Salmonflies
Pteronarcys californica
The giant Salmonflies of the Western mountains are legendary for their proclivity to elicit consistent dry-fly action and ferocious strikes.
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Report at a Glance
| General Region | Interior Alaska |
| Specific Location | Badger Slough |
| Dates Fished | Thursday-30 May |
| Time of Day | Morning/Afternoon |
| Fish Caught | Grayling |
| Conditions & Hatches | Clear water, sunny, 80-85 degrees(F). Did not look for hatches. |
Details and Discussion
GldstrmSam on Jun 1, 2013June 1st, 2013, 11:14 pm EDT
I went fishing with a friend on Thursday for grayling in the Badger slough (off the Chena river), and tried my new rod and reel* set up for the first time.
Even though the day was hot, I had a very successful trip.
Within the first 10 minutes caught at least five fish. After the sun rose higher the fish, for the most part, got lazy and I had to work the fly a little harder to get a strike. None the less I still caught and released at least twenty five grayling by mid afternoon. One of which set a new grayling record for me at about 16"+.
If you know me fairly well you should easily be able to guess which fly I caught most of them on. Yep! you guessed it - a bead head Brassie. I also was doing very well on a nymph of my own creation, but it started falling apart after a few fish.(of course I did not have any more in my fly box:) I also caught a couple using a good old Red Tag.
My friend was fishing lures so he only caught two grayling. :) :)
Samuel
*I finally settled on an Echo Ion fly reel and am very pleased with it so far.
Even though the day was hot, I had a very successful trip.
Within the first 10 minutes caught at least five fish. After the sun rose higher the fish, for the most part, got lazy and I had to work the fly a little harder to get a strike. None the less I still caught and released at least twenty five grayling by mid afternoon. One of which set a new grayling record for me at about 16"+.
If you know me fairly well you should easily be able to guess which fly I caught most of them on. Yep! you guessed it - a bead head Brassie. I also was doing very well on a nymph of my own creation, but it started falling apart after a few fish.(of course I did not have any more in my fly box:) I also caught a couple using a good old Red Tag.
My friend was fishing lures so he only caught two grayling. :) :)
Samuel
*I finally settled on an Echo Ion fly reel and am very pleased with it so far.
There is no greater fan of fly fishing than the worm. ~Patrick F. McManus
Troutnut on Jun 5, 2013June 5th, 2013, 12:49 am EDT
Glad you had a good trip! I've been thinking of heading out there while waiting for the rivers to go down, but I've been too busy lately. Had a really fun bear hunt in Prince William Sound!
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
GldstrmSam on Jun 5, 2013June 5th, 2013, 10:30 pm EDT
At first I was worried that the water was going to be high and muddy because the Chena river was at flood stage that day, but the water was actually low and clear. I could not have asked for better conditions.
Sounds like you have a blog post to write. :) :)
Sounds like you have a blog post to write. :) :)
There is no greater fan of fly fishing than the worm. ~Patrick F. McManus
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