Back to Alaska - Alagnak 2018

Have you ever dreamt of fishing the waters of the great state of Alaska?  If so, we have a trip that you would absolutely love and it will be full of hard pulling fish that you'll never forget!

For several years now we have been traveling up to the Alagnak River also known locally as the Branch River due to it's highly braided nature as it winds its way to the sea.

If you think you would enjoy catching a ton of hard pulling salmon (Pinks, Chums, and Silvers) on stripped and swung flies, then this trip is for you.  There will be shots at other species too such as Grayling, Arctic Char, and the leopard Rainbows that call the river system home.

Here are a few shots from past years to give you an idea of the experience.

 This photo could have been taken every 5 minutes on some days!

 A big buck Pink Salmon.  Their hump makes it difficult to fight them in strong currents!

 Leopard Bow from the Alagnak

 Silver Salmon in full spawning colors

 Arctic Char are stunning in their spawning colors!

 A super fresh Silver Salmon.  We hope to get many of these this summer!

 A very common sight 

 Grayling are great fish...especially on a dry fly.

 Chum Salmon that ate well!

 Your view for the week from the dock.

This was an epic day and it could be yours too!

As you can tell, we have had some fun on these trips up north.  The summer of 2018 will be no different.  We have two weeks back to back available.  If you are interested, let us know.

Week #1 - August 5-12, 2018

Target species: Swinging and Stripping Fresh Pinks and Chums 

Other Species Targeted: Rainbows, Char, Grayling

Note:  This week has been for many anglers the best swung fly fishing they have ever experienced.  Many days anglers land between 25-50 fish per person on the swing.

Week #2 - August 12-19, 2018

Target species: Stripping for Fresh Silver Salmon

Other Species Targeted: Rainbows, Char, Grayling, Chums, and Pinks

Note:  The Alagnak River has one of the best returns of Silver Salmon in the Bristol Bay region.  And Silvers (Coho) are very good table fare as well.

If you would like more information about this trip, please contact Patrick Robinson at team@steelheadalleyoutfitters.com or call (888) 453-5899.

Bar Flies Cleveland - Don't Miss Out!

Ok, Cleveland, here ya go!  Please share this with your friends and let's get this kicked off and going strong!!!  We hope to see you all there!

Come and spend an educational and fun filled evening of fly tying, refreshments, and food with the regional well known fly fishing personalities.

                                                                                                          MERWIN'S WHARF 

Location:
Merwin's Wharf
1785 Merwin Ave
Cleveland, Ohio 44113

Menu - Click Here

Cost is $20.00 Per person at the door 
6pm-9pm

RSVP to 734-544-1761 to RSVP or send us a PM and we will add you to the list.


January 26th Greg Senyo
Come and learn to tie a few tied and true flies for Great Lakes Steelhead

February 11th Jeff Liskay
Come and learn to tie Simple and effect steelhead flies from Cleveland's own and Highly respected angler

February 23rd Jake Villwock
Come learn to tie effect and simple trout flies for the Mid West and East's favorite trout streams.

March 10th Tommy Lynch
Up your streamer game and learn to tie the effective and articulated stripping streamers used for Brown Trout and Steelhead.

March 22nd Mike Schultz
Learn to tie today's tried and true Smallmouth Bass flies

All Materials and pattern sheets are included, please bring your vise, tools, and thread...
Join us for Appetizers and Refreshments at 6pm and tying will start at 630pm

Hope to see many of you soon!

Another Steelhead Season Underway!

This is the sight on many streams currently...with varying levels of clarity!  Streams have been improving over the last couple days and many are starting to clear up and fish well as of today, so get out there while the getting is good!

The Vermilion, Rocky, Chagrin, Grand tribs, Ashtabula, Conneaut and Elk are all either fishing or just starting.  Expect flows to still hold some sediment from the snow melt that is still happening and choose your fly patterns and presentations accordingly.

If you need to get a guide on the books, don't wait!  The phone is ringing off the hook and dates are going fast!  Call us at 1-888-453-5899 or email us at team@steelheadalleyoutfitters.com

The Ashtabula has been dialing in nicely!  Hoping for a good run this spring!

Don't forget that the pressure on the water will be less than desirable this weekend.  That means that this is a perfect opportunity to remember what stream etiquette is all about.  Remember...although you may not realize it, you could be the only teacher of proper stream etiquette some people ever see!  Make all your opportunities count this weekend be it setting the hook on a fish or teaching those around you the finer aspects of the sport!

The Elk is looking good today and although considered more of a fall fishery,
it shouldn't be overlooked when it comes to early spring fish!

A gorgeous spring fish....many more of these to come!

All the best out there this spring!

While The Snow Flies, Come Watch Us Tie!

Don't miss out on the opportunity to come learn about the sport of steelheading and fly tying.  We are heading out for The Backpackers Shop in Sheffield Village on the west side of Cleveland tomorrow and hope that if you are in the area, that you'll join us.  It is an all day gig and doesn't cost you anything more than your time.  And trust us, it will be worth that and more!  Here are the details.

We hope to see you all there and getting geared up for the spring season!

Belize Trip Announced

We are super excited about the opportunity to get back down to the waters of Belize.  It has been several years since our last chance to spend a couple of weeks down there plying the waters for the big 3, and we are itching to get back to those beautiful blue waters and endless sand flats!  If you are interested in trying your hand at some saltwater fun on the fly, give us a shout!  Positions are limited and we would love to see you along for the ride!

BELIZE

San Pedro on the island of Ambergris Caye

 March 19-26, 2016

$1795pp for 6 days 7 nights

4 positions remain available as of 2/9/15

For more information call (888) 453-5899 or email us at team@steelheadalleyoutfitters.com.  Serious inquiries only please.

Great Show and Bar Flies

What a great weekend in Indianapolis at the first annual Indiana Fly Fishing Expo.  We had a lot of fun hooking up with past clients, meeting new, and hanging with a lot of friends in the industry!

Here are a few candid shots from our friend Bryan...

Mike Schultz and Greg Senyo hanging in front of the SO/SAO booth.

Mike Schultz manning the booth 

Our friend Lee Janik of Clutch Tactical Fly Rods

Greg Senyo tying some flies for the audience at his session at the expo.  

Photo provided by tippetandtales.com

Senyo A.I.'s, Flo-Riders, and Predator Scandi's

Good friend Mike Schmidt of Anglers Choice Flies demonstrates for Bob Clouser.

We are already looking forward to the next shows of the season but before that, it is back to Bar Flies and other winter activities.  If you are planning on being a part of our Bar Flies Cleveland, we look forward to seeing you soon!

For those registered, we will see you for a great night of hanging and tying!

Hope to see all of you soon at shows, the shop, or on the water weather permitting!

Show Season Is About To Launch

The start of the year always takes off quickly with show season and this year is no different.  This winter we will be around the midwest and the east coast hitting shows.

This weekend both the crews from SAO and Schultz Outfitters will be heading to the first of the year.  You won't want to miss the newest show in the midwest hosted in Indianapolis at the state fairgrounds.  They have a great line up ready to go.  Check out the link below and we hope to see some old friend and meet some new ones too!

Indiana Fly Fishing Expo

The Fly Fished Round The World

Every now and then we get reports from people on their fishing adventures that are fun to share.  This time we got one that is pretty cool.  Now, don't tell Greg I posted this, because we don't want his head to get too big, but this time the report comes all the way from the Tierra del Fuego.

Instead of hearing the report from me, how about I just share it in their own words….

Greg, 

Our first morning on the Rio Grande we arrived and the water was very muddy and high because of recent snow in the mountains that was melting off.  After seeing the conditions, our guide put one of your flies (an Artificial Intelligence) on Roger's line. It didn't take long and BINGO!!! A beautiful female sea-run Brown Trout weighing 18.5 pounds!!!

A beautiful Sea Trout comes to hand on day one in the Tierra del Fuego

18.5 lbs of absolute swingers bliss spills out of another satisfied clients hands!

This was a super nice fish to start off the week with! It was interesting to hear that our guide Fede said he has seen your ads in fishing magazines!!! (I think they are glad he did)

Senyo's Artificial Intelligence Intruder poses after
being abused by a smoking hot hen Sea Trout!

Here is a shot of the fly that was used to pull that first fish!! Thanks so much! Katherine

So, there you have it…whether at home or abroad, the A.I. as it has affectionately been labeled by fly anglers is getting it done from the top of the world all the way the bottom and many places in between.

If you are interested in picking some of these up, feel free to contact us at 1-888-453-5899 for a custom selection.

If you are fly tier and are wanting to tie some up, check out our fly tying blog for a step-by-step tutorial.  Click here  http://www.steelheadalleyflytying.blogspot.com

If you are in need of the supplies from Hareline Dubbin that we use to tie this fly, please call us once again at the number above and talk to the guys in the shop…they can ship out everything you need today and have you on the swing very soon thereafter.

Have an awesome day guys and gals and remember that the streams are gonna be heating up later in the week and hopefully the swing bite will be too!

Tight Lines,

Patrick "Flybum" Robinson
Director of Operations
Steelhead Alley Outfitters

The Perks...

Each year there are those days that hold special memories for each guide.  On Saturday, Ben Barger and myself had the opportunity to take a family out for a shot at some early season steelhead.  It's not typical that we would call this early season, but this year is anything but typical.

At any rate, we had tried unsuccessfully last fall to get the Melaragno clan out on the water and so we were dealt a cold March day where one had to hunt for every fish this time around.  Nothing was going to come easy, that was for sure.

With all of them being newcomers to the fly rod, we chose a choice location for casting instruction that could potentially hold a fish or two...but the odds were stacked against us...or so we thought.

Max is the young man in the right of photo.  He is a very energetic 8 year old who is all boy...just the way they ought to be.  We hadn't been on the stream for five seconds before rocks and sticks were being flung all over the place.  That being the case, the first rod that was ready for use was given to Max.  I can still hear Ben saying, Max, you have a lot of energy to burn, so how about we get you started first.   Mom and Dad chuckled at hearing that.

With that, Ben and Max stepped up stream and the instruction on swinging flies began.  When I say it wasn't 10 minutes later, I am not kidding.  Just 10 minutes into the day and I hear, "I have one!"  Surprised by the proclamation, I look up thinking that perhaps the lad was snagged, when all at once I saw the roll of the fish at the end of his line.  "Amazing," I thought to myself.  Ben scrambled to get by his side to coach him and I scrambled for the camera to capture every stage of the action.  Moments later, we had a nice buck in the net and a family full of smiles....here is one of the best shots from the day.

THE MELARAGNO FAMILY ENJOYS A MOMENT THEY WILL REMEMBER FOR YEARS!

For us as guides, these are the true perks of the job!  There is nothing quite like introducing the next generation to the sport that we love and then getting to celebrate moments like these.

Great job Max on landing that first and memorable fish and way to help the young man get it done Ben!  We look forward to seeing the whole family back again in the future!

Tight Lines,

Patrick "Flybum" Robinson
Director of Operations
Steelhead Alley Outfitters

The Hold Out...

This week we have been out doing some scouting and looking at the rivers.  The good news is that there is open water to be fished on all of the streams.  The bad news is that the lower water sections on most of the rivers are still holding out for the really warm weather or super high water…whichever comes first.

I was out on Tuesday looking around and snapped some shots from the lower sections of some streams and the following photos were very characteristic of what was to be found.

While poking around the rivers, these little guys reminded me that we were definitely in the spring season.  It is always a welcome sight to see thousands of these little winter stones crawling all over the ice and snow along the river.  As things warm we should see some more bug life that will get us thinking about throwing dries for trout too!  Any way we slice it, I just look forward to some warmer days with fish included.  There are a few out there to be had, but the best is yet to come.

Keep an eye on our Facebook page and we will keep you up to date on the latest conditions and what we may find.

Until then, stay warm, tie some flies, and get out when the windows allow to put a bend in your rod!

Tight lines,

Patrick Robinson
Director of Operations
Steelhead Alley Outiftters

Ice Out Is Here…Let The Fishing Begin

Well, after the coldest and longest winter I can remember, the break has finally shown itself.  The rivers are blown and dropping back and the fishing will begin in ernest this week!  Sure there is still a lot of ice on the banks and sometimes in the flow, but we are free from the grip of winter, so let the celebration begin!

After many weeks of tying flies of all sorts and varieties for all kinds of species, I am more ready than ever to get out and bust some chrome or any fish for that matter.  Here is one of my favorite ties as of late that will eventually get the job done.

A NICE 3/0 SPEY FLY READY TO HIT THE WATER AND DO THE JOB.

And when I'm not busy chasing chrome, I hope to get out and give a shot at sticking some toothy critters too.  That being the case, I decided to tie up some "go big or go home" kind of flies too.  Here is one such fly for Muskie that I hope will be wet in coming weeks!

A FLY TIED UP AND READY FOR A HUNGRY TOOTHY TYPE!

Regardless of what species of fish you are going after, the ice is gone from most rivers and the waters are ready to be worked by those who are willing.

If you are interested in hitting the water this spring for some Steelhead or Smallmouth, give us a shout and let us help you put some fish in the bag!  You can call us at (888) 453-5899 or email us at team@steelheadalleyoutfitters.com.

We hope to hear from you soon!

Sincerely,

Patrick "Flybum" Robinson
Director of Operations
Steelhead Alley Outfitters

Cabin Fever Blues & Browns

Cold…snow…wind…more snow…negative temps…more snow and more snow and more snow….I swear I don't want to see the seat of a plow truck again for years after this years winter full of "arctic vortex's!"

It just seems that we can't shake it no matter how hard we try.  The long term forecast has us out into the second week of March before the next good thaw which is late…but, while I'm singing the blues, I thought I might as well share some stellar footage of big Browns that really got my blood pumping.

If you have a couple of minutes, it will be well worth your time and hopefully help with your case of cabin fever as it did mine!  Check it out!

Until next time,

Patrick "Flybum" Robinson

Director of Operations

Steelhead Alley Outfitters

Anyone Ready for a Spring Fling?

It seems like yesterday that the rivers were looking good and we were fishing the fall run.  Fresh chrome was coming to hand and life was good.  Nothing like getting fish on the swing...nothing like it!  As much as I love catching fish that way, all good things must come to an end right?  Well, come to an end it did...and quickly!  That cold arctic air that we are all familiar with from a long hard winter hit us hard and has had us in its grip ever since.

PRETTY FISH ON PRETTY FLIES...PRETTY COOL!

Making the transition out of a steelhead season that seemed to end too quickly last fall was only softened by the ability to get the boats out for some late season duck hunting.  It definitely helped keep my mind and spare time occupied, but there too it proved difficult to stay ahead of the ever increasing ice that threatened to lock up our favorite haunts be it rivers, ponds or the lake.

A MIXED BAG FROM MY CUSTOM LAYOUT BOAT I COMPLETED DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS

THE WORST MISTAKE THESE TWO DRAKE BUFFLEHEADS EVER MADE

 So, the winter seems to be done and slowly giving way to the spring thaw.  In recent days, the rivers have been blowing...some at epic levels, and the ice is going with it.  That means that fishing is right around the corner and I don't know about you, but I'm ready for a fix...a spring fling...to hear the ring, the zing or whatever you want to call it.

Cabin fever here is your fair warning....I'm over you and we are done for the winter.  If you are with me, I hope to see you on the water and with any luck, a little bit of this kind of pretty to go along with it!

SOLID FISH ON HIGH GREEN FLOWS...NOT MUCH BETTER ON ANY DAY!

CLIENT SMILES FRAMED IN CHROME...HERE'S TO MANY MORE IN 2014!

Well, that's all for now....and thanks to Facebook, who knows when I'll get back here again...but I will try to get back sooner than later.  I hope your year is off to a great start and wish you all the luck in your excursions this spring and all year long!

If we can help get you on the water, give us a shout at 1-888-453-5899 or email us at team@steelheadalleyoutfitters.com and we will get you on the books.

Tight lines,

Patrick Robinson
Director of Operations
Steelhead Alley Outfitters