AK 2010: Funnel Creek Fish Tails

Bears, bears, and 'Bows, oh my!

Another option to add to the variety of fishing at Brooks is doing fly-outs to other rivers and creeks in the region. Pick a day, and a float plane will be waiting on the beach after breakfast, load up, fly into a river of your choice (or the lodge staff will be happy to suggest), get dropped for an incredible day of fly fishing, and if all goes well, get picked up in the afternoon and brought back to Brooks.

I'd been doing some researching and scouting on a few rivers in the region for future float trip ideas, and one creek I really wanted to get a brief introduction to on foot first was Funnel Creek. With a rare good weather window carrying over into the morning, Dad and I were up early and greeted to an incredible sunrise across Naknek Lake, highlighting our route North to Funnel.

Funnel Creek is a pristine, small sockeye spawning stream in high tundra. In the Fall it packs full of not only the salmon, but also large trout, and like everywhere else there's salmon, it packs FULL of brown bears. To be honest, it's overflowing with brown bears. With it's small size and high fish densities, bears gather here for the easy salmon fishing, packing on pounds for the winter. If you don't like fishing in close proximity to multiple bears at a time, don't bother going to Funnel. Brush on the banks is thick, and close encounters are inevitable. You'll probably also have human company on the creek, either other fly fisherman, or bear viewers being flown in from other lodges.

It's reputation is deserved though, and the scene is an incredible one to experience. We knew what to expect, and saw plenty of bears from the air before landing. Chase joined us again for the day, and after starting our hike up the creek, we were immediately greeted from seemingly every direction as breakfast on the creek was clearly underway. Favored bear sitting and feeding areas were obvious, with endless packed grass mounds spaced out evenly along the banks. 'Belly Craters' marked some of the gravel bars, where bears had dug out indentations to ease the pressure on their bloated bellies when they laid down for a nap.

With all the salmon in the small river, backs and tails often sticking out of the water, it was no wonder the bears loved it so much, putting up with each other and us for the easy pickings. The old bears had their fishing style -- just sitting like a bullfrog on the bank, staring at the water, occasionally reaching out, smushing a salmon into the riverbed. Then lifting it out, giving it a look over, biting off whatever looked tasty, and tossing it to the side. Then repeat. Younger bears seemed to favor the chase method, making a big splash and display, catching one, then carrying it out to feed on the bank. Some bears fished alone, some were moms, fishing for their cubs. Some bears seemed just to enjoy chasing the salmon, never taking a bite out before tossing them aside.

Salmon aren't the only fish in the creek though, and the rainbows were big and fat from the salmon eggs littering the river. These were tough, strong rainbows, and not easy to land in the small water, full of open sockeye mouths waiting to get caught on the line as a fighting rainbow goes screaming by. Getting a fly to drift through the salmon without getting fouled on them, then a prolonged fight from a strong trout with no intention of letting you tail it, is a worthy challenge. Some challenges are worth the frustration factor though, and pristine, dark, 'leopard' rainbows from Funnel are unforgettable.

By lunchtime on the tundra, the weather had returned to normal, and the rain was falling for the hike back to the pick-up point. A few more tugs on the line were in order, and of course, a few more bears. After some speculation as to whether or not we'd see the plane again that day (always a potential on fly-outs), the telltale sound of a prop came through the clouds. Guess we wouldn't have to cuddle in a bear belly crater after all.

We headed back to the lodge to fill our bellies, tell fish tales about the ones that didn't, and dream about the ones that got away...

AK 2010: Sunny Brooks 'Bows

After a rainy and

foggy morning kept us grounded from a planned fly-out, the skies parted and we had the rather unfamiliar feeling of the sun shining on our faces. It hadn't rained really hard in a few days, so while high, the Brooks River had done some clearing up. Now with actual sunlight to help see through the water, conditions were ideal for sight fishing to rainbow trout.

The sockeye salmon were still packing into the river and pairing up to spawn. Redds (salmon 'nests') were filling the riverbed, cratering it up like the surface of the moon. The egg drop was in it's early stages, and the rainbows were lining up devouring as many eggs as possible.

Like everything else in Alaska, the rainbows go where the salmon go, and at the Brooks River, being so short, with the Brooks Lake above and Naknek Lake below, rainbows pack in from both ends. One phenomena I've noticed over the years in AK is the dynamic between the rainbows and sockeye, and how it evolves as the salmon spawning begins. Early, when there's still a lot of 'riverbed real estate' available, the rainbows and sockeye seem somewhat content with each other, and disperse themselves across the river. As more spawning sockeye move in, pair up, make redds, and start dropping eggs, the rainbows progressively get pushed out as real estate dries up and angry males chase them off. Then you tend to catch them on the edges of the spawning beds, with the occasional really big boy hanging in the middle, oblivious to the bullying salmon. Eventually the rainbows seem to move into blowdowns, log jams, other typical trout cover, or they drop downstream of the spawning bed entirely, until the salmon die off and they move back up or out. Char seem much more tolerant of the salmon overall, and display this behavior to a lesser degree. There are exceptions of course, but that seems to be the general progression on many rivers.

This day was somewhere early in the 'moving to the edges' phase I'd say, but conditions were also perfect for spotting the big ones holding in the middle of the salmon, or noses lined up downstream of a bed area, like hungry cows filing in to a feeding trough. We had some company for the day too as Chase, one of the Brooks guides, had a free day due to the cancelled flyout. More eyes are always better, especially eyes that know the river better than you do.

Wade, look, spot, cast, and hopefully hook up and hold on was the name of the game. Some trout were showing themselves openly on large flat rocks -- which are of course no use to a salmon trying to make a nest, other were tucked up in the shadows of undercut banks, directly downstream of spawners. The day prior (rainy and buggy) had turned up a beautiful 'Leopard Rainbow' for me, which in AK is just a dark, heavily spotted rainbow. Now with the sun to our favor, and knowing trout liked to hold in that area, Dad did an excellent job making the right cast to a perfect fish, and after a great fight brought him to hand.

Having the sun for the day was almost like fishing a different river. It's just so much more fun and challenging to me to pick out a fish first, and then go for it, instead of blind casting into an area and waiting for a hook-up. Nothing beats seeing the fish move, the white of his gums, and explode out of a hookset.

Would the sun hold out? That's another story, until then, sweet dreams...

D

AK 2010: Lower Margot Creek

One of the great things about staying at Brooks is the diversity of water you can fish. Right out of your door you have the Brooks River itself, famous for its trout and salmon. You can also access Margot Creek from the lodge, either via boat, or bus ride and hike from the road to the Valley of 10,000 Smokes.

Margot is primarily a char fishery, so for a little variety, Dad and I hopped aboard a bear viewing tour boat, had a bouncy ride across the lake, and headed off upstream to explore a little and find some fish. Margot is a fairly small stream, with dense brush along the banks, and also VERY dense with bears. Many of these bears are used to seeing people at the Brooks River itself during the fresh salmon run, then move to Margot after for easier fishing.

Right after leaving the boat, I'm purposely talking loudly to Dad (to alert any furry friends), burrowing head down through a bear tunnel along the bank in the shoulder high grass and overhead bush canopy. Out of nowhere, a hefty brown bear exploded from its nap about six feet in front of me and proceeded to ramble off right past us into the dense brush.

Welcome to Margot Creek.

A few yards after that, we broke out into the stream to be greeted by a big old boar, who wasn't very keen on letting us pass quietly and giving up his fishing spot. After some 'back off language' in the form of yawning, swaying, and posturing, he eventually got tired of us and meandered off into the brush.

At first it was hard to find the time to look into the water instead of at the banks, but the char of Margot eventually showed themselves, staged up behind the salmon or in nearly every little hole, blow down, or micro-eddy that looked like it should hold fish. Hefty fish, already putting on winter weight, but nothing particularly long or as colored up as we'd hoped. We'd find a hole, watch for bears, probe with a few casts, watch for bears, land a fish or two, watch for bears, and move on.

Eventually it was time to turn around, which immediately makes you realize that now you have to re-dodge all the bears you dodged on the way up. We watched some new young adults feed on a gravel bank, paying us no mind, and sure enough, old grumpy pants was right where we left him, back in HIS spot.

Bottom line, if you want to catch char in Margot Creek, it's a great outing, catching strong char in small places. Bring along a spotter -- and a cushy seat -- if the wind picks up, the ride back on Naknek Lake can rattle you far worse than any surprises waiting in the brush.

AK 2010: Brooks Lodge - Crossing Streams

One of the best things about fly fishing and traveling are some of the cool people you meet. The ones you hit it off with immediately and know your streams will cross again. Jim and Melissa were some of those people. Their stream first crossed Ash's and mine in Belize during our first honeymoon, and we spent every evening telling stories and enjoying our time on the island.

I knew it was only a matter of time before we met up again, and this was the year to make it happen. Jim manages Brooks Lodge in Katmai National Park, one of the oldest lodges in Alaska, famous for its bears catching salmon in the air at Brooks Falls, and big rainbows -- what more excuse do you need to see an old friend? You can camp there in a NPS campground, or stay in the lodge, and the Brooks River is right there, easily accessible on foot. So when Dad arrived, I took a couple days to 'acclimatize' him, get on some fish, then head over to check out some new rivers.

Part of their operation is Katmai Air, used to transport guests, and available for private charters. After an initial hop from Anchorage to King Salmon, we met up with the guys from Katmai Air and headed to the float plane office. The skies parted, and we had nice sunny skies for the landing at Brooks.

After a 'bear briefing' from the Park Service, we met up with Jim and got a tour of the facility, the prized 4x4 bus for taking guests to the Valley of 10,000 Smokes, and of course, the river.

It didn't take too long before I was eager to rig up and hit the water. The record wet summer hadn't spared Brooks, and the normally dry hike in was completely flooded. I managed to coax Jim out of the office, and off we slogged through it.

The high water didn't seem to be bothering the Brooks trout too much though, just shifted them around a bit. The Sockeye were early in their run, not quite dropping lots of eggs yet, but the trout were ready for what we were throwing at them, beads or leaches. Unlike the river The 'Big Fishky' flask seemed to always be at low level. Puzzling phenomena indeed.

Some sun would have been nice, and lower water, but you have to take what you can get. Wade strong, and if some frog water gets in your waders, sometimes to have to head back in and warm up by the fire, head held high.

This was just the start of our stay at Brooks. This ain't Ghostbusters, sometimes it's OK to 'cross the streams'.

Stay tuned.

D

AK 2010: Life On The Road

After a great week with Brian, it was time to be a lone ranger again for a bit. People often ask me what it's like being up there alone. Where do you sleep? Where do you cook? What do you do? Do you get bored? The list is never ending, and sometimes pretty entertaining.

The easy answers are that I do whatever I want, sleep laying down, cook where I am when I get hungry, and fish, a lot. The target species of fish I'm after in Alaska move with the weather and the salmon, so being flexible and mobile opens up opportunities. I often get asked how I catch so many fish.....the best advice I can give on how to catch fish, is to fish where there are fish.

Whenever I get time alone, I like to bounce around and scout. I had a few days to kill before Dad was flying in, so it was a good time to get a re-assessment of some rivers and current conditions. That included getting out in the Watermaster, some time on foot, some time driving, and lots of time standing in the rain.

I always make a point to drive a vehicle up there with flat folding rear seats -- it turns it into a mini RV, with plenty of room to sleep, and dry out gear while driving, or fit a raft frame and rolled raft in the back of a rig vs on the roof. Did I mention how wet it was this year? Some of the only times to dry gear was while driving and cranking the heater. Doesn't always smell the best, but gets the job done, kind of...

It was a good few days, wet, but relaxing. Soon Dad would arrive, and we'd get a change of scenery, head over to Katmai National Park, and catch up with a friend at Brooks Lodge.