Fly-Fishing Secrets Alaska's Best Guides

by Rice, Will

• ISBN13: 9780811733137
• ISBN10: 0811733130
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-07-21
• Publisher: Stackpole Books

Summary

Alaska is a large and wild place, filled with incredible natural resources and some of the richest fisheries in the world. Though it is potentially a fly fisher's paradise, the diversity of its waters makes it difficult to know how to best fish each area. Tapping into local knowledge is the key to ensuring the exceptional quality of fishing that Alaska has to offer. This book reveals the most effective methods practised by some of Alaska's greatest guides, including Nancy Morris Lyon, Chad Valentine, Dan Busch, and Luke Woodruff. These skilled anglers generously share their expertise and the techniques they've developed for every variety of fly fishing. As you gain insights into their approaches, you will learn how to choose the type of fishing and the trip that most appeals to you. Whether you're casting dry flies to grayling, swinging big leeches for steelhead, or stripping heavy baitfish patterns in the open ocean for salmon, you are guaranteed to enjoy the fly-fishing trip of a lifetime.

Author Biography

Will Rice has lived in Alaska for over thirty years and has fished most of the rivers in this book. A retired trial lawyer, he spends his free time writing articles for outdoor and fly-fishing magazines from his home in Anchorage.

Table of Contents

Introduction	vii
PART I: BRISTOL BAY AND SOUTHWEST ALASKA: THE STUFF OF DREAMS	1	(54)
1. Rivers of Legend: The Trout Streams of Bristol Bay	3	(6)
2. Chasing Rainbows with Jack Holman	9	(9)
3. Big Rivers, Big Fish	18	(9)
4. Fishing the Big Rivers of Bristol Bay with Nanci Morris Lyon	27	(9)
5. Southwest Alaska	36	(6)
6. Floating Rivers with Chuck Ash	42	(13)
PART II: SOUTH-CENTRAL ALASKA: FISHING ALONG THE ROAD SYSTEM	55	(40)
7. The Kenai River System	57	(9)
8. Trout Fishing on the Kenai with Bruce Nelson	66	(7)
9. Salmon Secrets: A Day on the Kenai with Curt Trout and Billy Coulliette	73	(8)
10. Susitna Valley	81	(6)
11. On the Talkeetna with Chad Valentine	87	(8)
PART III: FISHING THE SALT: KODIAK AND RESURRECTION BAY	95	(28)
12. Kodiak Island	97	(7)
13. Fly-Fishing Kodiak with Dan Busch	104	(7)
14. Salt Water: Fly Rods and Deep Water	111	(4)
15. Fishing the Near Shore with Keith Graham and Capt. Greg Mercer	115	(8)
PART IV: SOUTHEAST ALASKA AND THE LOST COAST	123	(24)
16. Yakutat and the Lost Coast	125	(4)
17. Taking Cohos on the Surface with George Davis	129	(7)
18. Southeast Alaska	136	(5)
19. Fishing the Rain Forest with Luke Woodruff	141	(6)
PART V: TROPHIES AND TROUBLES: ENSURING A SUCCESSFUL TRIP	147	(32)
20. Landing Big Fish: The Techniques of Nanci Morris Lyon	149	(5)
21. Bears, Bugs, and Bad Weather	154	(11)
22. The Fly Box	165	(14)
Index	179