan fame…..the gizzly….gets much more entertaining to fish then.

The water was full of salmon fry and small freshwater lamprey which live up here so we used a variety of flies and streamers. The creek is not that large although it has an extremely healthy population of the Alaskan state bird…..the pterodactyl mosquito!!





The day wasn’t fantastic if measured by numbers….I think I caught about a dozen fish…but their color was spectacular as the scenery generally is also. Wasn’t long before we were into some real “leopard” colored rainbows:





The fish seemed to be holding in deeper areas with overhanging branches…..these areas were spreadout….hence the need to wade so much….did I mention it was about 8 miles….8 long, arthritis enhancing miles??? Guess I did. At midday we sat down and ate fresh smoked Copper River sockeye salmon, with swiss cheese on crackers while two hawks kept screeching overhead…at first endearing but after several hours I was ready for them to be quiet. Weird thing is up here in Alaska we only notice if a raptor ISN’T a bald eagle…they are way too common.

Eventually we got back to our feet and finished our travails upon the creek….being rewarded, periodically, with these beautifully colored bows:







Gonna ice down the old arthritic shoulders one more time and literally, shuffle off to bed.

Brian