Alaska fishing Archives - the spotted tail

A Visit to Alaska’s Goodnews River- A Photo Essay

July 17, 2021 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

A Visit to Alaska’s Goodnews River- A Photo Essay

View from the airplane, on the way to Goodnews.

Thank you for reading this week’s post on A Visit to Alaska’s Goodnews River. Couldn’t post last week because there’s no internet service at Goodnews!

The wildflowers are fantastic. These are irises…

…and these are lupines. There are lots of other kinds!

We (Maxx and I) left here (San Francisco) Tuesday, got to Goodnews Wednesday at 5 PM the next day. Alex and the rest of the Goodnews crew met us and transported us to the Goodnews River Lodge, too late to fish. We put it off until Thursday, then fished every day through Tuesday. We fished for king salmon, sockeye salmon, rainbow trout, Dolly varden, and Arctic grayling.

The first fish we caught were king salmon.

The source of the power!

Maxx being silly.

Revival, in cold water.

We got some slobs on fly.

Expressing how wonderful it was to fish in Alaska with my two sons is next to impossible. It was fantastic! And we caught fish every day!

We spent time gurgling and got Dollies, grayling, and rainbow trout.

We had some incredible scenery.

Maxx battles a grayling.

Alex’s girlfriend Allison joined us for some fun!

Even I caught some.

The Goodnews valley, truly God’s country.

We got some Dollies!

Everyone loves a nice rainbow trout.

We had some fun!

Thank you again for reading this week’s post on A Visit to Alaska’s Goodnews River. Life is great and I love life!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Take a trip! Do SOMETHING!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Goodnews River- Alaska Fishing Report, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: adventure fishing, Alaska fishing, Alaska fishing report, arctic grayling fishing, Dolly varden fishing, fishing story, fly fishing, Goodnews River, rainbow trout fishing, salmon fishing

New Year’s Report from Me to You

January 1, 2021 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

New Year’s Report from Me to You

Happy New Year! Thank you for reading this New Year’s Report. I trust and hope everyone is not too hung over from wild revelry on New Year’s Eve. I was in bed at 10 PM myself…

The wind blew hard all week, cutting into fishing opportunities. You find other things to do.

I have a guest post about solo paddle fly fishing in the everglades at Fish Untamed. You can read it at this link- https://fishuntamed.com/solo-fly-fishing-in-the-everglades/

Also, I have been writing a series of mini-digital magazines on Magma Now. The latest is about the Lodge at Whale Pass .

You can see the collection and find new ones as they are posted at https://magmanow.com/@spottedtail/

Yes, I have been trying to keep busy.

Monday– I went fishing in the Indian River Lagoon, since I had not been in a long time. I had shots at two redfish. They both spooked off the fly, not that I could really see what was happening. Cold and with a solid north wind, it would have been a tough day anyway. Plus the water is pretty gross looking, with lots of Rhodophyta everywhere. I did get to meet this fellow, though, after a manner of speaking-

Tuesday– Honey-doooos. Got some quality time in with my bride at the Home Depot. Installed new track lighting in the kitchen.

Wednesday– Planned on fishing with Tom Van Horn, got blown out. Went for a walk with Susan at the improperly named Black Hammock Wilderness Area. Posted a blog about it- https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/seminole-county-wilderness-areas-a-review/

Thursday– Planned on fishing with Rick DePaiva, got blown out. Worked on the van, getting it ready for the solar install.

Friday– Happy New Year! Too windy to fish, again!

Thank you for reading this New Year Report blog!

Life is great and I love life!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! or walk on a trail!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida destinations, Fishing Reports · Tagged: Alaska fishing, black hammock wilderness area, Indian River Lagoon

Guests Arrive Alagnak River Fishing Report

July 2, 2018 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Guests Arrive Alagnak River Fishing Report

This is the guests arrive Alagnak River fishing report, coming from Alaska’s Katmai Lodge on the Alagnak River.

I even got one, on a jig.

Fishing! The king salmon have continued trickling in. Staff members have gotten five or six jacks this week. I even got one, an almost 20″ fish (very small for a king) on a jig. John Turcot hooked a real one. It straightened his hook out.

We have only seen a few sockeyes, and no chum salmon yet. They are expected any day now. Where have I heard that before?

Carl got a beauty, but this is a file photo.

After adjusting our tactics we have had some good trout fishing this week. Carl caught a beauty yesterday, unhooked it, and dropped it before I could get a photo. So I used a photo of a more modest fish.

The church is in ruins.

Down river from us is the site of an abandoned native settlement. At the site are the ruins of a Russian Orthodox church. We visited the site and explored it.

This plant looks something like cotton.

Tammy arrived at the Alagnak Lodge, 20 miles downriver from us, Thursday night. She motored up the river and visited us Friday, a wonderful surprise. We have a central Florida posse here!

From left- Tom Tammy, John, John.

The season’s first guests arrived on Saturday. Ian and Elizabeth joined me for an afternoon of king salmon fishing. We got two rainbow trout, no salmon. The last hour or so was spent on a fly casting and fly fishing lesson, which will come in handy later in the week.

Dave the maintenance man is an important guy at Katmai Lodge.

And that is the guests arrive Alagnak River Fishing Report from Katmai Lodge!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2018. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Alagnak River fishing report, Fishing Reports · Tagged: adventure fishing, alagnak river fishing report, Alaska fishing, Alaska fishing report, fly fishing alaska, rainbow trout fishing alaska, salmon fishing

Summer Solstice Alagnak River Fishing Report

June 23, 2018 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Summer Solstice Alagnak River Fishing Report

Pagans, celebrate! This is the summer solstice Alagnak River fishing report, coming from Alaska’s Katmai Lodge on the Alagnak River.

A small portion of Katmai Lodge.

The summer solstice has the longest amount of daylight of any day of the year. In the northern hemisphere the solstice was on Wednesday. The length of daylight will now get less and less, seconds or minutes every day, until December 21. The solstice was an important day in the pagan calendar.

A different view of the lodge, including the cafeteria and dock.

So, fishing. The king salmon have begun trickling in. Staff members have gotten five or six jacks this week. Ordinarily king salmon stay at sea anywhere from three to seven years. Jacks only stay at sea a year or two, so when they return they are much smaller than “adult” kings. Jacks are all males, and they are sexually mature. They’re just another of Nature’s ways of mixing the gene pool.

Tom tries to subdue a king salmon.

While we’re hoping for a good run of “adult” kings, jacks are welcome too. While smaller in size they are aggressive and delicious, and are still fun to catch. So jacks, bring it on!

He gets the dehooker on the spinner, and the fish is released.

The new guides here have been schooled this week on king salmon fishing techniques- pitching, boondogging, backtrolling. When the fish arrive we’ll be ready.

Time has been spent rigging.

We have not seen any sockeye or “tiger” (chum) salmon yet. They are expected any day now.

Ethan was happy with his jack king.

The trout fishing has dropped off. One expects Alaska to be cold and wet, but we’ve had exceptionally heavy rains all week and the river is high, high, high. The fish have lots of places to be and they are all spread out, hard to find. Additionally, most of our effort has been directed at kings.

And that is the summer solstice Alagnak River Fishing Report from Katmai Lodge!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2018. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Alagnak River fishing report, Fishing Reports · Tagged: adventure fishing, alagnak river fishing, Alaska fishing, Alaska fishing report, salmon fishing

Alagnak River Fishing Report

June 16, 2018 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Alagnak River Fishing Report

This is an Alagnak River fishing report, coming from Alaska’s Katmai Lodge on the Alagnak River. This place is fantastic!

Last Friday Tom VanHorn, John Turcot, and I traversed the country in Alaska Air jets, arriving at the lodge late in the evening. The only good things about air travel are it’s relatively inexpensive and quite fast. And safe- let’s not forget that.

The lodge staff began our training program the next day- jet boat driving through the braids. Yes, it’s confusing, They also issued us tackle- G. Loomis fly rods with matching reels, #6 and #8. G. Loomis plug rods with Ambassadeur reels for king salmon fishing.

John Turcot’s first fish in Alaska was a lovely grayling, taken on a mouse fly.

On our second jetboat day we got to fish some. Tom had the hot rod, but we all caught fish, a mix of fat grayling and rainbow trout. Effective flies included the egg-sucking leech and the mouse fly.

Mr. Van Horn got several rainbow trout on an egg-sucking leech.

We had a freight day- thousands of pounds of good that arrived downriver on a barge had to be transported to the lodge and put away. Hard work, all of it.

Loading freight into one of our boats.

The rest of the week was spent on jetboat training and prepping tackle- spooling reels, building leaders, tying flies. We were issued and prepped our boats.

Even I caught a trout!

I looked for salmon all week and did not see one. There are rumors that they are starting to enter the river mouth, both kings and sockeyes. Maybe we’ll see next week.

I have seen a brown bear and a half-dozen moose.

Moose cross the river in front of us.

And that is this week’s Alagnak River Fishing Report from Katmai Lodge! Next week I will have some photos of the lodge itself.

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2018. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Fishing Reports · Tagged: adventure fishing, alagnak river fishing report, Alaska fishing, Alaska fishing report, alaska rainbow trout, fly fishing, katmai lodge, Katmai lodge fishing report

Fishing Bear Lodge Photo Essay

September 4, 2017 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Fishing Bear Lodge Photo Essay

After four flights and three days of travel, I am sitting in my living room. There’s no place like home!

Internet in Alaska remains terrible, so my reports were of necessity short and photo poor. This Fishing Bear Lodge photo essay will share the best images of the summer.

Let’s rock it.

Fishing Bear Lodge, the logo.

Steve and Brock celebrate a northern pike.

Sockeye salmon in a frenzy in a small creek.

A rock bowl in a small creek.

Moosage in Lake Beverley.

Mountain view from Lake Beverley.

The Kulik Spire from Lake Kulik.

Jeff with a fat Arctic char.

We caught lots of Arctic grayling on dry flies.

Stacy rocks a sockeye salmon.

Misty mountains were a recurring theme through the summer.

Blaine says this fly box is the most organized thing in his life.

Grayling on dry fly.

Another fat grayling in the net.

Bushwacking up hills while wearing waders is hard work. The view makes it worth the effort.

Water rushes toward Lake Beverley in a small creek near the lodge.

Gene, Gene, the fishing machine, with a nice Arctic char.

No flowers yells “ALASKA!” to me like fireweed.

Ellie filets a sockeye salmon.

Trout fishing along Lake Beverley’s shoreline.

This fine rainbow trout attacked a faux mouse.

This trout, the best I saw all summer, also fell for a mouse.

A released grayling regains its equilibrium.

A fleet of Fishing Bear boats crosses Lake Beverley.

Craig hides behind a fat grayling.

I never saw a dog who loves water the way Boone does.

I photographed Blaine photographing Steve.

Arctic char release.

Angie found this moose horn on Lake Beverley’s shoreline.

That is this week’s Fishing Bear Lodge photo essay!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2017. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: fishing bear lodge fishing report, Fishing Reports, Photo Essays · Tagged: adventure fishing, Alaska fishing, Alaska fishing report, fishing bear lodge, fishing bear lodge photo essay

Fishing Bear Lodge Fishing Report 5

August 20, 2017 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Fishing Bear Lodge Fishing Report 5

A view from Beverley Lake.

This is the August 20 Fishing Bear Lodge fishing report.

There hasn’t been any frost yet, but the fireweed has mostly gone to seed. Alaska’s short summer hurtles toward autumn.

The colorful fireweed blossoms are mostly gone.

Fishing has remained excellent. Anglers using dry flies still catch grayling by the score, lovely fish in equally lovely surroundings. After a relatively rain-free week, the streams are running low and clear.

Dead sockeye salmon litter the banks of creeks. Plenty of fish still guard redds, and they are still dropping eggs. Trout and char are still in creeks, pigging out. Beads are still working well. I suspect a flesh fly would work well, too.

Jerry Grodin caught this fat char on a bead/wooly bugger combination.

The Agulapak River has been fast and steady for grayling and rainbow trout. Nymphs, streamers, and dry flies are all working.

Piking remains hot, but not in all locations. When you hit the right spot, action has been furious on poppers and streamers. A few folks even use spin tackle!

Anita and Blaine with a fat pike.

I’ve a fortnight left here before returning to Florida, and should re-hang my guiding shingle there around September 15. Although it’s great being here, there’s no place like home!

That is this week’s Fishing Bear Lodge fishing report!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2017. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: fishing bear lodge fishing report, Fishing Reports · Tagged: adventure fishing, agulapak river fishing report, Alaska fishing, Alaska fishing report, fishing bear lodge fishing report, rainbow trout fly fishing alaska

Fishing Bear Lodge Fishing Report 3

August 6, 2017 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Fishing Bear Lodge Fishing Report 3

This is the August 6 Fishing Bear Lodge fishing report.

It rained all this past week, every day. We got wet, stayed wet. Wah wah. The fish didn’t care much, except for one creek that got blown out. We fished elsewhere.

Ethan Price got this fine rainbow trout on a mouse fly. Yes, it was raining.

Mousing for rainbow trout has continued great, with fish running to over 20 inches, If the mouse action slows, switching to streamers has worked too. The egg-sucking leech has worked well.

This rainbow also took a mouse. Yes, it was raining!

The char fishing has not picked up yet. Salmon have begun to spawn. Where are the char?

Dry fly fishing for grayling has been a dependable and entertaining way to spend a few hours. Caddis and mayfly imitations both work well. Grayling are such lovely little fish!

Greg used a caddis imitation to entice this grayling. You know it was raining!

The pike have been reliable and entertaining. AND, I didn’t cut my fingers this week, which is awesome.

I should write an ode to sleeping bags. At the end a long day in the rain, nothing feels better than climbing into a delicious, warm sleeping bag.

That is this week’s Fishing Bear Lodge fishing report! Thanks for reading!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2017. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: fishing bear lodge fishing report, Fishing Reports · Tagged: adventure fishing, Alaska fishing, Alaska fishing report, alaska grayling fishing, alaska rainbow trout fishing, fishing bear lodge, fishing bear lodge fishing report, fly fishing, grayling fishing alaska, rainbow trout fishing alaska

Dillingham Fishing Report

July 9, 2017 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Move on Alone Dillingham Fishing Report

One morning on Playalinda, a marathon Alaska Air journey, and now I’m at Fishing Bear Lodge for my summer employment. It’s the first Dillingham fishing report from me this year.

Sunday I met Rodney, Pam, and Tom Ratcliff at Playalinda. The bugs were annoying. Other than that it was extremely picturesque. There were a lot of menhaden off the beach but nothing bothering them. Between us we got a half-dozen croakers, a couple small crevalle, and two blue crabs. Awesome morning, but fishing could have been better.

I went from this…

The trip to Dillingham could be described as grueling. On the other hand it could have taken weeks by car, or months on foot. It depends on your outlook.

Justin, lodge owner and pilot, met me in Dillingham and transported me by float plane to the lodge. We flew over a cow moose grazing in the water, and saw big schools of salmon at every creek mouth.

The Fishing Bear Lodge has an incredible location at the mouth of the Peace River where it flows into Lake Beverley, in the Wood River-Tikchik State Park. Internet here ranges from terrible to unavailable. There will be a photo essay or two once I return home.

The rest of the week was spent getting the lodge ready for guests, eveything from weeding the paths to putting up a new building. We’ve been fishing for sockeye salmon. Jake went fishing out front for a bit a few nights ago and caught a couple of small grayling. The fishing, for rainbow trout and grayling, as well as northern pike, will come soon enough.

After dinner last night a cow moose and her calf set up right in front of the lodge. Pretty cool stuff.

…to this in just a couple days. Is this a great time to be alive, or what???

Last night we took a boat ride up the indescribably breathtaking Wind River. The mountains are awe-inspiring.

And that is this week’s (sixty miles from) Dillingham fishing report!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2017. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: fishing bear lodge fishing report, Fishing Reports · Tagged: adventure fishing, Alaska fishing, Alaska fishing report, fishing bear lodge fishing report

My Favorite Alaska Photo s- A Photo Essay

May 16, 2017 by john kumiski · Leave a Comment

Pink salmon fill the 108 Creek on Prince of Wales Island.

My Favorite Alaska Photos

This Alaska Photo Essay contains my favorite photos from the ten summers I’ve spent (so far) in Alaska.

“Count your blessings.” While actually doing just that, I realized how fortunate I was to have spent those ten summers working in Alaska. My debt of gratitude to Bob Stearns for recommending me and to Mike Gorton at the Goodnews River Lodge for hiring me back in 2007 is tremendous. I could never thank either of them enough.

For that matter I owe many thanks to Kevin Ryter at the Lodge at Whale Pass, where the last three summers were spent. Both places have filled me with awesome memories of people and places, landscapes and wildlife. I am a blessed individual!

In ten years lots of images were taken. Narrowing all of them down the three photos per year for a total of thirty that appear in this essay was difficult. The things I do for my readers!

Please take a moment to peruse. Feedback is welcome.

This waterlogged four-foot-long log put up an epic battle on Willie’s eight-weight. The fly pattern was not recorded, sadly.

Tyler Williams looks over the Goodnews River valley from the peak of an extinct volcano called Tsuktulig.

A TransNorthern Airways DC-3 approaches the runway in Goodnews Bay.

Sea stars in a tidal pool on Indian Creek, Prince of Wales Island.

Rick Ross, a true personality in Goodnews Bay before his untimely death.

The technical weather window at Yute Airways world headquarters in Bethel.

South fork, Goodnews River.

Making an early morning baggage run on the Goodnews River.

Rodney Smith wanted me to take him to catch a rainbow trout. Mission accomplished!

Son Alex looks over the Goodnews River from Tsuktulig.

Ross looks over the south fork of the Goodness River.

Michaela Chloe on Tsuktulig.

Son Maxx on Lookout Mountain, looking over the Goodnews River valley.

Me, Judy Uhde, Ross.

M/V Thorne is dwarfed by the LeConte Glacier face.

Chuck holds a fat, fly-caught king salmon, Goodnews River.

Jim Vinalyk and a high flying silver salmon at the Swallows, Goodnews River.

Jacob’s ladder grows in the Goodnews River valley.

Humpback whales feeding in the Clarence Strait.

A glorious, fish-filled afternoon on the Goodnews River.

Jim Vinalyk fly casting on the Goodnews River.

Son Alex battles a silver salmon on the Goodnews River.

Notice the tiny speck of M/V Etolin, a 24 foot vessel with kayaks on the roof, in the lower right corner of this photo of the LeConte Glacier.

The Devil’s Thumb looms over fishing vessels near Petersburg, Alaska.

I taught Christian Ontaje how to tie a bunny leech. This king salmon is the first fish he caught on his first fly.

Brown bear eating a chum salmon, Goodnews River.

Paddling a kayak next to an iceberg near the LeConte Glacier.

Dr. Jenny on the bow of the M/V Blashke, near the LeConte Glacier.

Mr. Bill fights a jumping silver salmon on the middle fork of the Goodness River.

A float plane takes off near the mouth of the LeConte Fiord.

And that is my Alaska photo essay, ten summers in Alaska. Thank you for your time!

Life is great and I love my work!

Life is short- Go Fishing!

John Kumiski
www.spottedtail.com
http://www.spottedtail.com/blog
www.johnkumiski.com
www.rentafishingbuddy.com
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jkumiski

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2017. All rights are reserved.

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Filed Under: Photo Essays · Tagged: adventure fishing, Alaska fishing, alaska photos, Goodnews River, Goodnews River Lodge, LeConte Glacier, lodge at whale pass, prince of wales island, salmon fishing, whale pass

A Visit to Alaska’s Goodnews River- A Photo Essay

A Visit to Alaska’s Goodnews River- A Photo Essay

New Year’s Report from Me to You

New Year’s Report from Me to You

Guests Arrive Alagnak River Fishing Report

Guests Arrive Alagnak River Fishing Report

Summer Solstice Alagnak River Fishing Report

Summer Solstice Alagnak River Fishing Report

Alagnak River Fishing Report

Alagnak River Fishing Report

Fishing Bear Lodge Photo Essay

Fishing Bear Lodge Photo Essay

Fishing Bear Lodge Fishing Report 5

Fishing Bear Lodge Fishing Report 5

Fishing Bear Lodge Fishing Report 3

Fishing Bear Lodge Fishing Report 3

Dillingham Fishing Report

Move on Alone Dillingham Fishing Report

My Favorite Alaska Photo s- A Photo Essay

My Favorite Alaska Photos

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