Alaska’s winters are long, dark and unforgiving. The biggest reason many people don’t live here is probably the winter. But, there are those like me that have endured and continue to endure winters icy grip. Although there are still fish to be had this time of year it is nothing compared to tha summer action that passes all to quickly. Because of this I have lots of time to look back and ponder over past fly fishing adventures. How was the fishing? What did I learn and what do i need to improve on? These are all important questions that I ask myself.In regards to the quality of fishing, as always, some areas were great and some were marginal. The year started out great as i was catching Dolly Varden at one of the major lakes from the first of the year to the end of april. 15 fish days were the norm and 30 fish days were sprinkled in with some 25 inch monster Dollies. Definately, the best fly fishing i have ever experienced up here during that time of year. During the summer season, the Salmon fish was average except for King Salmon. This was the first year we had a true run of King Salmon through the Kodiak road system and i took full advantage of the opportunity. I caught fish in the small stream but the highlight was casting big clouser minnows out of my pontoon boat in the ocean near the mouth of the river. They were small kings by Alaskan standards but they still fight hard! As for reds, pinks, chums and silvers, it was an average year but average in Alaska might be conidered world class by many. For that reason I try to stay humble and not be dissapointed because every year up here is much better for me than when i lived in Utah. I guess the real highlight of this past year was the Rainbow Trout and Dolly Varden fly fishing. I caught more Kodiak lake rainbows than ever before and plenty of fish between 20 and 25 inches. And, of course I experienced the greatness of the Naknek River. I really enjoyed fishing dollies in the fall before they began their spawning rituals. I caught fish till i was bored and Dolly Varden as big as red salmon were not uncommon.I learned some interesting things this year. I learned how inconsistent Kodiak Rainbow Trout fishing can be and how to hit it right. It seems that sunny days with a little wind are the best and sudden changes in weather can spell doom. I figured out the best timing for fall Dolly Varden and of course i found some secret flies that worked some magic. I also learned what i need to work on. Mending is a top priority. I rarely need to mend while fly fishing on Kodiak and i found that my mending skills were a bit rusty on the Naknek River. I will try to mend more often even if it’s not required. Second, I need to practice casting in the winter more so i am not slappin the water in May and June. Overall it was a great year as it usually is up here even though the winters can suck the life out of a person. But when the weather warms and the leaves turn green that life returns!