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.

Jet Lagged Confessions - Alaska Style Part 3

 Well, it's been a busy fall season and now that the holidays have arrived, I am going to finish up some blogging that slipped out of my schedule a couple months back.  Let's see, where were we?  We covered my love for Arctic Char, the fun of Alaskan Rainbow Trout, so let's pick up with part 3 which is all about the Silver Salmon.....and although it is one day late, I will reiterate the words of my UK friend Wayne who said, CO HO HO Merry Christmas!  I do hope each of you had a great day with friends and family and are getting some nice down time.

Getting back to Alaska, each year we head up to the Bristol Bay region Silvers are a targeted species but more so in August than in September.  This years trip was scheduled for September so big trout were the target, but much to our surprise, when we arrived, their were still fresh runs of Silvers coming in every day.  Not wanting to miss out on this fun, we decided to give chase and hunt down these anadromous beasts that were pulsing in with each tide.  As luck would have it, they weren't hard to find and were very willing to play!

Good friend and client Bill gets on the board with an average size fish.

Bill and I had a chance to spend some good time together on the water while there in Alaska, and much to our pleasure, the fish were often times liking our presentations.  Bill is always a great comrade to fish with as he doesn't take things too seriously.  Don't misunderstand that to mean that he isn't serious about his fishing, because nothing could be further from the truth.  He is however willing to laugh at himself and others when necessary and be thankful for the grab that didn't go his way.  That being the case, we had a couple of stellar days together and this is a just a few shots from that time.

SAO Guide/Host Patrick Robinson holds a colored up Silver Salmon on Big Creek.

Bill with a nice chrome fish to take home.  Hot pink always seems to do the trick!

A nice buck Silver Salmon poses for a nice shot with Patrick.

A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work....but a good day fishing is even better!

We weren't the only guys to get out after the Silvers while there on the Naknek River system.  Whether it was us, other lodges, seals or bears, everyone had taken notice that Silvers were still pulsing in and found time to go after them.

SAO Guide/Host Ben Barger hammered a very nice buck on his day up Big Creek.

Leif was a great guy to fish with and the fish thought so too!  Many fish were caught like this one...including the seal slash (see tail area).  But we weren't picky at all.

All in all, the week or two I was there in camp the Silver fishing was surprisingly good.  In fact, it was phenomenal!  Of all the clients in camp, I don't think anyone went without catching at least a couple silvers with numerous guys catching several limits (5 fish daily) throughout the week.

It just goes to show you that these fish don't run based on the calendar month....so pay attention to your lunar/solar charts and other reports, because that could just make your "normal" week in camp look a little bit different than it normally does and that is the beauty of Alaska...there is always a surprise in store!

Next time we will look at a few different topics from fish to fowl and everything in between.  For those interested in hitting Alaska with us, we are making our return in September of next year on the same week as we have been several times previously.  We didn't make these dates public until just a few days ago via Facebook due to our high rebook rate.  If you are interested, we are heading back to Naknek River Camp for the week of September 7-14, 2012.  Email Patrick Robinson at flybum@windstream.net for more information on how you can get on the team for this awesome trip.

To see some video of past trips, go to the "Hosted Trips" page.  If that doesn't get you excited I don't know what will.

Tight Lines,

Patrick "Flybum" Robinson
Head Guide
Steelhead Alley Outfitters

Another Successful Alaskan Experience!

If I had to describe this years trip to Alaska, I would have to say it was awesome! We hosted 20 angler's into camp again this year, with many of them experiencing Alaska for the first time! Everything from Rainbow Trout, Grayling, Char/Dollies, Lake Trout, Sockeye, and Silver Salmon were brought to hand over the course of the week.

The guys flew out to several world class destinations while the boat trips across the lake to the Brooks River and other creeks that offered up outstanding fishing as usual. Combine the good fishing with the Alaskan scenery, bear sightings, and river side accommodations, and you were hard pressed to ask for anything more...

A special thank you to all of the angler's who traveled with us, and to the Johnson family & staff at Naknek River Camp for another great trip! We have already taken several bookings for our return to Alaska in 2012. The dates will be August 18th thru the 25th. If you are interested in experiencing Alaska, we would love to have you along with us! Alaska RSVP's can be placed by contacting us at 888-453-5899 or email us at team@steelheadalleyoutfitters.com. 

In local news: Two fly tying classes offered at Chagrin River Outfitters on Saturday September 10th. This will be an all day event, so stop by and get ready for the returning fall Lake Erie Steelhead run.

Here are just a few pictures from our trip to Alaska, there were so many nice fish pictures and everyone was so successful that it is extremely hard to get them all up online! 

Looking back at our cabins from the Naknek River.

Camp life was about fishing, eating, and sleeping!

The guys enjoying an evening of bear snorkling from their cabin deck.

Mike Sowers with a healthy Naknek River Rainbow.

Dave Thatcher poses with a solid Arctic Char.

Patrick Campbell with a trophy Grayling from a small 

creek that we will leave nameless for now!

Jim Lewis with a Naknek River Sockeye Salmon.

Bill lewis and Guide Steve Martinez pose with a Naknek River Rainbow.

John Staranko and Mike Komarny strike a

pose on a recent fly out to the land of huge Char.

Bernard Staranko with a solid Naknek Rainbow.

Mike Komarny poses with a 30 inch pig of a Char.

Barry Kovach with a Sockeye.  They are a necessary evil to many who

fish for the Rainbows and Arctic Char, but they are fighters none the less.

Josh Stephens and Guide Alex Sundquist

pose with a small creek Arctic Char.

Hiking the Alaskan tundra on a recent fly out.

Joel Bock and friend Barry, pose with

Alex and a hefty Arctic Char.

A close up of a typical Dolly/Char caught on the trip.

Mike, Pat, and Patrick Robinson with an Arctic Char triple.

Joe Borter and Wayne McGee with a small creek double.

Ham Biggar poses with his first

Silver Salmon on hallowed grounds south of camp.

Mike Schmidt and Greg Senyo double down on very

nice Arctic Char.  Way to go boys!

Ready for take off on a recent fly out.

Lake trout on a swung fly? Yeah Buddy!

Mark Rushnak and Guide Kyle Hartman

with a monster Naknek River Rainbow.

Joel having fun on the ride up stream.

I said Joel was having fun!

Mike Schmidt poses with a beautiful Char.

Greg Senyo with a solid Brooks River Rainbow.

Patrick Robinson with a solid Silver Salmon.

For the guys on the trip we will have photo books and videos completed as quickly as possible, please get your order forms in ASAP, so we know how many we will need! If you have any questions regarding the book or video please contact Patrick Robinson at flybum@windstream.net