Kanektok River Fishing Reports 2009

 

Weather:

Though the summer months are Alaska's most temperate, the weather is still volatile and moody. A balmy sun-filled day can change quickly as the wind blows in the clouds and rain. Proper clothing can ensure everyone's comfort and enjoyment. Dress in layers and always bring a raincoat.

7 day weather forecast for Quinhagak,

 

LOWER BASE CAMP FISHING REPORT
FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 22-29

WATER TEMPERATURE AND CLARITY:
The clarity of the river is great. The river has pretty much stayed level as we have been getting some rains. The river temperature has been from 48 to 52 degrees this week.

WEATHER CONDITIONS:
We have pretty much had it all this week. Some days it is cold, windy and rainy and other days it has been very hot and sunny. You can definitely tell that fall is on its way as we have had our first frost.

HOT FLY OF THE WEEK:
Olive Sculpin and Black Egg Sucking Leech

WILDLIFE SPOTTED:
We are still seeing our local Bear on the other side of the river from camp and a few others. As always we are seeing lots of birds: Mallards, Teal, Pintails, Widgeon, Harlequins and Geese. We are also seeing all the shore birds along with lots of Eagles, Ospreys, Tundra Swans and Great Horned Owls. There has been a lot of Ducks and Geese flying this week, guess it is time to start heading south.

COMMENTS FOR THE WEEK:
The fishing this week has slowed down some. We have a lot of Silvers in the river but they are starting to turn colors and with the low water we haven’t had a huge push of new fish. The Arctic Char are still coming in strong and we are starting to see the late run of smaller fish with some bigger fish mixed in with them. The Rainbow fishing is good and we have been doing well using different flies then what we generally use all the time.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK:

____________________________________________________
Now booking for 2010 -
call 509-962-1060 to check availability.
____________________________________________________

 

 

UPPER BASE CAMP FISHING REPORT
FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 15 TO AUGUST 22

WATER TEMP AND CLARITY
Not much has changed since last week. The water temp was 49 to 51 degrees. The river is still gin clear and dropping like a rock! The river is in perfect condition for fishing.

WEATHER CONDITIONS
It has been overcast most the week, although we have also seen the sun and enjoyed some warm weather. I think it rained for at least a few minutes every day but it was not enough to raise the river. All in all we can’t complain as it was mostly dry without any strong wind.

HOT FLY OF THE WEEK
The flesh pattern has been hot this week as well as the old standby mouse pattern.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
Archie Adams and Larry Kavoures caught Rainbow, Dolly Varden, Silver Salmon and Arctic Grayling all on a mouse pattern in the same day!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
The only fishing trip that I go on that on the last evening I have caught so many fish that I can fish no more!! Doug Mcghee, Lake Tapawingo, MO

WILDLIFE
We saw a bunch of bear this week. Lots of birds along the river including Bald Eagles, Mallards, Pintail, Widgeon, Green wing Teal, Canadian Geese, Tundra Swans, Mergansers, Common Loons, Sandhill Cranes, Arctic Terns, Long tail Jaegers Glaucous winged Gulls, Bald Eagles, Ruffed Legged Hawks, Kestrels, Harlequin ducks, Osprey, Peregrine falcons, Golden crowned Sparrows, Swallows, Common snipe, Greater yellow leg, Ptarmigan, Ravens, and Crows.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

 

COMMENTS FOR THE WEEK
Loche Johnson and Nelson Johansen are great friends that have been fishing with us for many years. They had a great time with the mouse and flesh patterns. They will also be with us this year for Steelhead on Invitation creek! We also had our good friends Doug Mcghee and Steve Krueger. This is their third trip in a row and they are already booked for the same week next year!!! These guys can fish!
Keith McKennon and his son Mark were a pleasure to have in camp again. We also had John and David Benson and Jacques Michienzi, Archie Adams and Larry Kavouras. I swear Larry knows more jokes than anyone I have ever met!! I am already looking forward to next year guys!!!

LOWER BASE CAMP FISHING REPORT
FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 15-22

WATER TEMPERATURE AND CLARITY:
The clarity of the river is great. The river has continued to drop all week. The river temperature has ranged from 50 to 56 degrees this week.

WEATHER CONDITIONS:
The weather this week for the most part has been warm and dry. We had a few rain showers on Thursday but not enough to bring the river up.

HOT FLY OF THE WEEK:
Flesh flies are working great for the Rainbows and the Egg Pattern is still great for the Arctic Char and Bows! The Popsicle is working great for the Silvers.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
If you’re not catching fish your line’s not in the water. - Neal Pabst, Wayne, NJ

WILDLIFE SPOTTED:
We have been seeing lots of Otters on the river this week. As always we are seeing lots of birds: Mallards, Teal, Pintails, Widgeon, Harlequins and Geese. We are also seeing all the shore birds along with lots of Eagles, Ospreys, Tundra Swans and Great Horned Owls.

COMMENTS FOR THE WEEK:
The fishing this week was good for the Silvers. The Arctic Char fishing continues to be unbelievable for big spawning colored fish. It is possibly one of the best years that I can ever remember for Char. As always the Rainbow fishing was AWESOME again this week. All in all it was a great week of angling for all species.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK:

Ray Wilson and Frank Lawerence from Arkansas with two chrome bright Silver Salmon!

 

____________________________________________________
Now booking for 2010 -
call 509-962-1060 to check availability.
____________________________________________________

UPPER BASE CAMP FISHING REPORT
FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 8 TO AUGUST 15

WATER TEMP AND CLARITY
The water temp was 49 to 52 degrees. The river is still gin clear and dropping like a rock! The river is in perfect condition for fishing.

WEATHER CONDITIONS
We had a little bit of everything this week! It was mostly overcast and although it did rain a little for the most part is was good fishing weather with out much rain. There were two days that is was sunny and warm and we even did a little swimming. We also had one day with some strong winds.

HOT FLY OF THE WEEK
We have some new Mouseaholics this week. Remember the first step is to admit that you have a problem! Although the egg and flesh patterns were very effective a lot of the guys really got hooked on throwing the mouse pattern. Everyone also had fun throwing the pink pollywog for Silvers.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
Even though everyone caught lots of big trout this week I think the highlight was the many bear sightings. Especially from the bear that we ended up naming Booboo. I think by the end of the week he thought that he was part of the team!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Duncan and Sons has not missed a thing! The guides are professional in every sense of the word. World-class fishing! Clayton Parks, Cedar Rapids, IA

WILDLIFE
We saw a bunch of bear this week. Lots of birds along the river including Bald Eagles, Mallards, Pintail, Widgeon, Green wing Teal, Canadian Geese, Tundra Swans, Mergansers, Common Loons, Sandhill Cranes, Arctic Terns, Long tail Jaegers Glaucous winged Gulls, Bald Eagles, Ruffed Legged Hawks, Kestrels, Harlequin ducks, Osprey, Peregrine falcons, Golden crowned Sparrows, Swallows, Common snipe, Greater yellow leg, Ptarmigan, Ravens, and Crows.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

 

COMMENTS FOR THE WEEK
Every once in a while you run into a group of guys and you feel like you have known them for many years. That is the way it was this week with Hunter, Clay, and Trevor Parks and their good friends Matt Adam, Kenton Thompson and Chris Baker. It was truly like having a bunch of our closest friends in camp. To say we had a great time with them would be an understatement. I can’t wait until next year when we can do it all over again! We also had Clark Taylor and his brother Webb and son Mark. Clark is a good friend that has fished with me for many years and we finally got him hooked on throwing the mouse pattern! Thomas Tait was also with us all the way from Scotland. Although he came by himself he fit right in with the rest of the group. Talk about a fun week!!!

 

LOWER BASE CAMP FISHING REPORT
FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 8-15

WATER TEMPERATURE AND CLARITY:
The clarity of the river is great. The river has dropped super fast and is almost back to where it was before all the rains we had in late July. The river temperature has been swinging from 48 to 56 degrees this week.

WEATHER CONDITIONS:
Sunday and Monday we had some clouds and light drizzle. Monday, Tuesday the weather was hot and sunny. Wednesday and Thursday we had some light rains and it blew for most of the day. On Friday, we had some showers but for the most part it was nice.

HOT FLY OF THE WEEK:
The Egg Pattern is still working great for the Rainbows and Dollies. The Silvers are pretty much hitting anything we throw at them.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK:
The highlight of the week for me was that this is one of the best years that I have ever seen for big Arctic Char and they are really in their spawning colors.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
I’ve been to four different camps in Alaska and this one tops them all! The best fishing, the best guides and the best run camp. A big thank you to the Duncan’s. Jeff Dunnam – Covington, WA.

WILDLIFE SPOTTED:
We have been seeing a Bear right across from camp almost every morning. We also saw one Bull Moose above camp. As always we are seeing lots of birds: Mallards, Teal, Pintails, Widgeon, Harlequins and Geese. We are also seeing all the shore birds along with lots of Eagles, Ospreys, Tundra Swans and Great Horned Owls. The Geese are really starting to fly the last couple of weeks.

COMMENTS FOR THE WEEK:
The Silvers are coming in strong and we seem to be getting a great escapement! The Arctic Char fishing is out of this world and they are much larger than normal and a lot of them are in full spawning colors. The Rainbow fishing is still on fire and they are really putting on the weight. This has been a great week of angling.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK:

Jeff Dunnam with a big Arctic Char in full spawning colors.

 

____________________________________________________
Now booking for 2010 -
call 509-962-1060 to check availability.
____________________________________________________

Upper BASE CAMP FISHING REPORT
REPORTING FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 1-8

Clint is having some computer issues, so this report was written by Sandy (the web guy) who had the extreme pleasure to fish the UBC this past week - along with his wife Susan.

WATER TEMPERATURE AND CLARITY
The river was up a bit, but still pretty clear.

WEATHER CONDITIONS
We had a little of everything. A few days of light rain, a few days of sun and a few cloudy days.

HOT FLY OF THE WEEK
The Rainbows are hanging behind the spawning beds, so flesh and eggs are working well. Swimming a mouse over the beds is productive also.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
It was great sharing camp with such a great and diverse group of people. We had guests from Oklahoma, Minnesota, New Mexico, California and Washington.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
To borrow a quote from Disneyland - "The Upper Base Camp is the happiest place on earth."

WILDLIFE SPOTTED
Seeing Bears everyday that we go out fishing and occasionally in the evenings from camp. Lots of birds, beavers and assorted creatures.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Just to be different - here is a pretty Arctic Grayling caught this week.

COMMENTS FOR THE WEEK
The Rainbow fishing this week was on fire. The Arctic Char/Dollie Varden are very large this year. The silvers are starting to show up in greater numbers and are exciting to catch on top as well as sub-surface. Several Arctic Grayling were caught this week.

 

 

LOWER BASE CAMP FISHING REPORT FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 1ST – 8TH

WATER TEMPERATURE AND CLARITY:
The clarity of the river is around 24 inches with all the rains we have had for the last couple of weeks. The river has come up around 8 plus inches over the last two weeks but it has dropped around 2 inches this week. The water temperature has been from 50 to 54 degrees this week.

WEATHER CONDITIONS:
Sunday the weather was very windy, rainy and cold. On Monday we actually saw some blue skies and the temperature hit 70 degrees with a few rain showers but by 10:00 PM it was raining again and it pretty much rained all night through Tuesday. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we had low ceilings with clouds.

HOT FLY OF THE WEEK:
The Peachy King Egg Pattern was working great this week for the Rainbows and Arctic Char. All streamers worked great for the Silvers!!

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK:
The highlight of the week was having our long time friends and guests (The Carey Group of 14 years) from Ohio in camp.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
With fishing you always hear “you should have been here yesterday” with the Duncan’s everyday is yesterday. Jim Harper - Columbus, OH.

WILDLIFE SPOTTED:
We spotted a couple of River Otters in the lower river and we also saw e few Bears along the river’s edge. As always we are seeing lots of birds: Mallards, Teal, Pintails, Widgeon, Harlequins and Geese. We are also seeing all the shore birds along with lots of Eagles, Ospreys, Tundra Swans and Great Horned Owls.

COMMENTS FOR THE WEEK:
We had a great week of angling with our good friends and guests from Ohio. The Arctic Char fishing is unbelievable with lots of big fish that are already turning into their spawning colors. The Silver fishing this week has been on fire and they are super girthy. The Rainbows are really chomping the egg patterns. As always, this group targeted the Bows and we caught lots of really nice fish.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK:

____________________________________________________
Now booking for 2010 -
call 509-962-1060 to check availability.
____________________________________________________

UPPER BASE CAMP FISHING REPORT
REPORTING FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 25 TO AUGUST 1

WATER TEMP AND CLARITY
Man, what a change from last week. We started out with low gin clear water but we now have high water with water temp around 47 degrees. We have three feet of visibility at camp and four or five feet in the upper river.

WEATHER CONDITIONS
We had a lot of rain this week and we also had two days that the wind really blew out of the southeast. The wind blew a lot of water out of the lake which helped to bring the river up. It has been years since we have had two weeks of bad weather like this. I keep expecting it to turn around and get nice but so far it hasn’t happened.

HOT FLY OF THE WEEK
The flies that we used this week have been very similar to last week. The egg pattern was really hot for Bows and Dollies! The Chums are at the peak of spawning and the Kings are starting! As usual we also fished the mouse a lot this week.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
My good friend and long time guest Steve Bardot brought his family up from New Orleans this week. While in Anchorage Steve and his wife Phyllis rented some bikes and took their 14 and 15 year old sons Joey and Danny on a bike ride down to Ship creek. The boys are typical boys in that they think they are invincible. While racing down a trail Joey lost control and crashed his bike and broke his right collarbone. The next stop was the E.R. at Providence Hospital. After getting the bone set and a splint the Bardots asked Joey if he wanted to go home or out to our remote camp? He did not hesitate and said “are you kidding I am going to camp”.
He was in a lot of pain and stayed in camp the first day but he decided to give it a try on the second day. He is right handed so he had to learn to cast left-handed. It hurt when Joey tried to reel with his right hand so he stripped the fish in with little strips with his right hand! If that wasn’t enough on day five Joey tripped while getting out of the boat and took a “header” and re broke his collarbone. Fortunately, Joeys dad (Steve) is a doctor and they decided to re set the break out on the river.
My guide Marc Weston helped and they were able to get the bone back in place. Joey sat in the boat for about an hour and recovered from the pain and beat himself up for having fallen. The next thing that happened didn’t surprise anyone that knows Joey. He picked up his rod and started catching fish again!!! Talk about a tough kid!!!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
The best wildlife and fishing camp in the world!! Roy Smither South Africa This is absolutely the best way to fish Alaska! Everything is first rate!!! Mike Brawer, Seattle WA

WILDLIFE
We saw a few bear this week and one Moose and a porcupine. Lots of birds along the river including Bald Eagles, Mallards, Pintail, Widgeon, Green wing Teal, Canadian Geese, Tundra Swans, Mergansers, Common Loons, Sandhill Cranes, Arctic Terns, Long tail Jaegers Glaucous winged Gulls, Bald Eagles, Ruffed Legged Hawks, Kestrels, Harlequin ducks, Osprey, Peregrine falcons, Golden crowned Sparrows, Swallows, Common snipe, Greater yellow leg, Ptarmigan, Ravens, and Crows.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Joey Bardot with guide Marc Weston and one of his many fish.

COMMENTS FOR THE WEEK
Even though the weather was bad we had some fantastic fishing and really enjoyed this weeks guests! Beside the Bardots we also had long time guests and friends Brad Taylor, Derek Fritz and Mike Brawer as well as first time guests Owen Jacob and Robert Haughton from Ireland. Owen and Robert did a float trip with us and then spent a week at the Upper camp. They are great guys and fit in well with the rest of the group! We also had Rick and Tweety Waxman in camp. Rick is a great guy that has fished with us for many years and he brought his wife Tweety for her first Alaskan fishing experience

____________________________________________________
Now booking for 2010 -
call 509-962-1060 to check availability.
___________________________________________________

LOWER BASE CAMP FISHING REPORT
FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 18-25

WATER TEMPERATURE AND CLARITY:
The river temperature has been from 50 to 54 degrees. The clarity of the river is excellent.

WEATHER CONDITIONS:
We have had pretty much everything this week. Sun, clouds, overcast, wind and rain off and on all week. The river dropped a little this week but with the rains it pretty much stabilized itself.

HOT FLY OF THE WEEK:
The Egg Pattern is on fire now that the Chums and Kings are starting to spawn. Flesh Patterns are also working great. Pink Teeny nymphs are working great for the Chums and Sockeye.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK:
The Dollies are stacking up on all the gravel bars and are starting to get super aggressive. The highlight of the week for me was that our good friends (Bill, Pam, Taylor and Krista Wilson) from our home town came up with their 8 and 12 year old daughters. They had never fly fished before and figured it out right away and were ripping lips on the first day. See photo of the week below.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
Best place on earth to learn how to fly-fish. Pam Wilson – Ellensburg, WA.

WILDLIFE SPOTTED:
We saw a couple Bears from camp on the opposite side of the river and one in the lower river. As always we are seeing lots of birds: Mallards, Teal, Pintails, Widgeon, Harlequins and Geese. We are also seeing all the shore birds along with lots of Eagles, Ospreys, Tundra Swans and Great Horned Owls.

COMMENTS FOR THE WEEK:
The Chums and Sockeyes are still pumping in are the fishing for them has been excellent. The King fishing has slowed down some but we got a great escapement this summer. They are starting to spawn, so the Rainbow’s should be moving in on them soon. The Rainbow and Arctic Char fishing is still on fire and they are very healthy. The Silvers are starting to show and should be in the river good by mid next week.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK:

L to R - Krista, Bill, Pam and Taylor Wilson with a colored up Sockeye!

 

UPPER BASE CAMP FISHING REPORT
FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 18 TO JULY 25TH

WATER TEMP AND CLARITY
Our water temp hit a high of 51 degrees this week! The river is gin clear and it is still dropping ! Man it is getting shallow out there!

WEATHER CONDITIONS
We had mostly overcast weather with a little rain but not enough to make the river come up.

HOT FLY OF THE WEEK
The egg pattern was really hot this week! The chums are starting to spawn and the dollies and bows are all over the eggs! As usual we also fished the mouse a lot this week.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
The highlight for me was having my wife and kids in camp and seeing William and Debra Backhouse again! We also saw over twenty bear this week!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
The best wildlife and fishing camp in the world!! Roy Smither South Africa

WILDLIFE SPOTTED
We saw close to twenty bear this week. Lots of birds along the river including Bald Eagles, Mallards, Pintail, Widgeon, Green wing Teal, Canadian Geese, Tundra Swans, Mergansers, Common Loons, Sandhill Cranes, Arctic Terns, Long tail Jaegers Glaucous winged Gulls, Bald Eagles, Ruffed Legged Hawks, Kestrels, Harlequin ducks, Osprey, Peregrine falcons, Golden crowned Sparrows, Swallows, Common snipe, Greater yellow leg, Ptarmigan, Ravens, and Crows.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

COMMENTS FOR THE WEEK
My good friends William and Debra Backhouse brought their family and friends from England this week! It was great to see them again! I think this was their sixth trip with us..

 

____________________________________________________
Now booking for 2010 -
call 509-962-1060 to check availability.
____________________________________________________

 

UPPER BASE CAMP FISHING REPORT
FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 11 TO JULY 18TH

WATER TEMP AND CLARITY
Our water temp hit a high of 56 degrees this week! The river is gin clear and it is still dropping like a rock! Man it is getting shallow out there!

WEATHER CONDITIONS
We had several days of sunny weather with highs in the mid to upper 80s!! We also had a couple days that were rainy and windy with highs in the mid 50s.

HOT FLY OF THE WEEK
Most of our guests this week fished nothing but trout on the mouse pattern! Dollies are showing up in huge numbers and they are on the peachy egg patterns.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
The highlight of the week for me was seeing my old friend Josh Miller! Josh used to guide for me back in the 90s and he brought his dad and a couple of his dads friends.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Best food and best fishing ever!!! Don Peterson, Logan, UT

WILDLIFE SPOTTED
We saw five bear this week as well as a cow moose that was on the gravel bar across from camp. Lots of birds along the river including Bald Eagles, Mallards, Pintail, Widgeon, Green wing Teal, Canadian Geese, Tundra Swans, Mergansers, Common Loons, Sandhill Cranes, Arctic Terns, Long tail Jaegers Glaucous winged Gulls, Bald Eagles, Ruffed Legged Hawks, Kestrels, Harlequin ducks, Osprey, Peregrine falcons, Golden crowned Sparrows, Swallows, Common snipe, Greater yellow leg, Ptarmigan, Ravens, and Crows.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

COMMENTS FOR THE WEEK
The mousing for bows was fantastic this week! We did not spend any time fishing for salmon this week although the river is full of fish. We had Larry and Rankin McDaniel’s this week. They have been fishing with us every year since 1982 and they are my very good friends. As usual, all they threw all week was mouse patterns! It sure was great to spend some time with them and Josh Miller!

 

LOWER BASE CAMP FISHING REPORT
FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 11 TO 18

WATER TEMPERATURE AND CLARITY:
The river temperature at the beginning of the week was 58 to 60 degrees and then dropped to 51 degrees. The clarity of the river is great.

WEATHER CONDITIONS:
Saturday and Sunday was very hot and we hit temps to 92. On Monday some clouds rolled in and by the end of the day we started to get some rains. Tuesday and Wednesday was cloudy and overcast some and by Thursday it was hot and sunny again. Then Thursday evening the wind started to blow again and in came the welcomed rain.

HOT FLY OF THE WEEK:
The Flesh flies (meat and potatoes)

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK:
Our guests and friends from England are here and the Silvers are starting to show up.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK:
21 consecutive years and it gets to be more of a need as each summer comes by - Peter Cockwill from England

A privilege to fish this heaven on earth – Neil Perry from England

WILDLIFE SPOTTED:
We saw a couple of Bears this week and a Caribou with her new calf. As always we are seeing lots of birds: Mallards, Teal, Pintails, Widgeon, Harlequins and Geese. We are also seeing all the shore birds along with lots of Eagles and a couple of Ospreys and Great Horned Owls.

COMMENTS FOR THE WEEK:
The Chum and Sockeye fishing is still on fire and it is non-stop fishing. The Kings have slowed down some but they are biting great and we had a great week catching them on the fly. The Rainbow fishing is unbelievable and they are averaging 20 inches and we are catching lots of them from 24 to 26 inches. The Grayling fishing is still very good. We are seeing lots of Arctic Char marching with the salmon but they really haven’t started to slow down yet.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK:

 

____________________________________________________
Now booking for 2010 -
call 509-962-1060 to check availability.
____________________________________________________

 

LOWER BASE CAMP FISHING REPORT
FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 4TH TO 11TH

WATER TEMPERATURE AND CLARITY:
The river is in great shape and the clarity is as good as it gets. The river temperature has been from 50 to 56.5 this week and the river dropped around 3 inches.

WEATHER CONDITIONS:
It is the same old story for 2009. The temperature has been from 60 to 85 degrees this week. We have had lots of bright sunny days with no rain.

HOT FLY OF THE WEEK:
The Teeny Nymphs in Size #2, #4 and #6.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK:
The highlight of the week is always a hard one for me to choose as we always have lots of good times, great fishing with good friends and exciting things happening on the river every day. If I had to choose one for me it was doing our annual trip to Quinhagak spending time with our friends and handing out toys to the kids on the 4th of July. This year the Binley’s (long time guests and friends) from New York came up a day early and went with us again.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
The Duncan’s simply run the best river camp in Alaska. This was my 28th year in a row with the Duncan’s and that says it all. Jim Teeny, Gresham, OR

WILDLIFE SPOTTED:
We ran into one Bear this week swimming in the middle of the river, every week we have been seeing more and more Bear tracks on the gravel bars. We also had a Bull Moose running around across from camp one evening. As always we are seeing lots of birds: Mallards, Teal, Pintails, Widgeon, Harlequins and Geese. We are also seeing all the shore birds along with lots of Eagles and a couple of Ospreys and Great Horned Owls.

COMMENTS FOR THE WEEK:
The Chum and Sockeye fishing is on full bore! The Kings are also coming in great and we are starting to see some very large fish. The fly fishing for them was very good with a couple slow days during the week. We are getting a good escapement of Kings this summer. The Rainbow fishing is still on fire with fish averaging 20 inches and lots of bigger fish. The Grayling fishing is still very good. Our Arctic Char fishing is early and we are seeing lots of big fish.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK:

____________________________________________________
Now booking for 2010 -
call 509-962-1060 to check availability.
____________________________________________________

 

 

LOWER BASE CAMP FISHING REPORT
FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 27TH TO July 4TH

 

WATER TEMPERATURE AND CLARITY:
The water temperature has been from the low 50’s in the mornings to as high as 56 degrees. The clarity is as good as I’ve ever seen for this time of year.

WEATHER CONDITIONS:
The weather this week has been super hot with sunny clear days. On Wednesday the temperature got to 81 degrees. Then on Friday the weather changed and it was blowing 30mph and raining most of the day.

HOT FLY OF THE WEEK:
The Mouse and the pink Teeny Nymph have been working great!

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK:
The Rainbow fishing is on fire!!!!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

WILDLIFE SPOTTED:
We didn’t see any Bears this week but we have been seeing lots of tracks on the gravel bars. As always we are seeing lots of birds: Mallards, Teal, Pintails, Widgeon, Harlequins and Geese. We are also seeing all the shore birds along with lots of Eagles and a couple of Ospreys and Great Horned Owls.

COMMENTS FOR THE WEEK:
The Chums are really starting to stack up on all the gravel bars and the Sockeyes are marching like crazy. The Kings are also coming in great and we are starting to see some very large fish. The Rainbow fishing is super good and they are very healthy and look like they have wintered over well. We have been doing a lot of Grayling fishing this week and they also look like they wintered well as we are catching a lot of fish to 14 inches. It is great to see them coming back in huge numbers. We have also been seeing a lot of Arctic Char in the river and they are also starting to stage up behind the Chums. They seem to be a little early this year.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK:

____________________________________________________
Now booking for 2010 -
call 509-962-1060 to check availability.
____________________________________________________

 

LOWER BASE CAMP FISHING REPORT
FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 20TH TO 27TH

WATER TEMPERATURE AND CLARITY:

The water temperature has been right around 47 to 48 degrees. The clarity of the upper river has been unreal for this time of year. Since we arrived on June 6th the river has dropped 16 inches. The lower 10 miles of the river is pumping mud off a tundra bank so the clarity is only around 18 inches.

WEATHER CONDITIONS:

We have pretty much had it all since we got here in early June. When we were setting up camp June 6th to 20th we had temperatures as high as 92 and lows to 30. This week we have had temps from 40 to 65 with quite a lot of rain and cloudy days with a couple nice sunny days.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK:

The highlight for me this week is that the Kings are here and not late like last year!!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

The best guides, service, food and fishing of any of the camps I’ve been to in the last twenty years. The Duncan’s.

WILDLIFE SPOTTED:

We have only seen one Bear so far but we are starting to see lots of tracks on the gravel bars. As always we are seeing lots of birds: Mallards, Teal, Pintails, Widgeon and Harlequins. We are also seeing all the shore birds along with lots of Eagles and a couple of Ospreys.

COMMENTS FOR THE WEEK:

The overall fishing for Kings this week has been good to average. We’ve been getting pushes of Kings pretty much everyday but haven’t seen a real heavy push yet. The numbers of Kings caught everyday is much higher than last year. Our largest King so far this year was right around 45lbs, caught by Fred Hansen from New York. ADFG says the commercial catch is average compared to the years past (excluding last year). We are starting see lots of Chums stacking up on the gravel bars and back waters with a few marching Sockeyes. The Rainbow fishing has been excellent with the low clear water with one fish as large as 27 inches! We have even caught a few Arctic Char already.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK:


Dale Miller Jr. with a Bright 2009 King

 

• For the archived fishing reports see 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008

 

Weather:

Though the summer months are Alaska's most temperate, the weather is still volatile and moody. A balmy sun-filled day can change quickly as the wind blows in the clouds and rain. Proper clothing can ensure everyone's comfort and enjoyment.

10 day weather forecast for Quinhagak,