The otter landed softly on the Yentna River and came to a slow stop on an exposed sandbar where 2 jet boats were waiting to take us and our gear across the river to our humble accommodations for the week. A small one room cabin with 2 bunk beds and no electricity was where I upacked my waders and got prepared for the first day on Lake Creek. About 150 miles Northwest of Anchorage is Lake Creek, a small tributary of the Yentna River. From the confluence of the Yentna River to the head Waters of Chelantna Lake, Lake Creek runs nearly 60 miles, boast a salmon run over 50,000 each year and a very healthy population of Leopard Rainbow Trout. Our party was the last trip of the season targeting the leopard Rainbows written about in magazines. Fishing for these fish is very similar to steelhead fishing. We would find a pod of dead salmon or those nearly there and fish behind them with the appropriate pattern. Glo Bugs, flesh flies and mice were our flies of choice and had success on each of them. The sheer power of these fish was remarkable, totally wild and un-spoiled by the stocking of their farm raised brethren, these fish fought as hard as any steelhead or salmon I have ever hooked. Bending our 6 and 7 weights to the cork each fish you hook was tougher than the next. Their beauty was just as outstanding as their strength; deep reds and greens with numerous spots that encroached into their eyes making each fish look like a painting. Jet boats were our mode of transportation to and from Lake Creek with our day Starting around 8:30 and ending between 6 and 7 if you missed your boat home you could surely lasso the mosquitoes biting you through your waders and ride them back. During the evening we would eat in a common lodge that was powered by a generator and heated by a wood stove. We would chat over beer and food and watch the grey sky slowly turn to pitch black through the windows with bear claw markings on the screens. It rained nearly everyday during our stay with only one day partially clearing giving us a view of the Alaskan Range that wraps around the area almost entirely. We did not see any bears but the evidence that they were there was abundant, fresh piles of partially digested berries lingered on every sandbar along with tracks bigger than 2 human hands. The saying that everything is tougher in Alaska is certainly true. I have never been to a place so remote and so vast that it would take a lifetime to just scratch the surface. I am only hopeful that someday I am able to make it back.
Book
- Alaska
- Guide & Fisherman
- Guiding: Choosing Your Guide And Choosing Your Customer
- Guiding: Do It Yourself With A Guide
- Guiding: Evolution Of A Guide
- Guiding: Freshwater, More Than Meets The Eye
- Guiding: Friends For Life
- Guiding: Know Where You Are
- Guiding: More Than Just A Fisherman
- Guiding: Mystery Of The Fisherman
- Guiding: Payment
- Guiding: Saltwater, A Different World
- Rough Fish
- Fly Fishing For Rough Fish: Why Do It?
- Introduced Rough Fish: The Carps & Other Invasive Species
- Methodology: Gear & Tactics For Pursuing Roughfish On A Fly
- More Roughfish: Bullheads, Whitefish, Goldeye, Burbot & Drum
- Rough Fish Environments: Where To Look For Rough Fish?
- Rough Fish Species: The Suckers
- Rough fish: A Lifetime Of Learning
- Rough Fish: Fishing For Dinosaurs (Gars & Bowfin)
- Rough Fish: What Are They?
- The Hook: Some Common Rough Fish Fly Patterns
- Spey
- Spey: Applications, Where Can You Do It?
- Spey: Atlantic Salmon, A Significant Fish
- Spey: Defined And Demystified
- Spey: Gear, The Nuts And Bolts
- Spey: Lines, They Are That Important
- Spey: Steelhead, New Traditions & A Modern Movement
- Spey: The Energy
- Spey: The Flies
- Spey: The Swing
- Spey: Two Critical Casts
- Striped Bass
- Striped Bass: Fishing Rocky Shorelines
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Beaches
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Flats
- Striped Bass: Fishing The Reefs
- Striped Bass: Fishing Tidal Rivers
- Striped Bass: Flatwing Swing
- Striped Bass: Fly Line Options & Choices
- Striped Bass: Gear, The Nuts & Bolts
- Striped Bass: Migration Patterns
- Striped Bass: What They Eat
- The Art Of Escape
- Fly Fishing: A Natural Drug
- Fly Fishing: A Validation Of Freedom
- Fly Fishing: Don’t Fight The Current
- Fly Fishing: It Is What It Is
- Fly Fishing: Socialization For Asocial Individuals
- Fly Fishing: The Allure Of The Fish
- Fly Fishing: The Art Of Escape
- Fly Fishing: The Simplicity Of It All
- Fly Fishing: Time Flies
- Fly Fishing: Times You Remember & Try To Forget
joey – sweet stuff! you got some amazing footage too and put it together nicely. loved the shot of the skating mouse pattern and the rainbow just smashing it with reckless abondonment. some beautiful healthy looking rainbows too .. i would imagine that they tear line off the real with a vengence …nice fishin’ and film work.
Nice work joey! I also love the shot of the skated mouse, nothing cooler than waking big dries for big trout.
Joey, easily your best video yet! i loved the shots of the rainbows being released. the rainbows you caught are so beautiful, i can’t stop looking at the picture up above. hopefully one day i will be able to travel to alaska, but until then, i will look to this video to tie me over!
Very cool broseph, some great shots/angles in there. It must have been pretty exhilarating when the otter touched down and all that unmolested water was waiting for you. Fantastic.
Joey, Cool vid.
I really like the shots and the way you edited it… Once again I have to ask you which program you use for editing your videos ? I’d really like some of the effects. They really made the cool shoots even better.
Nice job ..
cool stuff, brings back some great memories of Alaska! Thanks!
Sick video, looks like a great trip.
beautiful bows and i love the skating mouse
Really killer vid Joey with a beautiful shot of the attack of the mouse pattern.. looks like that was an amazing trip to Alaska and even better to go with your father…