2013 in review.....
Couldn’t believe I was only able to fish all or part of 17 days during the entire year of 2013…..why don’t you just shoot me in the head. Had shoulder surgery again and it didn’t work out too well……nuff of that on with the fish of 2013…..even though it wasn’t extensive some nice fish ended up on my line……
In February I got 4 days of fishing in Florida…..the first two primarily for peacocks……
There were some nice largemouth mixed in with the peacocks…
This one came on a zara spook….tremendous surface strike……too much fun….
Then a day on Ockeechobee and one on Toho near Orlando. Was able to catch several largemouth near my personal best…..
In June fished Table Rock and Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas for two days….was horrifically hot and the fishing was not so good. Caught a new species…..this Ozark Bass which I was informed was “a beast of an Ozark”….I’d never seen one before:
Fished several hours over a few days at my in-laws outside of Leavenworth, KS catching some really spectacular crappie in his pond…..
Didn’t fish again till late August at home in Alaska. My boss flew us over for a few days on the Holitna River, a trib to the Kuskokwim. Spent a day and half there just hammering dolly varden and grayling.
On the way back we stopped at the Kuscatan River and did a short morning trip for coho salmon….they were thick…
We also fished up a little, unnamed creek there and caught herds of dollies…..most in spawning colors….the last with a nice kype on him….
The bugs just about ate us alive. Then my last trips of the year were mid September floating the Kenai River on back-to-back Fridays. One trip involved some serious raining for most the day….with a foggy lens at time…..
Last trip produced two of the prettiest fish I have seen up here……first was a big rainbow with an insane amount of spotting…..
Fishing really was largely unproductive until the last few hours….we stopped to cook lunch where nothing was happening….but after we ate this 40 yard stretch of river gave up over 60 dollies and they were still going when we left.
The last deep hole on that stretch usually produces a good rainbow….but not on this trip. Got a few small fish then tried it one last time as we were getting ready to float on and I caught this really nice hen dolly…..
About 5 minutes later I did the proverbial “last cast” and was on to a monster…..finally got the net under it and a few pictures…..
A different angle to see the true belly color….
Am having a replica done of that beast….. 28” X 17”….the largest southern dolly varden I have ever caught. So, even though the days were limited in 2013 I certainly can’t complain about the quality of the fish……
Brian
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